This is a book of houses where we all would like to live. The locations are diverse-New England, Long Island, Pennsylvania, California-and the architecture encompasses both traditional and contemporary vocabulary. What links them is their livable scale and the architectrs"s commitment to creating congenial spaces with a handsome and functional design. They are unassuming dwellings whose architecture moves easily to the background, supporting comfortable furniture, works of art from a variety of periods and styles, and the plantings and outdoor spaces that are essential to the composition. These houses display grace and style inside and out. They invite a full range of activities from formal to informal, from celebration to repose, from a solitary existence to a house full of children or guests. These houses have good places to read a book or write a letter, to take a nap, and to cook and eat with family and friends.

Samuel G. White is a partner in the New York firm Platt Byard Dovell White Architects. He is the author of three highly successful books on the work of McKim, Mead & White, most recently Stanford White Architect.