Convertible Houses Getting the Most Out of Your Interior Spaces

Trading up in real estate doesn't always mean adding square footage. In fact, more often than not, adding extra space isn't an option. That's where convertible design can go a long way. With a total of 950 square feet between them, authors Amanda Lam and Amy Thomas have mastered the essential tricks of maximizing their living spaces. In Convertible Houses, they guide you through dozens of examples of homes that uniquely accommodate multiple functions within a finite amount of space. Creative design and flexible space planning can make your square footage work twice as hard, no matter where you live. Renowned architects and creative homeowners from around the world share successful strategies for convertible living, from foldaway kitchens to foldout offices, from swiveling walls to cantilevering lofts, from one-room urban studios to palatial countryside homes. The examples in Convertible Houses offer professional insights, layman's tips, and plenty of inspiration. Through a mixture of color photography, floor plans, renderings, and engaging text, you'll see how convertible features can add more versatility to your living space. But what if you're not ready to hire a contractor and overhaul your home? Even if you don't have the budget to make architectural changes, Convertible Houses covers plenty of quick and easy changes you can make in an afternoon, or a weekend, to pack more functionality into your home. When Amy Thomas was growing up, her father, an interior designer, was constantly knocking down walls in their homes and rebuilding them so they were more functional-and more fabulous. These were lessons Amy carried with her when she bought her first apartment. Nowliving in Manhattan, she writes about everything from local design to international travel for publications such as CITY, Bust, Lucky, Metro newspaper and others. Amanda Lam honed her love for design and architecture during her time as the managing editor of CITY magazine. Four years ago, she relocated from the San Francisco Bay Area to New York City, where she became intimately familiar with the challenges of one-space living in a 436-square-foot studio apartment in Manhattan's Upper West Side. Amanda attended Stanford University, where she received her BA in Communication and her MA in Sociology.Lam, Amanda is the author of 'Convertible Houses Getting the Most Out of Your Interior Spaces', published 2007 under ISBN 9781423600299 and ISBN 1423600290.