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The Architecture of Happiness

by Alain de Botton (Goodreads Author)

3.78 of 5 stars 3.78 · rating details · 3,027 ratings · 338 reviews

Bestselling author, Alain de Botton has written about love, travel, status and how philosophy can console us. Now, he turns his attention to one of our most intense but often hidden love affairs: with our houses and their furnishings. He asks: What makes a house truly beautiful? Why are many new houses so ugly? Why do we argue so bitterly about sofas and pictures - and can...more

Paperback, 280 pages

Published January 1st 2007 by Penguin Group(CA) (first published 2006)

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Jan 10, 2009 RandomAnthony rated it 3 of 5 stars · 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 illustrations. De Botton’...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 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 had ended. I f...more

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Feb 16, 2008 Elizabeth Fuller rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 difficulties of travel a...more

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Jun 26, 2009 Janie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 one...more

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Nov 21, 2009 Marcus rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 to. Because o...more 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 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 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 heartbreak to eve...more 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 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 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 moods th...more

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Dec 05, 2009 Marcia rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 times. My prob...more

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Mar 07, 2013 Eunike Gloria rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, inspiring

Buku yang sangat menarik membahas psikologi dari sebuah bangunan dan bagaimana kondisi psikolog arsitek mempengaruhi bentuk bangunan, vice versa.
Dimulai dari konsep tentang kebahagiaan manusia yang sering kali terefleksi dari keindahan.
Bahkan Alain de Botton juga mengungkapkan eksistensi 'chaos and order ' dalam desain sebuah bangunan dan bagaimana manusia sering kali berhadapan dengan hal serupa.
Khususnya pada bagian keempat, Alain de Botton juga berpendapat bahwa arsitektur tidak pernah ada...more

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Nov 27, 2012 Dan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Alain de Botton is a bit ridiculous when it comes to the fanciful little stories he tells throughout: "A terraced house on a tree-lined street. Earlier today, the house rang with the sound of children's cries and adult voices, but since the last occupant took off (with her satchel) a few hours ago, it has been left to sample the morning by itself.... Occasionally, the letter-box opens with a rasp to admit a plaintive leaflet." That's from the first paragraph. But, all in all, he does a pretty am...more

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Oct 06, 2012 David rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: cultural-theory

Alain de Botton has set himself up as a genial and thoroughly genteel guide through some of Western civilization’s knottier subjects.

Though he has ruffled a few academic feathers by suggesting that complex and intractable subjects such as Proust and Western philosophy can be condensed into helpful homilies for the average reader, he continues to be a bestseller abroad and in his home country of England.

In The Architecture Of Happiness, De Botton broaches his subject with this simple premise: we...more

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Aug 21, 2012 John Martindale rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: philosophy, hope-to-re-read, audiobook

The philosophy of Architecture and Art is really interesting! I liked this book a lot.
Alain De Botton reflected on so many angles, I look forward to discussing some of the following questions (influenced by this book) with friends.

How important is context when it comes to our behavior and mood?
How does architecture affect us?
How does the philosophy of an age reflect itself in the our architecture?
Why does the concept of beauty change, what causes the change?
Is it possible to land on some basic...more

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Apr 25, 2012 Jon Cox rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: history-politics, non-fiction, philosophy-religion, travel

"Belief in the significance of architecture is premised on the notion that we are...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." - pg. 13

This is the thesis of the book. Maybe it's true. I'm was a bit doubtful of the first assertion, which of course threw the second into question as well. However, de Botton does a decent job of reviewing evidence for these assertions and ends up making a strong case for...more

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Feb 15, 2012 Mykle rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: architects

"Taking architecture seriously ... requires that we open ourselves to the idea that we are affected by our surroundings even when they are made of vinyl and would be expensive and time-consuming to ameliorate. It means conceding that we are inconveniently vulnerable to the colour of our wallpaper and that our sense of purpose may be derailed by an unfortunate bedspread. At the same time, it means acknowledging that buildings are able to solve no more than a fraction of our dissatisfactions or pr...more

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Apr 13, 2013 Rebeccasmile rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: literature-the-u-s

1) 並且因此認定建築物必須以鮮明的方式呈現我們理想中的自我
2) 這種超然於周遭環境的態度，並非源自審美能力的遲鈍，而是因為我們身邊的環境經常缺乏美感，只好藉此避免內心的沮喪
3) 要懷疑別人建造宏偉建築的動機，絕對不乏理由。建築物很少會讓人輕易看出其在建造上所需的工夫。它們對於自己造成的破產、延誤、擔憂和塵土，總是羞澀不語。若無其事的外表是它們吸引人的一項常見特徵
4) 這些工程師擁有確定性，而這正是建築師所最缺乏的東西
5) 現代主義派建築師雖然號稱採取完全科學理性的設計觀，但是他們和自己的作品之間的關係，基本上仍有一種浪漫；他們期待自己喜好的生活方式能夠藉由建築而普及。他們設計的住宅有如一座舞台，讓演員在這裡演出理想的現代生活。
6) 基本上，設計與建築所傳達給我們的訊息，就是它們適合於甚麼樣的生活方式。它們會讓我們知道，它們希望塑造出來的是甚麼樣的氛圍。除了幫我們遮風避雨，促進生活的便利之外，它們也邀請我們成為某一種類型的人。它們向我們傳達幸福人生的理想。/同理，有些建築之所以令人望之生厭，也不是因為這些建築違反了我們某種私密的視覺偏好，而是因為它們抵觸了我們對適當生活方式的概念
7)...more

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Jan 01, 2013 fleetofhorses rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"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 holidays: the tendency not to understand who we are and what will satisfy us.

"In architecture, as in so much else, we...more

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May 28, 2012 Steff rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

(500) Days of Summer is one of my favorite movies. Being a real life embodiment of Tom Hansen, I thought I would give this book a try. It was impossible for me to watch the movie and not be curious as to why he was reading it and why he enjoyed it so much that he felt the need to give it to Summer.

When I first started this book I thought it was going to focus quite a bit on the psychology of why architecture has the ability of changing who we are. While it did delve into the idea of the differen...more

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May 09, 2013 Michaela rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction

The middle is a trifle indulgent, with quite impressive descriptions of the thoughts that pass through imaginary people's minds as they sit in rooms either beautiful or mundane. And yet, the author is openly aware that the whole subject of beautiful architecture is a trifle indulgent, which is what the beginning is all about. Why it is important to have pretty buildings isn't exactly up there with solving world hunger. Obviously.

Outside of the imaginative, the criticisms of actual architecture a...more

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Nov 02, 2012 Gina rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Didn't like this as well as On Love (hands down favorite, I think!), The Art of Travel or The Romantic Movement: Sex, Shopping, and the Novel (second favorite but maybe my first (it's a tie) but who wouldn't like that title). I loved the why's of design and architecture and the photos were stunning and thought provoking. Believe it or not, I was a little bored. Not as engaging as my other favorites because there wasn't an underlying story tying it together, really. It lacked excitement as far as...more

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Dec 04, 2010 Brynn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"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)

"A feeling of beauty is a sign that we have come upo...more

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Apr 30, 2012 Zenaida Partin rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: architecture-and-design, history

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Dec 14, 2012 Marion rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

- p.150:
It is perhaps when our lives are at their most problematic that we are likely to be most receptive to beautiful things.

- p.248:
However, these can in the end always be traced back to nothing more occult than a failure of empathy, to architects who forgot to pay homage to the quirks of the human mind, who allowed themselves to be seduced by a simplistic vision of who we might be, rather than attending to the labyrinthine reality of who we are.

- p. 260:
Keene observed that the Japanese sense...more

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Dec 21, 2011 Cheryl rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 appr...more

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Apr 14, 2013 Mark rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Mark by: Margaret Heller

Shelves: from-library, together

Read this to Sara. Wish I had taken notes so I could give better evidence for my review but note taking is more difficult when reading to another.

I did enjoy this book. I think he makes many valid points. But. He also seriously overestimates and generalizes people's experiences, especially of art. He is sometimes highly anthropomorphic in his descriptions of buildings (and other things).

Once in a while you even find a howler like this: "He [Le Corbusier] forgot that without pedestrians to slow t...more

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May 07, 2012 Mark Mikula rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2012

Like the first book that I read by de Botton, I enjoyed this one. I first read On the Pleasures and Sorrows of Work because I heard him give an interview about that one last year. The Architecture of Happiness was the first one that I saw on the shelves of his though, and I finally remembered to put a request through to the library to get this one. It came up as a featured prop in the movie (500) Days of Summer, starring Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and for that reason was given a m...more Like the first book that I read by de Botton, I enjoyed this one. I first read On the Pleasures and Sorrows of Work because I heard him give an interview about that one last year. The Architecture of Happiness was the first one that I saw on the shelves of his though, and I finally remembered to put a request through to the library to get this one. It came up as a featured prop in the movie (500) Days of Summer, starring Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and for that reason was given a more prominent placement in bookstores. As an aside, I would recommend the film too.

De Botton has a knack for encapsulating philosophical ideas about broad topics in history in short essays that maintain a loose progression but also stand on their own because each numbered segment of his chapters focus on a single idea and present different musings--some straightforward and factual, others personal and humorous--about the topic.

De Botton also is very skillful with the language. I've been reintroduced to some very compelling words in the essays that he writes and introduced to some new ones as well. I cynically think that he occasionally writes an essay just to incorporate terms of art in it, to give them a new life by hoping his readers will repeat them.

He didn't attempt to cover each subject equally. Some topics only get a few sequentially numbered essays, others receive more. I don't have a quarrel with that. It's just an observation.

I will say that even though each numbered section seems internally consistent, I would be interested to hear if others felt that through rearrangement or deep analysis different contradictions about the ideas regarding architecture would be more prominent. It's such a complicated subject that developing a unified thesis on the topic is a challenge. And I don't think that de Botton intends to do that, but I found myself occasionally thinking, "Hey wait, didn't you say in chapter two, section four that good architecture does this while here you are saying that it doesn't do this?" None of the facts contradict one another in the book, but sometimes the ideas seem at odds. Again, though, just an observation, not a criticism.

The only minor quibble I have with the book is with the illustrations. I think that de Botton or his publishers have agreed to incorporate black-and-white imagery in his books, but I think that the architecture volume is one that would have strongly benefited from color photographs since color is such an important element of design.

Based on my affinity for de Botton's nonfiction and on a friend's affection for de Botton, Proust, or both, I actually bought a paperback copy of de Botton's How Proust Can Change Your Life, and I've added it to my reading pile. It will be interesting to read about Proust because I've never ready any of his works, and don't intend to ... yet.

Any time I've read de Botton, I've felt like I've been in a better place, whether it's the one he's describing or whether it's just me imagining myself in a clean room having just finished an excellent meal, about a half-hour from taking a nap.

(less)

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May 02, 2013 Olavi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

'Ci�� che noi chiamiamo casa �� semplicemente qualsisi luogo che ci faccia comprendere con maggiore coerenza quelle importanti verit�� che il mondo nel suo complesso ignora o che noi, indecisi e distratti, fatichiamo a tenerci strette' [p.121

'La bellezza �� una promessa di felicit��. / Esistono tanti stili di bellezza quante visioni della felicit��' - Stendhal

'Oggi la vita domestica �� paralizzata dall'idea deplorevole che ci servano dei mobili. Questo concetto andrebbe estirpato e sostituito da...more

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Apr 19, 2013 Joni rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: architecture, design, non-fiction, philosophy

The Architecture of Happiness is an interesting book about architecture which - while not making any bold claims or putting forward any wild new theory - does a good job at elegantly polishing the history of architectural development.

De Botton starts his work with a subjective analysis of how one experiences architecture. How individuals are moved and psychologically influenced by buildings. He comes to the conclusion that it is pain, suffering and the multitude of life's horrible and mediocre e...more

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Mar 28, 2013 Maria rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fictie

De Botton verdedigt de stelling dat de uitstraling van onze huizen en interieurs van groot belang is voor ons geluk en welzijn, hij bestudeert de invloed van de manier van bouwen in heel brede zin op ons geluk en hij zoekt antwoorden op de lastige vraag wat schoonheid is. Wanneer is iets mooi? Ook de vraag of schoonheid en functionaliteit te verenigen zijn, is interessant. Smaken verschillen uiteraard en veranderen ook afhankelijk van tijd, plaats, cultuur. Maar toch worden een aantal, min of me...more

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Dec 12, 2012 Arda rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was just the right dose for a book that covers the subject of what defines beauty in architecture, what defines beauty, and why we change our minds about what we find beautiful. "The Architecture of Happiness" takes us on a historical, cultural, philosophical, psychological and poetic journey - accompanied with reflective images.

"As we write, so we build: to keep a record of what matters to us."

Alain de Botton reflects, and in turn, allows us to reflect with him. He challenges us to think a...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 offensive rea...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 everyday lif...more

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Quotes from The Architecture of Ha...

“It is in books, poems, paintings which often give us the confidence to take seriously feelings in ourselves that we might otherwise never have thought to acknowledge.” — 69 people liked it

“What we seek, at the deepest level, is inwardly to resemble, rather than physically to possess, the objects and places that touch us through their beauty.” — 49 people liked it

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The Architecture of Happiness

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