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Sarah Susanka Unveils Design for SchoolStreet Home

The renowned architect revealed her plans for the Not So Big Showhouse.

Sarah Susanka, an acclaimed architect and author of the Not So Big House books recently unveiled her design for the Not So Big Showhouse for the SchoolStreet development project.

On Feb. 9, Susanka unveiled her design of the 2,450-square-foot house — which showcases her emphasis on scale, visual interest, efficiency, and personality — to a  standing-room-only crowd at the .

“You’re going to learn a lot as to why I picked this particular project,” Susanka said to the audience at the beginning of her presentation. “It gave me the opportunity to actually build an example of all of the things that I’ve been writing about for the last 12 years.”

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Susanka said that designing for the long, narrow lots for the SchoolStreet homes was a new experiment for her.

“We’ve got this long, thin house,” Susanka said. “The first thing that occurred to me is that if you really want to orient the house toward the street, you’ve really got to get the living spaces toward the front.”

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For Susanka, the importance of SchoolStreet homes' front porch dictated where she put the main living areas. She knew that if the main living areas weren’t near the front porch, the front porch wouldn’t be used.

Let the Light in

“Another thing about a narrow lot is that the front is where the light is,” she added.

Susanka designed what she calls a “stair tower," which lets light flow down from the top of the house with the use of extra windows above the stairs. She also included her signature elements, “a light to walk towards,” or well lit nooks with pictures or visual elements at the end of hallways or opposite an entry point.

“We’re physiologically programmed to walk toward light,” she said.

The designs also featured many garden areas throughout the interior including one at the base of the stairs and a rooftop deck. The library will feature a large architectural window overlooking an outdoor zen garden with vertical rocks, mosses and bushes.

“It’s really important in a situation like this to have an outdoor space,” Susanka says of the roof top deck. “This is really above the mudroom and the garage. It’s a good size area.”

The "stair tower" and the zen window in the library are two of Susanka's favorite elements of the house.

Aside from letting the outdoors in, she has also concentrated on another Not So Big House idea, functionality.

Getting Away at Home

“An away room is a room that I really think is missing in a lot of houses today,” she said of the home’s extra room near the back of the house. The room could serve as a place for reading books or watching television away from the rest of the household.

“It also doubles as a guest bedroom, so there’s a Murphy bed that folds down out of the wall. It can also function as a home office. So it actually has three different functions. And I believe very strongly that if more people had this room, we would save an enormous amount of money and resources on building all three rooms, several of which rarely get used.”

Susanka’s concept behind the Not So Big House, she says is actually not all about size. She concentrates on quality versus quantity and putting money into details and functionality instead of pure square footage.

“The mudroom itself is really quite spacious,” Susanka said. “One of the things that I talk about in my books is that you need to recognize where you as a family come in and out of the house. It’s usually through the garage. And so across from the door from the garage is a mail sorting place with a piece of art above it, so you’ve got something interesting to look at. You’ve got plenty of room to move around and take your coat off.”

“And then as soon as you come around the corner, you see all the way through the house,” she said. “So right away you know why you bought this house. It’s welcoming you home.”

A Room for Messy Occassions

Susanka led the crowd through the house explaining the master suite, two smaller rooms, and what she calls a “mess room.”

“One of the things having lived in Minnesota for 21 years,” she said. “I really know what happens to kids in this kind of weather. You need a place where the kids can make a mess, where they can paint. This is a mess room.”

She brought attention to the use of ceiling height variety, built-ins, a low, long fireplace in the living area, and a thick solid trellis on top of the kitchen island. She also mentioned that there are opportunities for many “green” elements such as solar panels and bamboo flooring, but that these details have not been finalized.

“For something to be ‘green,’ it has to be beautiful,” Susanka said. “Humans tend things that are beautiful.”

Greeting the Fans

After presenting her designs for the SchoolStreet development, Susanka held a book signing. She has written eight books since the Not So Big House.

“I’ve seen her books and read them,” said Libertyville resident Lisa Godfrey as she stood in line for the book signing. “I like her philosophy. Also my husband is trying to do this sort of thing in Ottawa.”

Some attendees came with hopes of getting ideas for their own Not So Big Houses.

“I live in a very small house,” said Alexa Holzwarth. “So any ideas that can help make it work would be great.”

Remodeling contractors Randy and Wendy Franz from Cary came to get ideas because they are interested in modeling their work after Susanka.

“She started writing these in the '90s,” Wendy said. “I find it interesting how timely her ideas are now.”

Majority of Homes Sold

There was also a lot of excitement over Susanka's involvement in a Libertyville-based project.

“I live in a 'Not So Big House,’” said Joan Monnig. “I’m really excited that she’s speaking and working on the SchoolStreet project.”

The house Susanka designed has already sold but SchoolStreet developer John McLinden says there is opportunity to do more.

So far 21 of the 26 School Street homes have sold. McLinden says the excitement has stayed steady and "the momentum continues."

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