The Not So Big House by Sarah Susanka is an excellent coffeetable book. Enticing images and the promise of happiness are the selling points for a practical book on home design. The concept of an “away” room particularly appealed. It’s a small space, a retreat. In real life, it’s reassuring to see architects are incorporating such ideas into reasonably priced homes. The floor plan of “Shenton Lakes” by Dale Alcock Homes includes a sitting space opening into a front veranda that is pleasantly “away” in a small home.