Best Residential Architecture Books of 2025

Suzanne Rheinstein: A Welcoming Elegance is a beautifully photographed book that showcases the refined and clear style of interior designer Suzanne Rheinstein. The book features homes of her clients that reflect a vision of richness tempered by restraint, with a focus on melding modernity and timeless elegance. Throughout the book, Rheinstein shares her ideas on how to create relaxed yet elevated spaces that allow people to live comfortably surrounded by fine art and antiques. This book is a must-read for anyone looking for inspiration on how to create elegant and inviting spaces.

The Very Efficient Carpenter is a comprehensive guide to basic framing for residential construction, written by Larry Haun, a carpenter with over 35 years of experience. The book covers everything from laying down sills to cutting rafters, and includes information on tools, plans, codes, permits, lumber, and materials. It also provides additional information on safety and site-built tools. Haun's step-by-step instructions and clear illustrations make this book an excellent resource for both professional carpenters and apprentices. Overall, The Very Efficient Carpenter is a valuable addition to any home design and construction book collection.

The Pretty Good House book provides a practical and affordable framework for homeowners looking to build or renovate a high-performance home with a focus on sustainability and personal needs. Authors Michael Maines, Dan Kolbert, Emily Mottram, and Christopher Briley offer guidelines for constructing homes that are small, durable, insulated, and air-sealed. The book is a must-read for anyone looking to build a home that is healthy, responsible, and resilient on a budget.

The "Airbnb Business" book is an up-to-date guide to becoming a successful Airbnb host. The book covers everything from creating a top-quality listing to automating your property and making it smart. It also includes accounting, ranking among the top listings, and becoming an Airbnb Superhost. This guide is filled with practical advice from a Superhost's experience and is a one-stop resource for anyone wanting to generate extra monthly income from a profitable, passive real estate investment business. Overall, this book is a must-read for anyone who wants to succeed in the world of Airbnb rentals.

Oasis: Modern Desert Homes Around the World is a visually stunning tour of the world's most amazing desert homes. It showcases how creatives are inspired by the extreme landscapes and limited resources of the desert, and how they've built homes here that prove the power of an oasis. This book features classic and modern homes that define the desert mindset, including Georgia O'Keefe's in Abiquiu, New Mexico, and Michael Barnard's Solar House in Marfa, Texas. With Casey Dunn's stunning photography, Oasis will transport readers to these relaxing refuges and inspire them to create an oasis with "desert vibes" wherever they are.

The second edition of A Field Guide to American Houses is a comprehensive and essential guide to domestic architecture, featuring expanded and new categories of house styles with photos and descriptions of each. The book includes an appendix on "Approaches to Construction in the 20th and 21st Centuries," an expanded bibliography, and 600 new photographs and line drawings. The book is an excellent resource for laypersons and professionals interested in the history and preservation of American homes. Its detailed and illustrated storytelling makes it an engaging read, making it a must-have for anyone interested in residential architecture.

Parisian by Design: Interiors by David Jimenez is a must-read for anyone who dreams of living in a beautiful Parisian apartment. Interior designer David Jimenez shares his secrets for decorating like a Parisian, including tips on layering textures and colors and artfully arranging art and collectibles. The book also features a how-to section on decorating in the French style, as well as a source section of Jimenez's favorite flea markets, antiques dealers, and art galleries in Paris and New York. With its beautiful images and inspiring texts, Parisian by Design is a dream for style Francophiles or anyone looking to artfully decorate their home, wherever they may live.

The Star Wars Archives. 1977–1983. 40th Ed. is a must-have for any Star Wars fan. This book, made with the full cooperation of Lucasfilm, takes you through the making of the original trilogy, providing fresh insights into the creation of a unique universe. Complete with script pages, production documents, concept art, storyboards, on-set photography, stills, and posters, this is the authoritative exploration of the original saga as told by its creator. The book also includes a narration by George Lucas himself. It's a fascinating read that offers a glimpse into the making of one of the most iconic movie franchises of all time.

At Home on the Water by Jaci Conry is a stunning book that explores the history of coastal living and features twelve homes on the water on both coasts and the gulf. The book focuses on both the design of the homes and the way the homeowners live in them, embellished by interviews with the homeowners, designers, and/or architects. The book is beautifully illustrated with full-color photography and offers plenty for design buffs to savor. This book is a pure pleasure to browse through one page at a time and will be of special interest to readers with an interest in residential architecture and interior design.

The Evolution of Home: English Interiors for a New Era is a book that showcases the work of Sims Hilditch, a design firm that understands how to blend decoration and practicality seamlessly. Emma Sims-Hilditch's interiors are elegant, relaxed, and perfect for the values and lifestyles of today's generation. The book explores the firm's approach to design and how they create stylish and comfortable homes for their clients, regardless of the project's scope. The book is a must-read for anyone interested in interior design and how it's evolving to meet the needs of modern homeowners.