The latest effort by Boston architect Jermiah Eck, The Face of Home: A New Way to Look at the Outside of Your House, is a detailed look at practical ways to create a harmonious relationship between interior and exterior design. Though curb appeal is covered, it digs a lot deeper and hopes to help readers marry their house and its surroundings.

"These days, we like to talk about something called 'curb appeal,' but we don't really know what that means," says the Boston architect. "The exterior, in general, is the most abused aspect of a house. It's ironic. We're spending more money and building bigger houses than we ever have - half of all American single-family houses now standing have been built since the 1970s. Last year, 1.8 million single-family houses were built, and very few of them were designed in any way. So many of them are so ugly!"

"A face is a good metaphor for a facade. When we look at a house, it's like looking at a person. First we get an overall impression of shape, and, as we get closer, we notice the details. Most of all, we see the face. It tells us a lot about what's going on within."

In the author's own words, "we'd be better off allowing the face of home to evolve on its own (we can always give it a label later). If your approach to the exterior of your house is thoughtful and considers the hallmarks I explain in this book, it won't matter whether people describe it as traditional, contemporary, or something else entirely. It won't matter because it will be just right."