Book excerpt: Presenting hundreds of Unique, imaginative, inspired and state-of-the-art contemporary custom homes designed by leading architects, The Modern Residence brilliantly captures the essence of what modern living can be.Single-family homes, urban dwellings, vacation getaways, sustainable buildings, luxury homes-all in today's modern style-comprise this collection of breathtaking photographs and insightful commentary that celebrates the artistic contributions of almost 75 of the finest architects working today. From 2,000-sqaure-foot urban high rises to 50,000-square-foot modern villas, all of the featured homes are stylistically diverse but have a distinct uniqueness about them, a tribute to the foresight of their creators' vision. The inspirations of such professionals as Dean Larkin, Travis Price, Robert Gurney, Norm Applebaum, John Grable, and Maryann Thompson are revealed, as is the amount of work and dedication that went into each project. Spanning British Columbia, coastal California, Chicago, New England, New York, Florida, Texas and many scenic destinations in between, the Modern residence includes a helpful resource index with nearly 200 of the nation's most accomplished modern residential architects.