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A Modern Way to Live
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.
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
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 26, 2022
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.
December 15, 2021
A key point: interiors need to engage all the senses to be successful. Unfortunately with the rise of social media the emphasis is on the visual to the detriment of the other senses. The great thing about this book is it’s not all about pretty pictures, furniture placement etc. There are spaces that don’t photograph well but are magnificent in person and this book will make you realize why.
October 29, 2024
You definitely learn a lot about designing and making choices for your home. I think in a nutshell the book is about imbuing taste with meaning and learn to see all aspects of a house as possible enhancers of well-being, of just enriching your life and those you share your home with. There is a lot of terminology that you learn along the way that I think becomes very useful everytime that one will improve their homes or choose to move into a new one and build from scratch.
The author, who has a very endearing writing style, separates it into different aspects: space, light, colour, decoration and nature. More generally, as I see it, he speaks of how to address these aspects to find a harmonic combination of beauty, functionality, meaning and character.
It is full of examples for all of his points, which really gives the reader a lot of culture on the subject. I would however have appreciated more pictures of these examples. It isn’t such a big deal because I just
looked them up online, and the book is already quite big to add even more pages. Still, it would have been nice to find some way to illustrate it better.
But most importantly it’s a book that helps you find your voice when it comes to choosing and arranging a space for living, it helps you understand why some things work and others don’t for specific spaces, and how to develop an eye for seeing what improvements you can make for these spaces to be closee
to what they are aiming to be.
The author, who has a very endearing writing style, separates it into different aspects: space, light, colour, decoration and nature. More generally, as I see it, he speaks of how to address these aspects to find a harmonic combination of beauty, functionality, meaning and character.
It is full of examples for all of his points, which really gives the reader a lot of culture on the subject. I would however have appreciated more pictures of these examples. It isn’t such a big deal because I just
looked them up online, and the book is already quite big to add even more pages. Still, it would have been nice to find some way to illustrate it better.
But most importantly it’s a book that helps you find your voice when it comes to choosing and arranging a space for living, it helps you understand why some things work and others don’t for specific spaces, and how to develop an eye for seeing what improvements you can make for these spaces to be closee
to what they are aiming to be.
January 17, 2024
Amazing book and a pleasure to read. Nicely distills house design into five different categories and provides a wealth of examples and teachings to learn from.
October 10, 2025
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'.
November 29, 2024
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.
Still interesting read and easily digestible for an afternoon or two.
November 13, 2022
This year, we wanted to redecorate our study and bedroom and Matt Gibberd's book seemed like a good inspiration. I was expecting lots of images of beautifully staged rooms, but "A Modern Way to Live" is much more. Gibberd introduces five design principles for houses: space, light, material, nature and decoration and thus shows in an abstract way what makes a comforting house. The end result is not a beautfiful yet unpersonal homestory in an interior design magazine, but a real home. My favorite idea: A dining table where every guest can write a note to their hosts on the bottom of the tabletop.
May 9, 2022
Reading this book is an aesthetic pleasure in itself - the language, the pictures, the very emotional way the author talks about the houses, bringing in so many personal memories and impressions. Meant for a common reader rather than a professional, it’s a book very easy to read but also very rich in inspiration. I enjoyed it a lot and feel happy to recommend.
July 1, 2023
Very lovely, some great thoughts about interiors written in a passionate, expertly way. A downside is the lack of pictures of what is being referenced. I understand that it is difficult to source pictures for such a book, but it still impacts the experience.
September 9, 2023
Clever principles for design and decorating.
June 7, 2026
Original review:-
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.
Re-read June 2026:-
So with the Swedish death cleaning/bookshelf culling I'm trying to get rid of some of my "coffee table" books that serve little purpose once you've perused them once.
This was brilliant on a first read and really encapsulated the ethos of The Modern House and Inigo (the websites of Gibberd and co).
I do agree with lower star reviewer Nick however that Gibberd comes across as and has little awareness of how he is incredibly privileged. All his friends are either designers, potters, artists, interior experts. His grandad just happened to design Liverpool's Catholic Cathedral! He mentions furniture and artwork that most of us will never see in a lifetime, let alone tweak around the room for better aesthetic! The book is also very London biased.
And I agree with Flying Bulgarian Svetli H that for a book about interior design there was a lack of photographs. The ones that are featured are beautiful, well shot, fantastically lit, showcasing amazing interiors, but there is no context to the photos and absolutely not enough for each chapter.
So Mr Gibberd, I'm dropping to a 3 star review and this book is moving on to pastures new.
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.
Re-read June 2026:-
So with the Swedish death cleaning/bookshelf culling I'm trying to get rid of some of my "coffee table" books that serve little purpose once you've perused them once.
This was brilliant on a first read and really encapsulated the ethos of The Modern House and Inigo (the websites of Gibberd and co).
I do agree with lower star reviewer Nick however that Gibberd comes across as and has little awareness of how he is incredibly privileged. All his friends are either designers, potters, artists, interior experts. His grandad just happened to design Liverpool's Catholic Cathedral! He mentions furniture and artwork that most of us will never see in a lifetime, let alone tweak around the room for better aesthetic! The book is also very London biased.
And I agree with Flying Bulgarian Svetli H that for a book about interior design there was a lack of photographs. The ones that are featured are beautiful, well shot, fantastically lit, showcasing amazing interiors, but there is no context to the photos and absolutely not enough for each chapter.
So Mr Gibberd, I'm dropping to a 3 star review and this book is moving on to pastures new.
April 19, 2026
I’ve read A Modern Way to Live twice now, and what stands out is its clear point of view: moving away from trends and towards spaces that are timeless and personal. The way it structures this through the five principles (space, light, materials, nature and decoration) makes it very actionable.
They feel both intuitive and grounding, offering a framework that goes beyond aesthetics and into how we actually live in our homes. It gives you a lens to evaluate any interior, not just from a design perspective, but in terms of how it supports a more intentional way of living.
They feel both intuitive and grounding, offering a framework that goes beyond aesthetics and into how we actually live in our homes. It gives you a lens to evaluate any interior, not just from a design perspective, but in terms of how it supports a more intentional way of living.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews