Ultimate House Book: For Home Design in the Twenty-First Century

by Terence Conran

Three years into the new millennium, Sir Terence Conran has once again reinvented his concept of home design, now a harmonious blur between public and private living with a soupcon of professionalism. The Conran movement (stores and style) began in 1974 with  The House Book  and was updated as  The New House Book  in 1985 and  The Essential House Book  in 1994. The significance of the newly added word  home  in the title should not be overlooked, as the author has gravitated toward LeCorbusier's 1927 "Everybody, quite rightly, dreams of sheltering himself in a sure and permanent home of his own."  Ultimate  appeals to this primal notion of belonging, starting with an aspirational, visual introduction before separating ideas into three distinct home life, or the different stages of design, from first house to empty nest; home work, exploring all options for decorating, from paint versus plaster to remodeling versus new construction; and compendium, the nitty-gritty information so necessary to understanding and making design choices. A feat worthy of any bookshelf.  Barbara Jacobs
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

144 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Sir Terence Conran was educated at Bryanston School, Dorset, and trained as a textile designer at the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London. Hand in hand with his much-publicized career as an arbiter of good taste for a whole generation goes a career in cookery and restaurant management. Having learned the basic skills in the kitchens of a two-star Parisian establishment, he opened several small restaurants in London.These were later sold to finance his fast-expanding furniture business, from which grew the hugely successful Habitat stores. No-one has had a greater influence on contemporary living style than Conran. From the outset of his career, in the brilliant era of the '60s, he devoted his talents to interpreting the home-making aspirations of the bright, busy people of his generation - and to providing them with an excellence of craftsmanship and design at a price they could afford.

Reviews

[Liz De Coster · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'd say this is more about design from an architectural angle than interior elements. I think it's a lovely, bold book visually but I'm not sure who would use it that's not building their own space.