Kevin McCloud's 43 Principles of Home: Enjoying Life in the 21st Century.

by Kevin McCloud

This inspirational yet practical book explores all areas of domestic living, from materialism to sustainability, craftsmanship to comfort. Kevin McCloud offers up his 43 principles of home life - each one addressing very real and solvable domestic issues.

Genres: Nonfiction, Architecture

400 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2010

About the author

An author, broadcaster and designer Kevin is best known for Channel 4's Grand Designs and for his annual coverage of the Stirling Prize.
McCloud and his two brothers, Terence and Graham, were raised in a house his parents had built. McCloud attended Dunstable Grammar School which became Manshead Upper School, Dunstable. He originally pursued a career in music, and then went to Cambridge where he changed subjects a couple of times before hitting upon History of Art and Architecture.
After graduating, he trained and worked as a theatre designer, then set up his own lighting design practice and manufacturing business 'McCloud Lighting' - at one point employing 26 people. His work includes the carved and painted rococo-style vegetable ceiling in the Food Hall at Harrods, many projects in conjunction with J.J Desmond Interiors and lighting installations at Ely Cathedral, Edinburgh Castle, the Savoy and the Dorchester Hotel. Today he concentrates on television work, journalism and product design, including work for British manufacturers such as Fired Earth.
In 2006 Kevin formed Hab Housing. (HAB stands for Happiness Architecture Beauty) In partnership, the company is now building sustainable housing schemes across the West of England. He also devised and launched the Great British Refurb, a campaign supported by several institutions and retailers as well as the government, to promote the retrofitting of Britains's 26 million homes to low-energy standards.
Kevin is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects.

Reviews

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alternately optimistic of humanity's ability to adapt to change and (justifiably) pessimistic of the destruction we've wreaked so far, this extensive presentation of McCloud's opinion, research and thought on the subject of Enjoying Life (and living responsibly) in the 21st Century. Though some of the 'conversations' with historical figures felt somewhat contrived, and at times references to the work of his development company Hab a little heavy-handed, the text is an enjoyably informative one that systematically builds a narrative of useful, responsible (the term 'sustainable' is spurred within the the book as having lost its meaning through overuse) advice and those principles alluded to in the title. Never quite losing his characteristically droll comic edge, McCloud has seems to have meticulously researched and written this carefully designed, beautifully illustrated and thoughtfully composed book to inspire. Highly recommended, particularly to any others native of Somerset or doubting the role of the designer!

[Marilyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I foundthe layout really hard to figure out. I wanted to look at pictures but there is no picture desciption unless I wanted to read the whole page. Nice Pictures though! I didn't find the 43 principles very matchy if I made a list.

[Victoria Lane · Rating 3 out of 5]

The world according to Kevin. The layout is all over the shop, making the thread difficult to follow. A mishmash of classical architectural examples like the Campidoglio and energy saving advice for the home.