Small Spaces is about living comfortably and using space wisely, and where better to find ideas on that subject than Japan, one of the world's most urban and densely populated countries? Tokyo resident Azby Brown, a distinguished architect and designer, has assembled dozens of creative solutions to space and storage problems, illustrating them with photographs and plans of actual living environments in contemporary homes. The key to his approach is what might be called "The Three Cs "--compact, comfortable, and convenient. Use of space is reconsidered, with easy living always the uppermost goal. A living room is opened up by creating level changes or "joining it with the exterior." A staircase can double as a chest of drawers, a space beneath the floor can serve as a kitchen pantry or hiding place for a disappearing bed: an adjustable table can serve different purposes at different heights. From top to bottom, in bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and hall, Azby Brown presents solutions to the problems of inner space, illustrated with dozens of full-color photographs, drawings, and architectural plans. Small Spaces will be a lifesaver for all those with growing families, shrinking resources, and limited room to grow--or indeed anyone who wants to transform a disorganized, cluttered environment into an orderly, attractive living area.

"First edition published in Japan in 1993 by Kodansha International"--T.p. verso.

"This book is an elegant jewel box of ingenious design ideas for close-packing the elements of comfortable, even luxurious, living." —Stewart Brand



"Azby Brown's book presents an attitude toward designing space that inspires creative solutions....He shows us ways to bring order and tranquility back into our lives." —Fine Homebuilding



"Small Spaces has some dazzling answers: most simple and colorful, all imaginative and practical. Invaluable." —House & Garden