In this book Jeremiah Eck identifies the four key elements that can turn a drab house into a dream house: good siting, well-designed floor plans, elegant exterior forms and details, and distinctive interior details. While any one of these fundamentals can elevate the architectural integrity of a house, when considered together the result is a truly distinctive dwelling place. Each of the four key elements has its own chapter (with running text, sidebars, photographs, and drawings), the first of which covers siting. Many of these houses are built in spectacular settings, but for those with more modest sites, the author explains how to make the most of the lot you do have whether it's in a suburban development or a rural stretch. He follows with a chapter on floor plans, in which he illuminates how to use space in a way that reflects the way people really live. - What makes a house distinctive? - Marrying a house to the land - Expressing the way you live - Balancing function & beauty - The intimate realm - * Illustrates in full colour fifty featured houses in a wide array of styles, budgets and locations. * Ideal Home architectural and design inspiration at its best, from 31 different leading architects.