Rating: 
Summary: A treasure and a trove of knowledge
Review: "Patterns of Home" simply is a wonderful book. It contains some of the most beautiful residences anywhere, gorgeously photographed and described. The book also makes a lot of sense. In a time when so many "design" books are self-serving treatises on a particular style or philosophy, "Patterns of Home" steers clear of jargon and techno-babble. The book delivers ten distinct, yet complementary studies (patterns) that serve to wonderfully illustrate how a house can truly be a home. I am an architect in private practice and I design several custom homes or estates per year along with my commercial, institutional and other commissions. While this in no way makes me an expert, it does allow me to highly recommend this book to those seeking to improve the livability of their home, or design meaning into a home. Even if one is not involved in, or contemplating such a project, this book is a great source of ideas and... well, it has a great deal of tremendous pictures!I am heartened to see Jacobson, Silverstein and Winslow put forth such an accessible, readable and pleasant book on a subject that has been dangerously worn out recently. The material in "Patterns of Home" is not necessarily new, but the presentation of it in such a thoughtful manner is valuable and meaningful. The arrangement of the material is logical, starting with site planning, spatial relationships, and the basics of shelter, light and proportion. The transition into feeling, perception and texture is seamless and rewarding to experience. The chapter (pattern) on "Refuge and Outlook" addresses a concept dear to my heart. My own home high in the Southern California mountains embodies much of this concept. The presentation of this concept gave words to things I've often struggled to explain. I was very moved by the elegant, yet simple language used to present this and the nine other patterns. The ability to crisply and efficiently write about ideas and concepts that can easily become mired in technical or philosophical discourse is not common. It is precisely this skill that the authors bring to this work, and which makes "Patterns of Home" so useful. The authors clearly appear to practice what they preach, and the honesty that I sense in this book is refreshing. I commend the authors on producing a book that is highly informative in a very sensible way. This book is a companion to Lawler's "A Home for the Soul" on my display table. I heartily give "Patterns of Home" five stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Not exactly what you hoped for.
Review: Based on the 10 most important building patterns from the book "A Pattern Language", by Christopher Alexander (the book every architect should memorize) your expectations just don't seem to get met with this book. There are lots of good photos and lots of well designed houses, but you keep waiting for something to pop out at you when you are reading it, but it just doesn't happen. When reading the book "A Pattern Language" the small simple illustrations let your imagination flow, whereas in this book, the photo's of finished homes seem to shut off your own creative juices. Also the homes are mostly all huge and expensive. Good for architects designing mansions, but making you wonder how the patterns would have looked in a smaller home. Since not everyone thinks alike, I am sure some people will get allot more out of this book than I have. And if this is your type of book then I think "The Not So Big House" series of books by "Sara Susanka are much better. Also if you have not read "A Pattern Language", by Christopher Alexander please do before you read any other architecture books.
Rating:
Summary: Creative, insightful, and timeless
Review: Compiled by architects Max Jacobson, Murray Silverstein, and Barbara Winslow, Patterns Of Home: The Ten Essentials Of Enduring Design offers a fascinating and very highly recommended plethora of aesthetically pleasing home designs, shapes, and patterns, each of which are vividly illustrated with color photographs and a descriptive text. From roofing that is both a visual delight and eminently practical for one's climate, to designing a natural flow through rooms, to optimizing lighting effects and more, Patterns Of Home combines architecture and interior design in creative, insightful, and timeless ways.
Rating:
Summary: Beautifully written, accessible, helpful
Review: For those who may not have the patience to work through "A Pattern Language," this book distills the most important elements and illuminates key aspects with photographs. I found it helpful as a suplement to "A Pattern Language". I think these books will improve any design.
Rating:
Summary: Beautifully written, accessible, helpful
Review: For those who may not have the patience to work through "A Pattern Language," this book distills the most important elements and illuminates key aspects with photographs. I found it helpful as a suplement to "A Pattern Language". I think these books will improve any design.
Rating: 
Summary: disappointing
Review: Having bought and read the original book "A Pattern Language" I was most interested to get this book. However I found it quite confusing and would imagine anyone who had not read the first book wouldn't have a clue what it was about. I would reccomend the first book and then if you wanted further information buy some of Sarah Susanka's excellent books which are available...
Rating:
Summary: Big Disappointment
Review: I am a HUGE fan of 'A Pattern Language', and found this book in the local library. It took me a while to realize that this book is a far cry from its predecessor. I found the patterns themselves interesting, but over-distilled from the quirky things that made 'Pattern Language' so wonderful...that book is full of the HUMANITY of places that people can create, and the effects on how places feel to us, how we interact, and how we live our lives in the context of these places. My big problem with this book is with the photographs. I actually had a hard time seeing and feeling the point of the patterns. These are all, for the most part, big, expensive architect showcase homes of the west coast. How about showing these patterns in more modest or 'hand made' type houses? How about showing some of these patterns in desert homes, or old european homes? Homes in Mexico or in Greece? How about the patterns shown in other world homes? All these homes are fancy and expensive...it's ok to show some of those of course, but if the book is about PATTERNS, then the best illustration of a PATTERN is to show it in a wide variety of disparate settings. This book, which I sat down to relish, was actually dull. It didn't stir my imagination and get the desire flowing the way 'Pattern Language' did. It's probably worth a look, but do as I did and request it from your library, and read it. Then decide if you really want it. I didn't.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: I don't know a book that does what this one does, clearly connecting design principles to exemplary, recent houses. There are plenty of books out there with lots of nice houses in them, and other books with lots of principles, but this one does just what is needed, by bringing the principles and examples together so that people can not only begin to think for themselves, but see the possible consequences of doing so. The houses are well chosen and beautifully photographed, and the writing is clear. This is a must-buy for anyone thinking of building or renovating a house, or just for inspiration.
Rating: 
Summary: Provides vocabulary
Review: I liked this book agreat deal. It provides a vocabulary to describe the elements that make a good design. It is well organized and the concepts are easy to understand. I can now go into houses I like and don't like and identify why, as well as what I want to incorporate into our remodel. I followed this book up with Home by Design by Susanka. While organized differently, the latter uses many of the same concepts, and is a good companion volume. On the basis of reviews here, I bought "A Pattern Language". I think it is best appreciated after having looked at one of the two described above.
Rating:
Summary: Great Potential, But Disappointing
Review: I really wanted to like this book. I endorse the patterns approach to home design, and I've come to rely on Taunton Press for very high-quality construction books. Unfortunately, "Patterns of Home" is a disappointment. It should be subtitled "How Architects Get Their Rich Clients to Build Large Homes Full of Amazingly Superfluous Detailing". A few of the example homes are very interesting, but the majority of them are overblown ostentatious mansions that most people can't possibly afford. Sadly, Sarah Suzanka, author of the "The Not So Big House" series wrote the foreward. She forgot to mention that most of the homes featured in this book are quite big. If you have a lot of money to spend, or just want to see how the other half lives, you might find the pictures interesting. I got bored and disheartened after the first 6-7chapters.
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