Home Design

"A house that is beautiful and that inspires you is 100 percent more delightful to your heart than something that's just merely big," says Sarah Susanka, author of the Not So Big House series of books. "That's what we're gradually coming to understand."

Susanka writes about the importance of home design when building a house. For home design, she tells readers to think about what rooms they actually use in a house. Do you really need a formal living room in your home design? Another tip is to hire an architect who can help you with your home design. Susanka says, "There's a lot of tricks that architects use to make space do more than we imagine it can."

When you consider home design in your kitchen area, it's important to think about flow. One home design option is to have a kitchen that opens onto a family room or dining area.

"We've all been into kitchens with an eating area that's too far away from the kitchen, so it's like its own little isolated room," Susanka says. "It's got to be close enough that there's a kind of tension between the two that allows for participation."

As an architect, Sarah Susanka has had experience designing for many different clients, and she says it's important to tailor your home design to your family's needs. "I've designed for people who like a lot more space between them, than others who like to be much closer, so you need to pay attention to what your family, your household, and your body tells you you like."

The most important home design lesson Susanka teaches people is to design your house for you, don't design it for the next buyer.

For more stories on home design, designing your dream home, real estate and personal finance visit ThinkGlink.com.

NOTE: Ilyce R. Glink's latest ebooks are "Credit Scoring Secrets" and "How to Find a Great Real Estate Agent," which are available at her new, all-video website, www.expertrealestatetips.net. If you have questions, you can call her radio show toll-free (800-972-8255) any Sunday, from 11a-1p EST. You can also write to Real Estate Matters Syndicate, PO Box 366, Glencoe, IL 60022 or contact her through her website, www.thinkglink.com ©2008 by Ilyce R. Glink. Distributed by Tribune Media Services.