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The Architecture of Happiness (Vintage)

by Alain de Botton (Goodreads Author)

3.74 · rating details · 1,657 ratings · 255 reviews

The Achitecture of Happiness is a dazzling and generously illustrated journey through the philosophy and psychology of architecture and the indelible connection between our identities and our locations.One of the great but often unmentioned causes of both happiness and misery is the quality of our environment: the kinds of walls, chairs, buildings, and streets that surroun...more

Paperback, 288 pages

Published December 10th 2008 by Vintage (first published 2006)

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Jan 10, 2009

RandomAnthony rated it

· review of another edition

I find myself looking at art and buildings differently after reading The Architecture of Happiness, so I cannot deny the power of the text on an architectural neophyte. And while I don’t agree with all of the author’s assertions, I found myself reacting rigorously to his contentions. Add beautiful prose, and yes, I can recommend The Architecture of Happiness.

The book reads like a combination of architecture primer and persuasive essay stocked with supporting photos and illustratio...more I find myself looking at art and buildings differently after reading The Architecture of Happiness, so I cannot deny the power of the text on an architectural neophyte. And while I don’t agree with all of the author’s assertions, I found myself reacting rigorously to his contentions. Add beautiful prose, and yes, I can recommend The Architecture of Happiness.

The book reads like a combination of architecture primer and persuasive essay stocked with supporting photos and illustrations. De Botton’s focus on the individual, psychological responses to (what he calls) ugly and beautiful buildings is engaging; for example, when discussing the role of art in a house he says:

Behind wanting to own the painting and hang it where we could regularly study it might be the hope that through continued exposure to it, its qualities would come to assume a greater hold on us. Passing it on the stairs last thing at night or in the morning on our way to work would have the effect of a magnet which could pull to the surface submerged filaments of our characters. The painting would act as a guardian of a mood.

However, the author’s reliance on the collective “we” is sometimes problematic. De Botton uses the collective “we” to support his sometimes shaky assertions. For example, he broadly asserts that disordered societies will seek out ordered art and buildings and stringent societies will seek out more creative art and buildings. I’m not sure generalizations of that nature are widespread enough to cover the “we” in the way De Botton suggests.

I have to say, however, that De Botton writes beautifully enough to lull his reader past a few questionable points, and once I became comfortable with the personal, conversational approach I could sit back and have fun with the book. Ladies, by the way, this guy is British, smart, young, and, from the book jacket pic, good looking. Keep your eyes out for book signings.

After reading The Architecture of Happiness I find myself thinking of why my Day of the Dead nightlight makes me happy and what I could do to improve my office’s cinderblock walls. I don’t know jack about architecture (no single book can change that) but I’ll tilt my head a little differently and think in new ways about architecture as a result of this book. If you’re into that sort of “change your perspective on a common societal element” text, check it out.

edit: I take back what I said about him being good looking after I checked out his author pic on his goodreads page. He looks like he's aged about 100 years since the book jacket pic.(less)

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Apr 10, 2008

Jen Dean rated it

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This book was a gift from my fiancee and, in fact, one of the first books he gave me. For that reason, it will forever hold a special place on my bookshelves. I enjoyed the book overall however; I felt as though it was a bit of an architectural history review and didn't fully delve into the ties between psychology and architecture. I found myself thinking on many occasions, "Ooooh, here's his chance - this could get really good!" Only to feel a wee bit disappointed when his sermon h...more

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Feb 16, 2008

Elizabeth Fuller rated it

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I'm not an architect nor an architecture expert, but I am definitely interested in the subject. This book isn't a technical treatise on what makes "good" architecture, but instead talks about how architecture reflects who we are, how we feel about our lives, and how architecture can make us feel. I enjoyed the musings, and the historical perspective, especially in such insightful passages as this one, on how people developed local housing styles in earlier centuries:
"The di...more

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Jun 26, 2009

Janie rated it

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Shelves: inspiration, art, architecture-and-design, history

A nod to my brother for introducing this book to me. De Botton completely disbunks the notion I'd adopted (from whom? where?) that good architecture is purely functional and anything else is simply the expression of an its designer's overactive ego. NOT. Surely architects are guilty of erecting bombastic works, but it by no means explains why the line of a rooftop or curve of a banister stirs a particular mood and emotion in its viewer. De Botton delves into the how we relate to objects, why...more

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Nov 21, 2009

Marcus rated it

Shelves: non-fiction

I really enjoyed this book. It's fast paced, conversational and exploratory. My favorite parts were the philosophizing about the nature of beauty. For example, de Botton discusses how we subconsciously humanize almost everything we see. We give buildings and sculptures personalities then judge them based on these projected human traits.

He talks about how the buildings and art we find appealing reflect the fulfillment of our desires, not what we are or have, but the ideals we aspire t...moreI really enjoyed this book. It's fast paced, conversational and exploratory. My favorite parts were the philosophizing about the nature of beauty. For example, de Botton discusses how we subconsciously humanize almost everything we see. We give buildings and sculptures personalities then judge them based on these projected human traits.

He talks about how the buildings and art we find appealing reflect the fulfillment of our desires, not what we are or have, but the ideals we aspire to. Because of this, the context of the viewer and the location of the piece become key contributors to determining its beauty and success. For example, churches should be capable of inspiring feelings of reverence or devotion in even non-religious people. Ornamental architecture has its place, as do the clean lines of modern architecture. In context, each serves a purpose and shouldn't be written off in favor of some non-existant universal ideal style.

De Botton has interesting opinions on how to integrate historical styles with modern buildings and he spends some time critiquing existing architects and buildings based on those standards. He feels that it's important to try to incorporate some of the unique historical aspects of the region's architecture but to also take into account modern needs and to be practical in choices. His approach to bad architecture is basically that it should be treated like any other bad art--get rid of it and start over. At times, there was a definite air of snobbishness about it, for example he takes a pretty broad swipe at all of Tokyo, but I didn't mind it too much. Snobbery can sometimes be productive. Perhaps his destroy and rebuild approach isn't always practical but despite my reservations about his implied methods of implementation, I admire the idealized goal of elevating beauty everywhere possible.

The Architecture of Happiness is written like an essay meant to to raise for discussion both new and old-but-forgotten ideas as well as to inspire us to change and improve our environment. In that, I believe it succeeds.(less)

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Oct 29, 2009

Caris rated it

Shelves: 2009

Like many others, I learned of this book by watching the film 500 Days of Summer. The movie made such a distinct impression on me that I felt I had no choice but to read the book the protagonist gave to his love. Why this book? Why not something romantic?

The simple answer is that this book is incredibly romantic, just not in the cliche way I was looking for. In the opening pages, de Botton expounds on the idea that one must feel the ever-so-memorable cocktail of pain, loss, and heart...moreLike many others, I learned of this book by watching the film 500 Days of Summer. The movie made such a distinct impression on me that I felt I had no choice but to read the book the protagonist gave to his love. Why this book? Why not something romantic?

The simple answer is that this book is incredibly romantic, just not in the cliche way I was looking for. In the opening pages, de Botton expounds on the idea that one must feel the ever-so-memorable cocktail of pain, loss, and heartbreak to ever be moved by art. I can understand this. For as long as I have been alive, I have had artistic sympathies but no particular appreciation of any art other than music and writing. Visual mediums just did nothing for me. I could understand the mechanics of a pretty picture and could aspire to create such things myself, but was never able to attach any sort of significant feeling or understanding to them.

A couple of years ago, I hit a low point in my life. I was depressed and hollow and pain seemed to be sewn into my shadow. For the first time in my life, I had a desire to visit an art exhibit. So I gathered up my pre-teen brother and we headed out for the art museum one Sunday morning. Much to my surprise, I was moved by color. I found empathy and clarity in the various shades of reds and blues that made up, oddly enough, the somber religious paintings depicting angels in their various earthly activities. Anyone who knows anything about me knows that I am not a religious person and that I appreciate the concept of angels no more than, say, the NRA. But here I was, downtrodden and broken, finding these winged cherubs beautiful. The selection of this book for use in the film was brilliant and probably more thought out than any other book used as a prop in the entire history of film (excluding, of course, all the films I have not seen; which is, thankfully, most of them).

But why architecture, Mr. de Botton?

This, I'm not sure of. Most of the author's musings seemed to me to apply to art in general, not specifically to architecture. But I forgive him for that. He had to pick something to draw specific examples from, otherwise he would have ended up with an exponentially larger book (which neither of us wanted). Still, I would have liked to walk away from this book with some knowledge of what makes buildings great. Or bad. And I haven't. I now know a couple of traits that make classical and gothic architecture distinct, but that's it. de Botton focuses more on the philosophical aspects of this art and less on the practicalities. Which is okay, but a bit misleading.

Of course, he did the same thing when discussing specific architectural ideas. He talked about the Japanese and the cultural influences present in their buildings. And, while he compared them briefly to the Dutch, he sort of left it at that with no points for comparison. I don't know how regional differences vary between geographical areas because he just went on about the Japanese. Which, again, is fine since he had to write specifically about something and Japan's as good a something as any. Unfortunately, I have no great interest in Japan so he lost me for a stretch.

At the very end of the book, de Botton discusses probably the most profound idea in the work, that art gives us confidence to feel our own feelings. We may have an inherent preference for cracked concrete or itchy wool, but until others say that those things are good, we are fearful of openly embracing these things. Art is the perfect medium for exploring ourselves. Seeing an ornate cathedral or a fruit bowl still life can give us something to identify with and can go lengths to make us feel okay with who we are.

My chief complaint about this book is that half of it is filled with uninspiring photos. Nothing made my jaw drop and few of them were necessary for comprehension. I wish more thought would have gone into the selection of a few good images, rather than filling the book with what seemed good at the time. I wanted to feel something when I got all fired up by de Botton's words, but, visually, he gave me nothing and all that energy was wasted on staring at the pattern on my bedspread.

This was a rather good book, three-and-a-half stars, I think. Definitely more than three, but not quite four. (less)

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Jun 08, 2008

Julia rated it

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Alain de Botton's Architecture of Happiness is a humanist's guide to understanding built environments. Finding room to appreciate both classical and contemporary architecture, de Botton resolves the quarrel between the ancients and the moderns by suggesting that every architecture strives to provide the conditions for happiness. "What works of design and architecture talk to us about is the kind of life that would most appropriately unfold within and around them. They tell us of certain moo...more

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Dec 05, 2009

Marcia rated it

Shelves: architecture, history

I'm not an architect or scientist, but a counselor and teacher. I read the book because of my interest in beauty, form and function. I enjoyed the author's compare and contrast method in discussing various architectural styles. Most amusing was Viscount Bangor and Lady Anne Bligh's Castle Ward. Negotiated to end a marital dispute on style, the Castle displays a Classic front and Gothic rear. The psychology of "talking buildings" was light hearted and a little far fetched for me at ti...more

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Dec 04, 2010

Brynn rated it

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"Belief in the significance of architecture is premised on the notion that we are, for better or for worse, different people in different places - and on the conviction that it is architecture's task to render vivid to us who we might ideally be." (13)

"It is in dialogue with pain that many beautiful things acquire their value." (25)

"The only problem with unrestricted choice, however, is that it tends not to lie so far from outright chaos." (44)
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Dec 21, 2011

Cheryl rated it

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Shelves: e-book, non-fiction, philosophy, essays, architecture

At first I thought the nouns should be reversed, ie, the Happiness of Architecture. But I began to realise that the book isn't so much about architecture as it is about people and how they express themselves with architecture, as they do with other art forms. He is using architecture to explain humans. He anthropomorphises archictecture. Architecture becomes a frozen emotion. He says that “In essence, what works of design and architecture talk to us about is the kind of life that would most...more

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Jul 27, 2010

Bluenose added it · review of another edition

This book inspired De Botton to do a TV series called “The Perfect Home” which I have not seen nor even heard of. 57 channels and nothing on indeed. Anyway, I’d like to see it now.

In this book, De Botton is directly and fully engaged with the meaning of architecture and the meaning of design in the greater sense. He includes objects, buildings, landscapes and cities in his ruminations and much is revealed. Architects, generally a poorly educated lot, dream up all sorts of wild and off...more

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Apr 01, 2010

Ditte vD rated it

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Shelves: english, i-own, non-fiction, read-in-translation, architecture, favorites

In 'De architectuur van het geluk' wil Alain de Botton laten zien dat architectuur onze ideeën over geluk weerspiegelen en dat onze omgeving van directe invloed is op onze gevoelens. Zijn stijl is zoals altijd lichtvoetig en de in paragraafjes verdeelde hoofdstukken maken het een goed leesbaar geheel.
Wat mij een beetje stoorde is de manier waarop De Botton zijn interpretaties van gebouwen als vanzelfsprekendheden doet voorkomen, terwijl deze op mij regelmatig zeer subjectief of zelf wille...more

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Feb 14, 2010

Wendy Yu rated it

The fact that the last two books I read contain the word "Happiness" in the title is either a product of coincidence or my subconscious is trying to tell me something, such as "Please take a break from melancholic stories of ennui and meaninglessness. I don't want to die."

In any case, this book is misnamed. I think it should be called "The Happiness of Architecture" instead of "The Architecture of Happiness" (as anyone who has asked me what I...moreThe fact that the last two books I read contain the word "Happiness" in the title is either a product of coincidence or my subconscious is trying to tell me something, such as "Please take a break from melancholic stories of ennui and meaninglessness. I don't want to die."

In any case, this book is misnamed. I think it should be called "The Happiness of Architecture" instead of "The Architecture of Happiness" (as anyone who has asked me what I am reading in past couple of days and the goodreads search bar can attest.)

Crib sheet (of random facts I absorbed (note: this is the only way I know how to review non-fiction -- like a test-taker. I can't decide if this should be considered a spoiler...)):

- taste in art/design swings from realistic (deriving inspiration from nature, tends toward the (over)wrought) or abstract (deriving inspiration from mathematical patterns, tends toward the simple). some claim this is a reaction to the political/cultural climate of the times. in turbulent times, we idealize the abstract (because we lack order in our lives), and in stable/boring times, we want to surround ourselves with the chaos/beauty of nature. this can happen on a personal level, as well, as societal.
- it takes very little for abstract design to remind us of the realistic (e.g. art can very easily seem feminine or masculine)
- our environment profoundly affects our mood, though we can't always notice its effects. people feel most nourished by an environment that responds to our personal values and urges us toward our best.
- there are infinite kinds of beautiful in the world. people feel best in an environment that express the same values as us (e.g. luxury? creativity? serenity? technology? etc.)
- there is a fine line b/w graceful order and boring. author suggests that beautiful order "beauty lies between the extremities of order and complexity." a building cannot just be repeating patterns it must "flirt with confusion." author also claims human sensibilities are offended when buildings are clunkish -- inelegantly using more material or stronger material than necessary to do it work.
- in the olden days, western classical architecture was considered the be all and end all of design (pillars, arches, etc., and buildings that adhered most closely to the rules were the most beautiful). then people noticed that there were different kinds of design and went crazy for them, with no defining philosophy of what was "better." then architects embraced the engineering philosophy that efficiency was a large or the largest consideration.
- buildings must neither forget its regional roots, nor be slavishly bound by them.
- Alain de Botton hates Le Corbusier
- sometimes I couldn't tell which one was the "good" building and which one was the "bad." :((less)

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Dec 09, 2009

Omer rated it

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I came across this book at the local Barnes & Noble. It was among a table of books all part of a buy two get one free deal. I bought this along with Rubicon by Tom Holland as well as The Working Poor by David K. Shipler. I never heard of the Architecture of Happiness nor had I heard of Alain de Botton. I must be a bumpkin.

The title of the book may sound as if the core of the book revolves around the construction of inner-happiness. In a way that's true but the 'construction' i...more

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Oct 19, 2010

ann rated it

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Reading this book was good for me because it's been 4 years since I've been out of architecture school and it was invigorating to get a fresh perspective on a subject I considered myself more informed about. The thing I liked most initially about this book was de Botton's ability to apply poetic and wonderful character descriptions to architecture.
His ability to speak for building, while inspiring eventually made the book tedious. In the first half, I was so happy that someone actually...moreReading this book was good for me because it's been 4 years since I've been out of architecture school and it was invigorating to get a fresh perspective on a subject I considered myself more informed about. The thing I liked most initially about this book was de Botton's ability to apply poetic and wonderful character descriptions to architecture.
His ability to speak for building, while inspiring eventually made the book tedious. In the first half, I was so happy that someone actually paid attention to architecture the way he did, but by the end, I found his opinions and object lessons a little overbearing and I just wanted to stop reading his poetry and go design again. That said, this is one of his better and impassioned books, and I wondered if he ever at some some point fantasized about being an architect in the same way I've fantasized about being a writer.

Sections of the book I really liked: He suggest that modern social aesthetics and democratic politics are inherently linked. There is a moral judgment and inherent aesthetic in whatever law or social plan you enact or in this case whatever building you build.

Yet at the same time, to acknowledge morality or beauty directly as a reason for an object's superiority is seen as undemocratic...It's never enough to say that something "is most beautiful" just as it is unconvincing to say that "i believe something to be true and right". If you give an uncritical opinion based on what is "beautiful" "natural" or "right", you might be confused with a bigot...but, it's always okay and it is encouraged to have taste and define what you like.

The positioning of the engineering as a scientific authority of building allows for a freedom of taste...just as the primacy of a "democratic system" allow for a variety of opinions and political parties. In the center of both the architecture and political realms there is room for a multitude of beliefs and tastes...you can say you like or dislike about a artwork or building as much you can claim that you believe such and such a thing, but it would considered uncivil, undemocratic, to believe your opinion or your taste superior to another on the basis of your taste or belief alone...to give a party real social power, to assert a style on a large scale, to denounce a party, or to condemn a style people rely on on a scientific or an economic defenses. Mere taste and belief is for the individual and private realm.

Reading this book helped me understand a lot of my frustration with modern architectural education (at least at my school). You are trained to develop personal taste, you practice self criticism and your interrogate your work from an artistic perspective...but rarely from a social, political, or economic perspective. To defend your building on the promise it could encourage behavior or on the basis of cost could earn you eye rolling. You are graded and examined as an individual "artist" about hypothetical buildings while in reality the true nature of building is absolutely collaborative and economic.

The ideas he explores from Schiller and Worringer were new and exciting to me. Some might find these ideas too generalized and rigid, but I have sympathy for them. De Botton builds the arguement that architecture and art is a manifestation of our ideal potentials...and so (Worringer reasons) a chaotic society would find relief in the ordered, the geometric, and a very ordered, stable, and traditional society would find relief in the embellished, fanciful and ornate. I can think of a few counter examples to these truisms, but it did make me aware that many buildings and styles are incarnate ideals that aren't guaranteed in our day to day life. The cottages in suburbs speak to the wish for a pastoral life in the same way a monolithic, glass block office building disguises the fact that it may be occupied by unrelated specialists and trades on different levels, all of whom are strangers to each other.
Very interesting book and I would recommend it to all architects who haven't designed in a while and are looking for a breather or an aesthetic reset. (less)

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Jun 23, 2009

Iris rated it

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Shelves: visual, space-and-place

This image-packed book of short chapters has the effect of an afternoon with a sentimental and articulate friend. At his most helpful, the author takes your hand and invites you to peer at specific designs: if modern art bores you, read Part III and prepare to be ravished by stone slabs and other conceptual artworks.

Botton is equally illuminating when pondering aesthetic and emotional contexts of buildings: a rural Swedish living room, a McDonalds, a stark office complex in Troy, Mic...more

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Mar 03, 2009

Ryan rated it

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A gorgeously written book about the nature of beauty and happiness as it relates to art and architecture. As someone who spends a substantial amount of time thinking about buildings, this book brought me a lot of comfort and insight into the underpinnings of how buildings can shape a person's mood so severely.

Even more than the book's subject, the brilliant richness of Alan de Botton's writing is often the star of the book, and I spent much of my time reading it frantically underlini...more

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Nov 25, 2009

Rhi rated it

This book is essentially one long essay about why architecture matters. It's clearly written by a philosopher, both in terms of the logical way he presents some of his arguments, and his tendency to talk about the human condition. His descriptions of architecture are not very technical or particularly complete - he chooses a few themes (symmetry, balance, etc) and talks about them and the buildings or objects which illustrate his points. It was easy for me to like the book because I fundament...more

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Dec 23, 2008

Dale rated it

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Shelves: nonfiction, favorites

Alain de Botton writes elegantly and brilliantly. He has an easy-going and deceptively casual style, never harsh or overbearing, always humane. He has thought deeply about architecture and design, seeing them as varieties or art and thus, in his view, having the potential to fill the gaps in our life. 'Every type of beauty is a vision of happiness' - this quote drives much of his thinking about architecture as art.

He starts with a longish discourse on the general nature of architectu...moreAlain de Botton writes elegantly and brilliantly. He has an easy-going and deceptively casual style, never harsh or overbearing, always humane. He has thought deeply about architecture and design, seeing them as varieties or art and thus, in his view, having the potential to fill the gaps in our life. 'Every type of beauty is a vision of happiness' - this quote drives much of his thinking about architecture as art.

He starts with a longish discourse on the general nature of architecture and the way in which architecture 'speaks' to us, giving many examples (well illustrated with black-and-white photos) of buildings that speak eloquently or stridently. He seems most interested in monumental or institutional buildings, and only secondarily to residences. This struck me as odd until I realized that he sees architecture not just at the level of a room or a building, but in the context of a neighborhood, a town, a city. In that context, large buildings, public or private, do have a profound impact on our sense of happiness and well-being. Think of the difference in the way you feel about yourself and the world when walking in downtown Los Angeles or Seattle, on the one hand, and downtown Chicago or Portland, on the other. In the former cases the buildings overwhelm and repel you; you feel at a loss, and long only to be elsewhere. In the latter cases, the buildings are integrated with the street life; you can walk, stand, enter a building, or not, but always you feel it is your choice; and the buildings are of human scale, not in terms of their actual mass or height, but in how you interact with them.

He devotes a great deal of time to de Corbusier and the functionalist architecture that he created. This is mostly an exercise in showing how abstract ideas fare so poorly in architecture. Architecture speaks to us in many subtle ways; ways that cannot be captured with a functionalist scheme.

At one point, de Botton asks for a 'dictionary' that would allow us to translate architectural features to the feelings that they evoke. Oddly, there is such a dictionary, almost, and de Botton never mentions it. Namely, A Pattern Language of Design by Christopher Alexander. This seems an odd omission.

Nonetheless, this is an excellent and enjoyable read.
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Nov 02, 2008

Miles Wang rated it

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One of the great causes of both happiness and misery is the quality of our environment: the kind of walls, buildings and streets we are surrounded by.

The Architecture of Happiness starts from the idea that where we are heavily influences; who we can be, and argues that it is architecture’s task to stand as a reminder of our full potential.

However, many architects are alert of discussing the word “beauty”. The book centers the question: what is a beautiful building? It amo...moreOne of the great causes of both happiness and misery is the quality of our environment: the kind of walls, buildings and streets we are surrounded by.

The Architecture of Happiness starts from the idea that where we are heavily influences; who we can be, and argues that it is architecture’s task to stand as a reminder of our full potential.

However, many architects are alert of discussing the word “beauty”. The book centers the question: what is a beautiful building? It amounts to a tour though the philosophy and psychology of architecture, which aims at changing the way we think about our homes, streets and ourselves.

“Beauty is the promise of happiness” is the author’s point. The book is an interesting and perhaps important addition to the century-lasting debate over the connection between beauty and happiness that our cities and buildings have on us.

Taking architecture seriously means acknowledging the importance of our surroundings. The buildings we admire are ultimately those that refer to such positive qualities as friendliness, strength and intelligence.

Our sense of beauty and our understanding of the nature on a good life are blended. We can be moved by a column that meets a roof with grace. Why exactly is that? What makes some places beautiful and some not? De Botton thinks that beautiful places possess particular virtues: order, balance, elegance and self-knowledge.

Can a building make you happy? The Architecture of Happiness tells us to trust our senses and experience over the question. The author ends with a passage about how just about any land looks better before you put a farm or a city on it. So the duty is to make it look at least as good.

Likewise, we owe it to the worms and trees that the buildings we cover them with will stand as promise of the highest and most intelligent kind of happiness.

Architecture’s task is to render vivid to us who we might ideally be. Because we are, for better or worse, different individuals in different places.
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Nov 07, 2009

Matthew Gatheringwater rated it

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Shelves: how-to-live

My friend X never unpacks. She lives out of boxes and suitcases. It is not unusual for her to simply abandon her possessions in an apartment or storage locker for which she has not paid rent. I understand this behavior. We both grew up essentially homeless: constantly uprooted and often living temporarily in a space belonging to somebody else. Self-expression through the alteration of our surroundings, even when it was allowed, was pointless and inevitably painful when we had to leave the place ...more

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Aug 20, 2008

Melissa rated it

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This book is a good introduction to architecture - it really makes you think about what good architecture is - both high and low - and why we respond more favorably to some buildings than others. Beautiful black and white photos illustrate almost all of the authors examples and it was great to see both famous buildings and ones that may often be overlooked in architectural surveys. He makes an interesting argument that the concept of beauty is not only something we are born with but can be learn...more

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Feb 13, 2008

James Moes rated it

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Shelves: non-fiction

1. I read the book while Katherine & I settled into our new Vancouver flat. It was a most appropriately timed read.

2. I listened to a little snippet of the author speaking on the book on a Philosophy Bites podcast and liked what he had to say about the rational/sustainable cloak often put over architecture that could simply be admitted as beautiful. I liked what he had to say there. It was bite-size and made me nod my head.

3. The book doesn't speak much of the happiness o...more

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Dec 08, 2007

Gloria Suzie rated it

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Recommends it for: recovering architects or architecture students

I think Alain DeBotton is a wildly learned self-help guru for the so-called intellecturally bourgeois.

I also think this book has one of the most apt titles for a book that I've ever come across. I'd say the aptness of the title says a lot about DeBotton's work in general.

This book was an amusing anti-dote for both architectural indoctrination and architectural apathy, because he never over champions (what tends to go on inside architecture school) nor underestimates(wh...more

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Jan 11, 2009

Alicia rated it

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I loved this book. It's sort of an examination of how architectural and design trends have changed over the last several centuries according to changes in our ideas about happiness and beauty. But it's mostly about the psychology of taste. The book presents a series of arguments about how the buildings we inhabit and what we fill them with dramatically affect how we feel. The premise is that every architectural style speaks of an understanding of happiness and prompts a state of the soul. As som...moreI loved this book. It's sort of an examination of how architectural and design trends have changed over the last several centuries according to changes in our ideas about happiness and beauty. But it's mostly about the psychology of taste. The book presents a series of arguments about how the buildings we inhabit and what we fill them with dramatically affect how we feel. The premise is that every architectural style speaks of an understanding of happiness and prompts a state of the soul. As someone who has spent hundreds of dollars on light switch plates at Anthropologie and elsewhere, I'm a believer in the communicative power of objects and design.

And there are pictures! Many pictures, illustrating pretty much every point de Botton makes. For example, to demonstrate how any object of design will give off an impression of the psychological and moral attitudes it supports, plain Scandinavian crockery is pictured alongside an ornate Sèvres tea set. The former = a democratic, graceful sensibility. The latter = a ceremonial, class-bound disposition. De Botton applies this same comparison of aesthetic moods to fonts, glassware, chairs, and all sorts of architectural structures and elements -- bridges, cathedrals, columns, arches, mouldings, ironwork, hardware, office buildings, private homes, hallways, windows, you get the idea.

Also, I'm just awed by Alain de Botton's use of language. Beautiful. His point of view really speaks to me. A balance of quiet intelligence and passionate humanism. Some might say gushy, but not me. Here's an example: "It was Stendhal who offered the most crystalline expression of the intimate affiliation between visual taste and our values when he wrote, 'Beauty is the promise of happiness.' His aphorism has the virtue of differentiating our love of beauty from an academic preoccupation with aesthetics, and integrating it instead with the qualities we need to proposer as whole human beings. If the search for happiness is the underlying quest of our lives, it seems only natural that it should simultaneously be the essential theme to which beauty alludes."

And one more: "Our understanding of the psychology of taste can in turn help us to escape from the two great dogmas of aesthetics: the view that there is only one acceptable visual style or (even more implausibly) that all styles are equally valid. A diversity of styles is a natural consequence of the manifold nature of our inner needs. It is only logical that we should be drawn to styles that speak of excitement as well as calm, of grandeur as well as cosiness, given that these are key polarities around which our own lives revolve. As Stendhal knew, 'There are as many styles of beauty as there are visions of happiness.' Nevertheless, this breadth of choice leaves us free to determine that particular works of architecture are more or less adequate responses to our genuine psychological needs."(less)

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Jul 12, 2007

Nicole rated it

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Shelves: architecture

I read some review of this book recently, I think maybe on archinect.com, that hit the nail on the head. If you haven't had the benefit of an ARCH 101 class, but are interested in understanding what architecture - and design - are, or in my opinion should, be about, then this is your book. Even having taken the intro classes I found it to be a valuable refresher.

It is a general discussion of the motivators and benefits of thoughtful design. I enjoyed the imagery employed in the bo...more

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Oct 03, 2009

Gina rated it

I enjoyed the more general discussion that this book began with about beauty and why we are drawn to certain things. His idea is that we like what we lack. For example, the simple, clean lines of a modern design speaks to a longing for simplicity and order. More ornate, gilded things look beautiful to people in a rough, dirty, violent world. Et cetera. It was interesting for me to reflect on why I want to bring certain looks and feelings - rustic and earthy - into our house we've recently bought...more

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Mar 08, 2011

Ludo rated it

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Shelves: philosophy

Well, it's Alain de Botton, so the quality is assured. As with his other works he has a knack of making you look pass the banal and the surface of things. This book has led me to see buildings in a different way. It takes its rightful place amid a number of de Botton Books that make the shells drop from your eyes. And as always, beautiful prose.Not my top de Botton book (that would be 'How Proust can change your life' - or 'The art of travel) but a very interesting read, as always.

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Oct 24, 2010

Aimee rated it

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Enjoying this little book doesn't require expertise in architecture. Alain de Botton discusses the ways architecture and design affect, or fail to affect, our lives and characters. He also considers some of the motivations that have led architects and other builders to their greatest triumphs and failures. All the while, he builds toward the stirring final chapter, an eloquent argument about how our tastes are shaped and a call for intelligence and honor in what we choose to create.

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Mar 09, 2011

Terry Savill rated it

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Shelves: architecture

So, a philosopher wanders into the territory of the architect-I'm amazed he wasn't more brutal!!

'The failure of architects to create congenial environments mirrors our inability to find happiness in other areas of our lives. Bad architecture is in the end as much a failure of psychology as of design. It is an example expressed through materials of the same tendency which in other domains will lead us to marry the wrong people, choose inappropriate jobs and book unsuccessful holiday...more

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About Alain de Botton

Alain de Botton is a writer and television producer who lives in London and aims to make philosophy relevant to everyday life. He can be contacted by email directly via www.alaindebotton.com

He is a writer of essayistic books, which refer both to his own experiences and ideas- and those of artists, philosophers and thinkers. It's a style of writing that has been termed a 'philosophy of...more

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