Bestselling author, architect and cultural visionary, Sarah Susanka is leading a movement that is redefining the American home. Her "build better, not bigger" approach to residential design has been embraced across the country and her "Not So Big" philosophy has sparked international dialogue.

As a leading advocate for the re-popularization of residential architecture, Susanka has improved the quality of home design while countering the elitist image of architects so commonly held by the public. Today, with Susanka as emissary, the "Not So Big" movement is evolving beyond habitation and into how we inhabit our lives.

Susanka understands that "Not So Big" also is a way of life. In May 2007, Random House will publish The Not So Big Life where Susanka looks at life rather than home. She shows us what is really missing in our lives and how to do something about it. Just as with home, readers will discover that it is about quality, not quantity and that which brings meaning and fulfillment to our lives.

Thought Leader, Speaker and Expert Resource
Susanka is a sought-after resource by industry groups and members of the media. Professional organizations, including the American Institute of Architects and the National Association of Home Builders, regularly ask her to address local and national conferences.

Susanka has shared her insights with "The Oprah Show," "Charlie Rose," USA Today, The Wall Street Journal and more. In February 2001, Fast Company named her to their debut list of "Fast 50" innovators whose achievements have helped to change society - an honor preceded by her selection as a "top newsmaker" for 2000 by Newsweek magazine and an "innovator in American culture" in 1998 by U.S. News & World Report. Susanka was ranked number 14 out of 50 "Power Brokers - the most influential people in the building industry" by Builder Magazine in 2004. That same year, Susanka was named to the "Environmental Power List" by Organic Style magazine.

Acclaimed Author, Six Best-Selling Books
In her groundbreaking first book, The Not So Big House (Taunton, 1998), Susanka philosophically imparts what is wrong with the way we think of houses today, and what we could do differently. She encourages homeowners and design professionals to focus on quality rather than quantity - what makes us feel comfortable rather than what impresses the neighbors. Her next book, Creating the Not So Big House (Taunton, 2000) shows "Not So Big" in action with 25 examples of homes and remodels. Not So Big Solutions for Your Home (Taunton, 2002) is full of fixes and ideas for common house problems.

In 2004, Susanka launched Home By Design (Taunton) - a companion to all her other books, describing the different principles and concepts that allow one to build "Not So Big." In 2005, Susanka partnered with Marc Vassallo for Inside the Not So Big House (Taunton), zooming in on the built-in details that bring personality to a home, even before adding furniture or accessories. One year later, Susanka launched Outside the Not So Big House along with landscape designer Julie Moir Messervy. Susanka and Messervy explain the macro-scale of home design, weaving inside and outside together and showing 20 examples of gardens that surround "Not So Big" houses.

Susanka is a registered architect, a member of the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects and is a certified interior designer. More at www.notsobighouse.com.