Creating a Beautiful Home

by Alexandra Stoddard

Alexandra Stoddard has brought beauty and grace to the lives of millions all over the world through her many books, including the phenomenal betseller, Living a Beautiful Life. In Creating a Beautiful Home, Alexandra Stoddard generously shares her professional secrets as an interior designer as well as her personal experiences in renovating and decorating her own 1775 home in Connecticut. Once again, her original and imaginative ideas for every room in the house will inform and inspire you on your own exciting journey of discovery as you transform your living space into a warm and welcoming oasis of harmony, beauty, and joy.

Genres: Nonfiction, Interior Design, Reference, Lifestyle, Inspirational, Design

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

ALEXANDRA STODDARD is a philosopher of contemporary living and author of many best selling books, including the classic Living a Beautiful Life: 500 Ways to Add Elegance, Order, Beauty and Joy to Every Day of Your Life, Choosing Happiness: Keys to a Joyful Life, Things I Want My Daughters to Know: A Small Book About the Big Issues in Life, and You Are Your Choices: 50 Ways to Live the Good Life. Alexandra's newest book Happiness For Two: 75 Secrets for Finding More Joy Together, published in January 2008, is now in its second printing.

Reviews

[Kaethe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow, I've really read a surprising amount of Stoddard. I suppose someone at the library likes her style and keeps ordering her books, and I just grab anything new and pretty.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I purchased this book new in the early 1990s and recently read it again. It's full of good tips. The best was that semi-gloss walls are easy to maintain and they reflect light. 30 years ago we followed her advice and painted our den/kitchen in semi-gloss. Astonishingly, it STILL hasn't needed to be repainted. We love that it has been extremely easy to wash the walls around the stove and the paint never faded (we have a big skylight in the kitchen that bathes both rooms in California sunlight). My only advice would be to choose a color you really like (fortunately, we did.) A few tips in the book I just cannot go along with, such as moving your art around. It's always a major production to hang art and I've found most big pieces of furniture and art have a certain spot that works best. I also strongly suspect we wouldn't be celebrating 50 years of marriage if I'd made hubby move the art around the house (clearly this would only work if nails weren't involved.) I'm also always surprised when designers say to hang art and mirrors at eye level. (How does one do that when the wife is 5'2" and the hubby is 6'3"?) This book has black and white illustrations and several good quotations. It's still relevant and inspiring.

[Alexandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a charming and useful book.

I found it while wandering through a Salvation Army in Houston, and picked it up hoping it would help me learn how to create an attractive and meaningful living space.

I’d tried books by Martha Stewart and more recently Jeremiah Brent for this and didn’t have luck.

Written in 1992, it has a cozy, nostalgic feel. The book is old, but is still about 85% solid advice on how to create a home. Even though it was written more than 30 years ago I would say it’s not dated because it’s more about the psychology of how to create a living space that makes you feel good, and why this is important. It’s not about trends, or imitating a space from Architectural Digest. There are some tips and pointers that are out of date, or can just be updated to 2026.

Each chapter goes through every single room/space in a house from entryways, to kitchens and bedrooms and how to them feel good. She also includes many practical tips for each room on how to make changes.

I think my biggest takeaway from the book is Stoddard’s emphasis on having decor and things in the home that are appropriate for our lifestyle. Don’t have white linen couches in the living room if you have toddlers- not just because it’s inconvenient, but because it’s not congruent with your life and sends the message to the children and everyone else that appearances are more important than the actual people living in the home. Wow. Can’t wait to try more from her!

[Pam Kirst · Rating 4 out of 5]

I discovered Alexandra Stoddard's work as a very young woman, and one of the things that compelled me was her tennis-player history.

https://pamkirst2014.wordpress.com/20...

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like this author’s books! I like the feel of how she writes. I am finding that the actual decorating advise is dated sometimes due to the age of the book but the real advice is still helpful.

[Sadie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book on creating a beautiful home, focusing on the important aspects of making each room serve your family lifestyle. Full of great tips!

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

First I must declutter then I may actually be able to use the suggestions in this book ;)

Later: Whew, my house is mostly uncluttered for the first time ever. What a horrible, tedious and never-ending process it was. We filled a dumpster with old crap and gave away tons of stuff through freecycle. I think my kids were beginning to get worried they'd be next. My new rule? For every new thing brought into the house at least one (maybe two) things must be set free or kicked to the curb. I am *never* going to go through this again.

So, I'm about halfway through this book and though it was published many years ago I've discovered we've unknowingly decorated our house with many of her suggestions such as the white trim, painting the walls and filling the house with colors and things we love, natural wood floors, minimal window treatments (well, that one happened because they were the cheapest and I hate those poufy things that they sell for windows), etc. Either I'm out of style (probably the case but see if I care) or our color choices just happened to be timeless choices. She does a lot of repeating from chapter to chapter and I don't agree with some of her ideas such as tables filled with writing paper, pens, candles, lamps, bowls filled with potpourri, quilts on the wall, etc. My style is evolving into a minimalist type and that all seems like too much furniture and needless clutter for me.

[Kristi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun book about interior decorating. The author does not focus on the science of creating a perfect room, but helps you make your home a reflection of your personality. She gives creative ideas to help each room turn into a warm, welcoming place.

[Amanda Hiatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must read for anyone with a home! She's full of wonderful ideas and a great perspective on homes.

[Mary Bundy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Same review with all her books! Loved them! 1993

[Laura Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rather outdated but got a few good ideas.