DISCOVER HOW LIFE-ENRICHING HOMES ARE MADE
“In Supersizing Bliss [...] the award-winning architect [Toby Witte] takes the reader on a journey to discovering how life-enriching homes are made.”
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Supersizing Bliss
If you are confused and scared about the prospect of creating a custom home for yourself, read this book.
Find out how the homes we live in have come to be and ways to design them better.
Discover how to find happiness in your home and the steps to get there.
How we have Betrayed our Homes and the Happiness we Seek
By Toby Witte
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In his award-winning book Supersizing Bliss Toby Witte takes us along on a search for the creative spark that will lead to the creation of a home that will promise lasting happiness. He shares his insights into the cultural trappings and market forces that have led to the sea of heartless, uninspired houses provided to North American homeowners, as well as ideas on how to create your own home successfully despite of them.
Through examples and anecdotes this book offers an empathetic look at the opportunities we have to create homes that have the chance to be inspiring stages for our lives. If you are planning to create a single-family home for yourself, this book is a must-read.
SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL BOOKSTORE
For readers in the Carolinas, Supersizing Bliss is available at:
Malaprop’s Bookstore/Cafe, Asheville, NC
Park Road Books, Charlotte, NC
Goldberry Books, Concord, NC
Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill, NC
Quail Ridge Books, Raleigh, NC
So & So Books, Raleigh, NC
WHEREEVER BOOKS ARE SOLD
You can order Supersizing Bliss at your favorite online book seller: IndieBound, Tertulia, Bookshop.org, Bookmarks, ThriftBooks, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million
“He works to counter what he sees as a sea of heartless, uninspired houses provided to North American homeowners, Witte writes in his book Supersizing Bliss.”
vOTED TOP “40 INDIES WORTH DISCOVERING”
Kirkus Reviews Magazine 06/15/24
“Among the points he makes in his book, Supersizing Bliss, is that the home-design process requires quiet introspection first before the big design gestures.”
“An absorbing brief for great architecture as a human necessity. A sometimes-grandiose but often captivating argument for the house as the framework for a vibrant life.”
“If you yearn for a place that can truly shape your life story, this book will help you find your way.”
“I’m twenty years into my journey as a residential architect and Supersizing Bliss gave me a new framework for identifying what matters.
Toby is like that great teacher who makes complex ideas simple. Supersizing Bliss is a must-read for future homeowners and their architects!”
“Witte excavates desire with a sincerity that is the sexiest stalwart of design. He doesn’t merely appease. He psychically sketches, etches, and constructs the metaphorical and enveloping chaise lounge where his clients would choose to languish…forever.”
“Architects often write for other architects, but Supersizing Bliss is devoted to architecture’s inhabitants. Witte’s book offers insights into many of the little-known frustrations, desires, and dreams architects have for the built environment. The accessible book is a kind of annotated love letter to architecture, written by an architect, to all occupants of houses.”
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Preview a Chapter
CHAPTER 13 - GOOD DESIGN IS EMPATHETIC
An example of a home that feels for its inhabitants
About TOBY
Over a quarter century of experience in the world of design and construction comes to bear on Toby Witte’s internationally acclaimed work. German by heritage and upbringing, born in Peru, Toby has had the privilege to study and practice architecture, building science, drafting, and construction in Germany and in the USA.
Between various employment with architect, engineering, and construction firms, he graduated cum laude from the David R. Ravin School of Architecture at the University of North Carolina – Charlotte. He ran his previous design/build companies Dialect Design and Qube11 for over a decade until he founded Wittehaus in 2017.
Toby and Wittehaus have been honored with many awards, including the Medal & Henry Adams Certificate of Merit by The American Institute of Architects, the North Carolina Modernist Houses Matsumoto Prize, the Build Magazine’s Design & Build Award for “Most Innovative Architecture and Design Firm, North Carolina”, the Communicator Award of Distinction by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts, the BLT award for Architectural Design, as well as the Architecture Masterprize.
Forbes Magazine featured Wittehaus on their list of America’s Top 200 Residential Architects.
Among other publications Toby’s homes have been featured by Dwell, Architectural Digest, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal.
His work has been showcased in exhibitions such as at the Lambla Gallery for the UNCC College of Architecture 50th Anniversary Symposium and Gala.
Following the success of his book, Toby has been a keynote speaker and frequent podcast guest, sharing his thoughts about the world of modern homes.
In the interest to share his expertise with the next generation of architects, Toby has been called back by his alma mater to occasionally help out as a guest lecturer and part-time adjunct professor.
To learn, grow , and contribute, Toby has also been active in the American Institute of Architects, the National Organization of Minority Architects, Brick & Wonder, EntreArchitect, and serves on the board of the Green Built Alliance.
When Toby parks his pencil he lets himself be sucked in by a vibrant family life centered around his wife, an early education teacher, their three powerhouse daughters, and four cats. He cooks, reads, travels, plays two chords on the guitar, and loves a good beer.
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“His vivid prose effectively conveys the psychological impact of material structures”
“On a quest to find the true definition of home and how the houses in which we live might contribute directly to the health and happiness of their occupants, Toby Witte explores the individual elements of architectural design and presents an alternative blueprint for changing the way we build single family homes in America.”
“Supersizing Bliss expanded my understanding and meaning of a home. Toby’s reflections explore the value of the spaces we make ours, the place where our hearts and minds are free, relaxed, and we can be ourselves. As an architect, I found this book inspiring, practical and honest, a guide that reminds us of the potential of how our homes could be.”
“In this beautiful little book Toby Witte passionately expresses the power to improve people’s lives that great design has. He also dispenses antidotes to the cultural illnesses challenging those who pursue design happiness.”
“The flight from intimacy in residential design betrays our need to have houses create calm, reduce stress, and insulate us from the outside world. Witte challenges rising expectations and champions what’s possible in reasonably-sized spaces.”
“This book is an insightful and insider view of the secrets in getting the most out of the architectural process and the skills of an architect. Potential patrons and clients of architecture will value the tips and hints the author offers. This read is an essential glossary for those wishing to create something truly special and unique for themselves. It is especially cogent for those wanting more in a house than a simple “real estate deal.”
In an era of bespoke practices, this is the ultimate design tool and guide for residential architecture.”
“His houses transform battens, bricks, and beams into homes that are intimate places for creating indelible memories. Through good design, good proportion, and good taste, and through Supersizing Bliss, a Wittehaus primer, Toby Witte’s homes reach bliss.”
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