The Modern A-Frame

I'm just a dude wanting to build and own an a-frame in the future and sought inspiration from two books: this one, The Modern A-Frame, and A-Frame: New Concept. My verdict is buy this one, don't buy New Concept, as the latter is simply not as inspired or soulful a book or beautifully shot as this one.The excellent write-ups describing each of the houses and the stories of their owners are, as far as I can tell, written by the photographer Ben Rahn; Chad Randl, who is a historian at the University of Oregon and has previously published a book on a-frames, has written this book's introduction only. So, this work is largely, if not entirely, Ben Rahn's, despite Chad Randl getting first billing on Amazon as of this writing.While the book features only a-frames on the east and west coasts of the US and Canada, 17 homes in all, the homes are well-selected and varied in design, size, apparent budget, and obviously and interestingly the stories of their owners. The minimalistic aesthetic is not overrepresented; the houses featured are lived in, which the back cover of the book wonderfully hints at. There are great ideas for dormers, catwalks(!), and even kitchen shelving hiding an electric panel. There's a preponderance of interior designers, artists, builders, and architects among the owners, which may or may not unduly inflate my expectations for my own build, but this book is a joy nonetheless even if it never achieves more than coffee table book status in my regular, rectangular home.

We saw this in an Aframe Airbnb we stayed at and had to buy it. We read a chapter at night before bed and love the inspiration it has given us!

I’ve had so many guests comment on this coffee table book. It’s fun to look through and the stories that go along with each a frame make it even more interesting.

My wife and I own an a-frame cottage, so we have enjoyed having the book as coffee table type book there.

I really enjoyed the pictures, the descriptions, and the range of A frame styles. One of my favorite design books

Great photos and the stories that go with them. Great for decorating/design inspiration.

I saw this book on sale at the Palm Springs Modernism week in February, but I obviously bought it here on line instead. I love this book and it is popular with my many guests as well. Photos a great and truly capture the uniqueness of A frame architecture. I grew up in a giant 4 bedroom A frame, and this book brought back great memories as well.

A cute addition to any bookshelf or coffee table. A little more narrow than a regular coffee table book but looks great overall. Lots of good info too.