Well-to-do homeowners looking for ideas on how to improve their city living space and readers with an interest in urban architecture will enjoy these presentations of the best in metropolitan design. Clagett, who coauthored The Art of Mosaic Design
(1998), has written widely in the field of home design, and here she details two dozen examples of renovated lofts, apartments and townhouses in locations such as Manhattan, Philadelphia, Toronto and Portland. Though varying widely in style, the spaces chosen share a blend of artistry and practicality shaped to serve the needs of those who live there. Each dwelling is accompanied by an architectural history, floor plans and photographs that lavishly illustrate how the finished home overcame the drawbacks of urban living—how intelligent design and craftsmanship were employed to address a lack of space and light, for example, or provide a refuge from the frenetic pace of city life. New movable walls, constructed from aluminum and acrylic in ways that maximized rather than blocked sunlight, transformed an empty concrete loft in Boston. In Manhattan, a peaceful environment was created in a high rise through windows that functioned as "framed photographs" of the city's skyline. Of particular interest is Clagett's description of how two historic Philadelphia town houses, purchased by a couple as their urban retirement home, were made wheelchair accessible after one of the owners became unable to walk. Color photos. (Apr.)
