Down to Earth: Laid-back Interiors for Modern Living

by Lauren Liess

“In Down to Laid-back Interiors for Modern Living , designer Lauren Liess shares how she imbues any space with warmth and energy.” ― Martha Stewart Living

Let Lauren Liess, star of HGTV’s Best House on the Block , walk you through her decorating process step-by-step.

Lauren takes you beyond the basics and invites readers to incorporate the main components of her familiar design nature, easy living, and approachability. She wants to help you create a home where humble materials and found objects are celebrated, a home in which both style and soul might endure throughout the years.

With evocative photos and substantive design advice, Down to Earth focuses on creating a lifestyle that inspires creativity and functionality. Chapters here include Point of View; Timelessness; Something Old, Something New; Nature; and Simplicity. Lauren believes that creating a home means creating the lifestyle you want—relaxed, unplugged, natural, and full of beauty. Here she shows readers how to incorporate six guiding principles in six unique Lauren writes, “ Down to Earth explores the key elements of my aesthetic through a collection of homes that I believe embody the natural, relaxed, collected, and easy way of living I’ve come to love so much. . . . I hope this exploration into what down-to-earth means to me inspires you to create your own carefree, easy, and most important, fully present kind of life at home.”

Genres: Design, Nonfiction, Interior Design, Coffee Table Books, Architecture, Reference, Art

256 pages, Hardcover

Published October 8, 2019

Reviews

[Amanda up North · Rating 3 out of 5]

I may be an outlier in that I don't watch HGTV and I've never heard of the author before.
(I requested this from my library based on the title and front cover.)
Her palette and texture style meshes a bit with my own, but in the end, I don't know why I am drawn to home decor books. I suppose because I like looking at design and interiors, but I'm rarely satisfied with them as books.

My idea of down to earth is quite different than this author/ designer's. The homes featured seemed to grow in extravagance.
It felt like her idea of "down to earth" involves spending a lot of money, then adding tree branches.

I agree with another reviewer who said this was like flipping through a very heavy magazine. In fact, I recognized one home from having also been featured in a magazine.

A little heavy on self promotion of the author's textile company.
I do like that she talks about timelessness - being thoughtful and disciplined about purchasing timeless goods. Not falling for the trend game. And that vintage and used goods often add character without taking a toll on the environment.

[Rachel B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liess's aesthetic is minimalist and heavy on black, white, and cognac shades of leather. She has a lot if texture in her spaces, which makes them interesting despite the lack of color and "stuff."

While I liked a lot of her spaces, I think she really could have stood to use a bit more color in at least some of the spaces.

Also, there were so many photos of the same spaces, over and over, shown from just slightly different angles - the book needed more variety, period.

Note: She also uses a lot of textiles from her own line, and I find self-promotion like this a bit annoying when it's done in excess.

[Miranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book on top of looking at the photos!

I agree with Lauren Liess's stance on filling your home with pieces you'll love forever and not just clutter/the hot thing to have (decor-wise). I also agree and appreciate her talking about having the house (and decor) match your actual needs and lifestyle. And I really appreciate how, after each case study, she has a page on how to get the same vibe as the house you just saw. And there are some resources included.

Another thing I appreciated: the mention that it took years to collect the antiques, vintage, and thrift-store-found items in at least one of the case studies. It reminds me to be patient when curating my home. (Because I really want to fill my house with vintage/antique finds--stuff made of real substance--and not fill my home with 100% Target-sourced items, like I'm on track to do lol.)

My one complaint: Liess talks so much about authenticity and real life, but few of the photos/case studies show real everyday items on the coffee tables in particular. I'm desperately in need of inspiration on how to display and store my real everyday items in my living room: lots of library books, coasters, cat stuff, everyday vitamins my husband and I keep out to remember to take, and mail--to name a few. There was one instance in the book in which I could see children's books on the bottom shelf of a living room end table, and I really appreciated that. But that was the one instance I found of something real. I've been obsessively looking at decor book pictures (multiple books) and Pinterest, and I'm sick of everyone's coffee table packed with big decor books of equal size and a fancy tray stuffed with a fresh flower vase, candles, and either realistic-looking souvenirs or vintage finds or mass-market produced decor items that just take up space. Maybe it's just my problem, but I don't want to have a lit candle, live plant, or breakable flower vase on my coffee table in case my current cat or future children knock them down. But I'd still love inspiration on how to make my coffee table look pretty.

[E · Rating 2 out of 5]

Has been sitting in my to-read/browse through pile for months. I finally took a morning to sit in the sun and let me creative side dream a bit.

Good, but not amazing. What I really want to know is where she gets her natural woven wood roman shades. She uses them a lot and I LOVE them.

While her rooms were lovely, i couldn’t picture living there with all the green tree branches stuck in clear glass jars. Seriously, that is only pretty for as long as it takes to take the picture. And what kid is going to leave them alone anyhow? More than showing off her architectural elements, clever storage, and floorpans, I saw a bunch of over-styled pretty rooms. (Oh yea, can I have a floorplan please? And maybe some before and afters?)

It was a bit like flipping through a very heavy magazine.

[Laura Haske · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lauren Liess is one of my favorite designers. She uses nature as inspiration in all of her work and is skilled at breaking down how she makes design decisions. In this book, she walks you through a handful of major design projects, essentially full houses. Each project has a different style, but she shows how she has incorporated a natural, down to earth feel in each one. If you lean toward the rustic, textured, layered approach to home furnishings, I think you'd enjoy this book.

On a side note, even the style of her book reflects her aesthetic. It's everywhere!

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful photos. Wonderful creativity using black, white and wood/browns. Every room was elegant yet very comfortable.

[Bonnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually really liked this book and the experience of looking at each image paired with the captions. And Lauren Liess’ writing is not at all cringe-worthy, which I find to be true of a lot of home & interior design books. I also enjoyed her genuine connection to natural materials, and now have an appreciation for the term “glowy browns.”

That said, I had to roll my eyes that one of this book’s showcased projects is Liess’ rich cousin’s massive over-the-top Floridian mansion, which Liess worked to “tone down” with an all-white palette and some simple ancient plaster and stone sculptures. Like other reviewers have said, many design books feel like heavy magazines, which is great if the premise is to just publish a design portfolio full of eye candy. But if she is actually going to give design *advice and tips*, it’d be nice to also see her use her design principles on her, say, other cousin’s cookie cutter suburban tract house with wall-to-wall carpeting and track lighting. Show me an average home designed beautifully with $500 of Craigslist treasures and floral arrangements that can take on two kids. I mean, Liess has five kids herself, surely she’s in a position to give us professional insights on how to manage piles of shoes in an entryway. Now THAT would be truly down to earth.

[Red · Rating 3 out of 5]

If this is your design style, you will likely enjoy the beautiful photography and the designer's philosophy and appreciation for vintage/custom items in a modern environment.

If you're a mother of two rambunctious preK-ers in flyover country, you will probably take one look at this and every hair on the back of your neck will raise at the thought of curious kiddos near one-of-a-kind oil paintings or sticky fingers near vintage Persian/Moroccan anything.

However, the author certainly does have a very practical philosophy that every parent of young children should appreciate (even if it doesn't seem especially so from the wonderfully curated and excellently lit photographs of linen, leather, gilt frames and vintage steel):

"To me a home is truly a work of art when it is truthful and honest, when it feels as if it is an extension of those who live in it, when it fits their lifestyle and shares bits about them, their motivations and their interest, and when it tells their story...Expression of who we are in our homes isn't just about what we are displaying in the home; It's also about how we're using the home."

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I should not have liked this one. The maximalist in me rebelled at the unadorned white walls, the lack of "collections," and yet there was something inviting about these rooms loaded with so much texture.

Wood, stone, and leather was everywhere. I wanted to touch everything.





And, of course, this shot of a very welcoming library didn't hurt, either.

[Makayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful pictures, but I wish the pictures reflected her writing in the book more. She tells of how to create a home that is accessible and timeless, filled with beautiful things that have use and are not just trendy and “in”. Decorating with simple, minimal accessories and letting your house be filled with dust pans, pots, soaps, that are beautiful to you, and not just there because you need them. Let your home and it’s rooms reflect how your family uses them, not just how they were designed or what society tells you to do with them. Marry beauty with function. Love with quality, but less quantity. However, all her photos depicted spacious houses with expensive furnishings… I wish she’d included pictures for the ordinary middle-class down to earth readers :)

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liess looks like a very professional, capable interior designer. Her book is good eye candy. She writes a little essay on her style philosophy at the beginning of each chapter, which was probably the weakest part of the book (not to be harsh): her ideas are pretty standard and kind of boring. The best parts of her interiors were the ones where she incorporated the owners’ passions and collections. I loved what she did with the antique oil painting collection.

[Mandy Crumb · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you appreciate looking at different houses and how they are styled, you may like Down to Earth. If you are looking for laid back interiors as the title states, you are in the wrong book. There's nothing laid back about adding an addition, pouring a cement floor, or living in a massive Florida mansion. Part of me likes wasting time by flipping through the photos but Down to Earth doesn't give me what it promised.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was a little too much brown for me in these spaces, though some I loved. What is so great about Lauren, though, is her approach and how anyone can customize to suit their own lives and styles. The layout and organization of this book is phenomenal and like nothing I've ever read before. Genius!

[Elizabeth Sund · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lauren Liess is great at explaining why she makes certain design decisions. I loved this book, but Habitat was a bit more approachable. I've learned so much from both books. She uses key words for her designs, and I've been trying to pick mine. Cozy Cottage Library? Gingerbread House but for Real? Introvert Reading Hideout?

[Mary Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the way the chapters were organized, explaining hows and whys. Too many photos of the same spaces from different angles. This designer’s ideas are easily translated into different styles as the projects chosen illustrate. I prefer more color in my spaces but I could certainly imagine that preference in these rooms.

[Kelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this one. Makes a perfect design/coffee table book. The photography is so good and the style is so warm + rustic. It’s definitely laid back, like the author says, but also has a timeless feel to it. Coastal and rustic are my two fav home styles, this one may be my fav rustic design book. I have it in my entryway stacked. It’s perfect to look thru.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book to look through. I resonated with many of the things the author said about styling a home. Pictures were gorgeous and I loved the mix of textures along with the organic elements in the rooms. Very inspiring.

[Ha Tran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful simple spaces

There were variety of home size and style applications to take inspirations from. The last Florida home of her cousin has lot of complexities to combine her aesthetic and her cousin needs.

[Karen DiFabio · Rating 5 out of 5]

well portrayed and explained

This book had a section after each style was shown and explained that depicted certain venues in the photos. Lots of details and examples of inspiration items ..

[Kerri · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is beautiful, and the writing is not bad. I enjoy her style and her abundant use of vintage and antique items and natural materials. That being said, I wouldn't say it's exactly "down to earth" for the average person.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was absolutely not “down to earth”! The homes were increasingly extravagant, dark, and uncomfortable. As a minimalist I could tolerate the incredible amount of clutter. The heavy use of metals, leathers, and even concrete furniture made me feel cold.

[Dave N'renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Down to Earth with lots f money

Love these homes, these rooms…but not particularly doable for the average homemaker. These are all expensive homes with many beautiful expensive items. I suppose we can all dream!

[Johanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great idea book for the way I like to live.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t love this quite as much as her first book but I still really liked it.

[Ashleyree · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok 62 DR chairs,pp33 Dr chairs

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful eye candy

Luscious ideas for simple homes that make the most of natural beauty and textures. Many ideas to inspire and borrow.

[Amberwench · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another big book of huge rooms that look like no one lives in them. Flip through it for texture ideas then put it back on the shelf.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Provided inspiration while building my new home. Lovely images to tease.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful pictures and lovely thoughts about decorating throughout this coffee table book. A dreamy look at other people’s homes.

[Kait]

Contains resources and ways to recreate the look. Definitely a good interior design resource for when you’re in the middle of a project.