Before the Plan: Start with Words

Most homeowners begin a custom home project with a folder of inspiration images, maybe a bedroom count and total square footage. What's missing isn't more photos — it's a deeper understanding of what actually matters to you.Before the Plan: Start with Words is the workbook that changes that.Created by architect Sini Kamppari, founder of Studio Kamppari and graduate of MIT and Yale, it guides future homeowners through nearly 100 structured prompts — organized around household, routine, observations, activities, priorities, atmosphere, future, and site — to help readers discover what they actually want before a single line is drawn.Instead of style boards and floor plan templates, readers will find the questions that reveal real values:How do you actually host, and how does that shape your floor plan?What frustrates you most about where you live now?What are your non-negotiables?What would make you regret this house in 5 years?The workbook builds toward a complete Design Brief, a document readers can hand to any architect or builder. More than a planning tool, it gives homeowners the language to describe the home they want to live in.Perfect for couples, families, and individuals planning a custom home or major renovation, especially those who want to walk into their first design meeting with clarity, confidence, and a genuine point of view.Write in it. Tear pages. Change your mind. This is not a coffee table book. It is a tool. Read more