I confess: I'm an unabashed Martha Stewart fan. I can't help it. I take style, particularly "lifestyle," very seriously. Recently, I had been feeling a bit self-indulgent as I daydreamed about milk-paint finishes and browsed flea markets for mid-century enamelware. Then I saw venerable British designer and retail wizard Sir Terrence Conran's The Essential House Book, and my guilt pangs disappeared. While Martha's world is a glamorous stage set, Conran's environments are carefully crafted to improve the lives of their inhabitants.
In Conran's words, The Essential House Book is "a serious attempt to explain to you how your house works in a fundamental way, much as a doctor might explain how your body functions and how its various systems interrelate." A heady goal, but believe me, Conran lives up to it. His philosophy of home design and its relationship to human behavior is so elementary and persuasive he could convince an auto mechanic to slipcover a suite of dining-room furniture. It doesn't hurt that this comprehensive volume contains no fewer than 650 luscious photographs of mouth-watering settings.
But before you sell your mother's life insurance policy to hire an architect (there's a list of 'em in the back of the book), heed Conran's Zen-like reminder that all any cook needs is "ingredients, heat, water, a sharp knife and a set of saucepans." In other words, don't copy a design just because it looks good. Think about the vagaries of your own life - your kitchen traffic patterns, for example - and build your living space around them.
After a few dense chapters bearing elegantly simple titles like "Eating," "Relaxing," and "Sleeping" and a hefty directory full of expert information about everything from concrete to door handles, Conran gets down to the nitty-gritty with "Avoiding Trouble." There's much to avoid: dry rot, poor wiring, and an improperly lifted bag of cement all can rudely wake you from your Conran-inspired, life-transformation-through-interior-design fantasy world.
Still skeptical? People at work chuckle about my Martha obsession, but everyone who walked by my desk while The Essential House Book sat on it picked it up, browsed through it, and wistfully asked, "Can I borrow this?"
Martha, take note. It's a good thing.
The Essential House Book, by Sir Terrence Conran: US$35. Crown Publishers: (800) 726 0600, +1 (310) 582 8800.
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