101 Things I Learned in Architecture School: A Book for Design Lovers

Some books you read once. Others you keep within arm's reach and dip into again and again. 101 Things I Learned in Architecture School, by the architect and teacher Matthew Frederick, is firmly in the second category. Published by MIT Press in 2007, it is a slim, beautifully simple book that distils the lessons of architectural education into bite-sized pages.

You do not need to be an architect, or even an aspiring one, to enjoy it. If you have ever wondered why some rooms feel right and others feel awkward, this little book will give you a new way of seeing.

What is 101 Things I Learned in Architecture School?

The format is the book's great strength. Each lesson takes up a two-page spread: a short piece of text on one side and an illustration on the other. The drawings range from crisp diagrams to whimsical sketches, and the text is never more than a few sentences long.

The lessons cover design, drawing, the creative process and presentation. Some are practical, such as how to draw a line with confidence. Others are more philosophical, touching on how buildings relate to people, place and time. Together, they add up to a gentle but thorough introduction to how architects think.

The best design books do not tell you what to like. They teach you how to look.

Why we love it as design lovers

We are not architects, but we spend a great deal of time thinking about homes, rooms and objects. What this book gives us is a vocabulary. It helps put into words the things we sense instinctively: why a doorway placed in one spot works better than in another, how light and shadow shape our experience of a space, why the journey through a building matters as much as the destination.

It is also refreshingly humble. Frederick acknowledges the messy, uncertain side of design, the drafts and false starts and the need to keep revising. For anyone working on their own home, whether a full renovation or simply rearranging a living room, that is reassuring.

Lessons we apply at home

Without giving the whole book away, here are a few of the ideas that have stuck with us and that translate beautifully to domestic interiors:

• Think about how you move through a space. The way you enter a room shapes how you feel about it.
• Consider light first. Where natural light falls should influence where you sit, work and eat.
• Look at the spaces between things. Empty space is not wasted; it gives objects room to breathe.
• Sketch before you commit. A quick drawing can save a lot of expensive mistakes.
• Every design decision is connected. Changing one thing often affects everything around it.

These ideas have quietly informed many of our own projects, including the renovation decisions we documented later in posts like our final paint selections.

More architecture books for design lovers

If 101 Things I Learned in Architecture School sparks your curiosity, there is a whole world of architecture books for design lovers to explore. Look for:

1. Illustrated introductions that explain key ideas visually, in the same spirit as Frederick's book.
2. Monographs on individual architects, which let you go deep on a single body of work.
3. Books about houses, especially those that show how real people live in architect-designed homes.
4. Writing on cities and neighbourhoods, which helps connect the scale of a room to the scale of a street.

Beautiful books also make wonderful objects in their own right, stacked on a coffee table or lined up on a shelf. If you are building a design library, our post on Cubit shelving has ideas for displaying them, and our review of Carine Roitfeld: Irreverent is perfect if your tastes run to fashion as well as architecture.

Who should read it?

In short: almost anyone. Architecture students will find it a useful companion, but it is just as rewarding for homeowners, renovators, interior lovers and anyone who enjoys looking at buildings. Its small size makes it perfect for reading on the train, and its two-page lessons mean you can pick it up for five minutes and still come away with something new.

It also makes a thoughtful gift, especially for someone about to start a design course or embark on a home project. It is the kind of book that quietly changes how you see the world around you, one page at a time.

Questions readers ask

Who wrote 101 Things I Learned in Architecture School?

It was written by Matthew Frederick, an architect, urban designer and teacher, and published by MIT Press in 2007.

Is 101 Things I Learned in Architecture School good for non-architects?

Yes. Its short, illustrated lessons make it accessible to anyone interested in design, homes or buildings, not just architecture students.

What are good architecture books for design lovers?

Illustrated introductions like Frederick's book, monographs on individual architects, books about architect-designed houses and writing on cities are all great places to start.