Surveys the varied architectural styles of the free-standing, single-family American suburban home, many of which were ordered from catalogs

In her first book, Elle Decor A-List decorator Ashley Whittaker shares the secrets of her colorful, pattern-filled classic rooms. Ashley Whittaker’s work is distinctively classic and sophisticated, but also inviting and warm. Dubbed a neo-traditionalist, she fearlessly marries adventurous colors and patterns in rooms yet still manages to retain a sense of elegance and restraint. In The Well-Loved House, she shares a selection of dwellings, from gracious Connecticut estates to chic Manhattan pieds-à-terre to waterfront beach houses on the Florida coast, most exclusively photographed for this book, including her own house never before seen. Whittaker believes houses are meant to be beautiful, but also lived in and enjoyed, and she shares her knowledge and strategies for achieving this interplay. Within each house, Whittaker offers guidance on furniture plans, complementing the architecture of a space, playing with color, and mixing pattern. She explains why it is important to have consistent threads throughout a home, but also contrast and juxtaposition. The results are stunning: Bohemian patterns mix with classic palettes; rich, saturated color mingles with highly polished finishes. Lacquered blue walls show off a collection of blue-and-white porcelain. An inviting L-shaped sofa and games table reinvent an unused library into a favorite space for socializing. Whittaker’s houses all share both a sense of drama and a sense of comfort—they are homes that welcome you at the end of a long day, homes for living, homes to love.

From best-selling author and design icon Chris Madden comes the first book on her design philosophy, and how to achieve her comfortable, chic style. Design expert Chris Madden has spent years chronicling other people’s beautiful rooms. Now, for the first time, she presents her own design sensibility as illustrated by examples such as her elegant one hundred-year-old carriage house in upstate New York and a mid-century modern family getaway in the mountains of Vermont. Organized by type of room, each house is explored—from entryways to bedrooms, kitchens, living rooms, mudrooms, greenhouses, and terraces, as well as specialty rooms like yoga studios and a man’s study—through rich photography and dozens of practical styling tips. Readers learn how to layer fabrics and colors for seasonal decorating; how to repurpose materials; and how to recognize a room’s quality of light. Also featured are sidebars on caring for guests, collecting, and living in an old house versus a modern house. An avid gardener, Madden explores the way outdoor space frames and supports a house. This lush and elegant volume is an eminently practical resource of ideas for creating rooms in which to celebrate family, entertain friends, and provide personal sanctuary.

A classic bestselling resource for every household, Home Comforts helps you manage everyday chores, find creative solutions to domestic dilemmas, and enhance the experience of life at home. “Home Comforts is to the house what Joy of Cooking is to food.” —USA TODAY Home Comforts is an engaging and comprehensive book about housekeeping. It is a lively and readable guide for both beginners and experts in all the domestic arts. From keeping surfaces free of germs, watering plants, removing stains, folding a fitted sheet, cleaning china, tuning a piano, lighting a fire, setting the dining room table—this guide covers everything that people might want to do for themselves in their homes. Further topics include: making up a bed with hospital corners, expert recommendations for safe food storage, reading care labels (and sometimes carefully disregarding them), keeping your home free of dust mites and other allergens, this is a practical, good-humored, philosophical guidebook to the art and science of household management.

An instant New York Times Bestseller! The new uplifting book from Matt Haig, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Midnight Library, for anyone in search of hope, looking for a path to a more meaningful life, or in need of a little encouragement. Named by The Washington Post as one of the best feel-good books of 2021. “It is a strange paradox, that many of the clearest, most comforting life lessons are learnt while we are at our lowest. But then we never think about food more than when we are hungry and we never think about life rafts more than when we are thrown overboard.” THE COMFORT BOOK is Haig’s life raft: it’s a collection of notes, lists, and stories written over a span of several years that originally served as gentle reminders to Haig’s future self that things are not always as dark as they may seem. Incorporating a diverse array of sources from across the world, history, science, and his own experiences, Haig offers warmth and reassurance, reminding us to slow down and appreciate the beauty and unpredictability of existence.

Are rooms of your house uncomfortable or unusable at different times of the year? Is your home drafty in winter? Do you get hit with a wave of heat walking upstairs in summer? Are mold or pests frequent problems in your home? Do you get big icicles in winter? Do you suspect your home is making you sick? Do you sleep better out of your house? Do you have a damp, dank basement? How about air quality problems like dust or odors? Are you ready to solve those problems? Then this book is for you.Before you can solve a problem, you need to understand what is causing the problem. This book explains how your home actually works so you can address root causes, not symptoms. We've seen far too many folks waste thousands of dollars addressing the wrong problem. Armed with this book, you can find the right pros to solve problems, understand if the work was done right, and even DIY many things yourself.This is the book I wish I had when I entered the Home Performance eld. It connects theory to action and shows real world examples of work being done and the results achieved. It assumes you're a building science novice as well as smart and willing to learn.You'll learn about how your home works, what to look for in a new heating and cooling (HVAC) system, what kinds of insulation work best and why, how to choose and install the right bath fan, and more. Everything in this book is backed up by field experience, data, and an overwhelming passion to do things right the first time.

Provides a review of social trends and their effect on architecture and design.