A Modern Way to Live

by Matt Gibberd

In 2005, childhood friends Matt Gibberd and Albert Hill set out to convince people of the power of good design and its ability to influence our wellbeing. They founded The Modern House - in equal parts an estate agency, a publisher and a lifestyle brand - and went on to inspire a generation to live more thoughtfully and beautifully at home.

As The Modern House grew, Matt and Albert came to realise that the most successful homes they encountered - from cleverly conceived studio flats to listed architectural masterpieces - had been designed with attention to the same timeless  Space, Light, Materials, Nature  and  Decoration.

In this lavishly illustrated book, Matt tells the stories of these remarkable living spaces and their equally remarkable owners, and demonstrates how the five principles can be applied to your own space in ways both large and small.  Revolutionary in its simplicity, and full of elegance, humour and joy ,  this book will inspire you to find happiness in the place you call home.

320 pages, Hardcover

Published February 1, 2022

Reviews

[Keith Johnstone · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really looking forward to this book as I think the guys at Modern House/Inigo have such a great eye and clearly a wisdom behind that, however I’m not sure their ideas and skill are as well portrayed in this book as they could be. I’m not sure if it is the editing or the publishing or that some of the ‘stories’ & quotes are effected and in parts insufferable but my enjoyment was impacted. The photographers are not annotated and hard to connect to text in parts, the chapters are not clearly marked or summarised, and it is perhaps more written as an autobiography. Still there are some clever thoughts in it that are worth considering. 2.5.

[Sophy H · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't get enough of architecture and interior design.

This book was like architecture porn! I subscribe to The Modern House and its sister company Inigo, and I love to look through pictures of mid century houses, particularly Bauhaus and Brutalist style.

This book is so much more than its stunning photographs however. Matt Gibberd studies what it is that make our homes joyous to live in. Space, light, nature, decoration and materials. These 5 aspects are scrutinised in separate chapters and Matt delivers an interesting and fascinating narrative on each of these points.

If you like architecture and interiors, this is well worth taking a look.

[Nick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good, with some good links drawn between different design and artistic traditions and how we live. However, the book is let down by the author's absolutely staggering lack of awareness about his extremely priveleged upbringing and current life. He comes across as blissfully ignorant of how normal people live and seems surprised how there is a lack of awareness about good design, and presents a sort of 'it's easy, just position your Marcel Breuer Wassily chair opposite a lovely view of nature from your North London pile/country retreat and you'll be happy'.

[FlyingBulgarian Svetli H. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly - for a book about design and interiors, I would have expected more pictures, more examples of dos and don’ts and also a bit more authority - the only experience with interior design the author has is with selling houses…

Still interesting read and easily digestible for an afternoon or two.