::good book:: The Simple Home: The Luxury of Enough

The Simple Home: The Luxury of Enough by Sarah Nettleton

I definitely crave a more simple lifestyle and I love that someone has finally written an entire book on how our homes can either foster or work against the type of lifestyle that we are trying to achieve.  In a time where we can go into any bookstore and find hundreds of books and magazines on de-cluttering, organizing and simplifying our lives and homes, our builders and developers around the country are still building hugely over-sized homes with more rooms than any family of four ever needs or even wants to take care of.  Ms. Nettleton has identified this bizarre "disconnect".

Some highlights to entice you!

"The Simple Home is for people who crave a simpler lifestyle - not only in how they live, but also in where they live.  The simple home is not an end in itself, but the means by which we can enjoy our own simple pleasures..."

"Shaker and folk crafts come from an era when time was much more abundant than the money to buy and ship fancy materials.  Today, we have many more options in materials, but we need to invest the time to craft our own environment, to be selective about what we buy and how much we really need."

Ms Nettleton quotes Gaston Bachelard from one of my favorite books, The Poetics of Space.  Bachelard wrote, "The home is a place that shelters dreaming."  She elaborates, "He meant that the homes that nurture us are not fortresses of exclusion, but rather clearings in a busy world that help us dream new ideas and to be creative in our own way."

The book is filled with amazing photos of some of the most beautifully crafted new and old homes around the country.  Even if you are not thinking about renovating your existing home or building a new home, you can get something out of this book if you desire a simple home.  I think many of us want that, but most of us don't know what a simple home looks like.  There is some great inspiration to be found in The Simple Home.

Photos from book by Randy O'Rourke.

Comments

[sunny]

thank you for posting about this book! the images you included are beautiful.

I read somewhere about how an author loves to be in one room and enjoy the view into an ajoining room. The photo with the chair against the wall reminds me of that idea..because we get a glimpse into another room.

Thanks again for the book recommendation!

[erinn]

You're quite welcome, Sunny. The images are amazing, aren't they. I did a quick search on Randy O'Rourke, the photographer and didn't come up with much. Keep meaning to dig a little deeper!

[Randy O'Rourke]

Thank you for your compliments on the photos I took for Sarah's book. It was a great project to work on, and I'm very happy that people are able to relate to the concept.
As for me, I photograph alot of interior design & architecture for books, magazines, and individuals. My most recent book project out is "New Rooms for Old Houses" by Frank Shirley, also published by Taunton Press, which pertains to remodeling older homes.

[Wedding dresses]

I bought this book because I liked the pictures, but what turned out to be the best thing about it is the philosophy behind it. I've been trying to streamline my life on its pholosophy.

[Ryan]

Sunny, take a look at "A Pattern Language" by Christopher Alexander. He describes what you've mentioned as a very particular pattern that is essential to almost any space we inhabit. This book is full of brilliant patterns that we often ignore or overlook but that can have a profound effect upon our experience of the built environments around us.

Best,

-Ryan