Jonathan Adler 100 Ways to Happy Chic Your Life

by Jonathan Adler

Live happily, live stylishly! Celebrity designer Jonathan Adler's newest book is a vibrant, hilarious mash-up of style bible, decorating tome, and self-help guide. In gorgeous, full-color spreads, 100 bold ideas for Happy Chic dwelling, decorating, and entertaining are revealed. As a bonus, five project gatefolds invite readers to create their own Happy Chic handicrafts, including a macramé owl and custom LOVE note cards.

Genres: Design, Nonfiction, Interior Design, How To

172 pages, Hardcover

First published October 2, 2012

About the author

Jonathan Adler (born in 1966 in New Jersey, United States) is an iconic potter, designer, author, and personality. Adler launched his first ceramic collection in 1993 at Barneys New York. Five years years later he expanded into home furnishings, opening his first namesake boutique in Manhattan.

Reviews

[Lucia]

What a silly book.
Waste-of-time silly, not the good kind of silly.

I tend to like books on decor, crafts, funky-arty lifestyles, etc. This book tries and fails on all of those fronts. I enjoy Adler's interior decor style seen elsewhere, but this book is just silly. [If you are in love with 70s decor (not me!), you might enjoy the photos here.]

I like Adler's attitude (have fun, don't care what others think); but the book isn't even "fluff" -- it's sub-fluff.


The title of this book could be, "You may not be curious, playful or interesting, but if you follow my lead you might at least *appear* to be so."
If you are already curious, playful or interesting, you will have already thought of everything in this book and more.

To be clear, I think Adler *is* these things. But defacing a few George Washington paintings, following his advice on which coffee table books will make you look hip (!), watching his favorite old movies, and putting giant macrame and a ping pong table in your apartment will not alone make you interesting.

The book feels like it could have taken a few interns a few days to put together.
And it's jammed with cringe-inducing fashion magazine verbiage like gamine, decolletage, soupcon, me-time, insouciant, atelier, aplomb, tresses (hair), apres-ski, objet, savoir faire, ETC.

Actually, the whole book would have been better realized as a 5-page spread in a women's mag, not stretched out into a book.
I mean, do we really want or need advice like, "Number 7: Watch 'Real Housewives' to numb life's troubles."
Or, "Number 89: Ponder Kim Kardashian, the magic of an unexamined life."
- - - -

- Amy Sedaris' similarly-themed books are more fun: Bizarre, ironic, hilarious, entirely unique, sometimes helpful, and as a bonus, they include jaw-droppingly crazy photos of the author.

- Another book in the same vein that I liked is The Selby is in Your Place. A voyeuristic and mostly un-staged look into funky-creative-artsy people's homes. And that tome is huge and varied, so you can just skip over anything you don't like; there's plenty to choose from. (Adler's main home in NYC is featured in that book, which is what made me mistakenly think I might like Adler's book.)

[Lisa]

What a great book! A great message as far as home designs go, which is do whatever the heck you want that makes you happy, there are no rules!!! Great ideas abound! Here's the very first page:

There are no "no's"! There is no proper or correct way to decorate, just intriguing ways to DWELL in Happy Chic-ness... There is no outfit that is too over the top... There are no fabulous items that are too cliched for you not to EMBRACE them...There is no reason to listen to wind-chime naysayers... There is no concept out there so sacred that it isn't worth giving a TWIST to... There is no family portrait so precious that it wouldn't look better with a mustache... There is no fascinating place or character or idea in this world that you should not b e open to EXPLORE... There is no reason not to delve deeply in to your subversive side... There is no right or wrong way to live, just new ways of life to PONDER... And there is no reason not to give yourself a break.


Don'tcha just love that???


Well the whole book is like that, just fun and uplifting and chock-full of inspiring and completely do-able ideas. He encourages the use of cheap materials for their chic-ness, my kind of guy. The style advice is all written in a witty way. Case in point: "Instead of hiding them in a hall closet, keep a side order of thirsty towels staked, spa-style, on four-legged perches (It's a way to add luxury to life without buying a single thing!). Same rules as an orgy: You need at least three as a minimum, then add on as many as you desire"

Well that's great because I don't even HAVE any closets! My house was apparently built before they were invented. Oh how quaint and charming, little New England Cape Cod home (NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!).

So to recap: Funny, irreverent, but very good, solid, usable home ideas. GREAT photographs of the author's very own house. Fun to read, uplifting, quirky. A great find of a book!

[Abby]

Meh. Jonathan Adler designs interesting spaces, but I couldn't stand his "writing" style. (So many stupid sentences! So many made-up words!) And his advice is universally impractical and/or worthless to me. Better luck next time.

[Cristina Bindschatel]

Very fun, love the style; semi raunchy vibes for sure! Several little projects laid throughout, this would be a great coffee table book or reference if you love the 60s/70s decor!

[Trevor Klundert]

I want to be a hyphenate.

[Audrey]

When I pick up home decorating books, I want to be inspired. I want to be able to take something away from the book -- a process, an idea, a project. There's a lot about Jonathan Adler's motto that I like. I want my house to be happy, to reflect who I am and how my family lives, to showcase the stuff we love. So his message is good -- I'm on board with that. And I love many of his product lines. BUT I just couldn't find much to love in this book -- I understand what he's trying to do here, but none of it appealed to me.

[Alyssa]

This book is a little bit silly.

Part catalog.
Part bucket list.
Part craft book.

There was very little that I found useful and creative.

I'd suggest a casual read if you're in Barnes & Noble but I don't think its worth adding to the library.

[Alana]

Thought pretty much everything about this book was atrocious. Is it a joke? Even the graphics/font are so poorly put together it's difficult to read.

[B]

This was a really fun book that focuses on how to find (and bring to life) what makes you happy and how to then use that in your home to create spaces that make you feel at home and reflect your personal taste. Adler's own style I found to be waaaaaay to over the top to take many practical tips from but I did enjoy the spirit of this book and it has inspired me to play around more with my own space.

I would recommend you pick this title up from your local library if you are a fan of funky interior design and the power of decor as a form of self care! I see this as a must-buy only for existing fans of Adler's work as the photography is amazing.

[Ligaya]

I don't know why anyone would waste their time doing most of the "Happy Chic Activity" projects. Who wants a macrame owl anyway? But his philosophy is to decorate your home to make you happy and to not listen to those who look down on you, so that's not a bad thing. He uses saturated colors and bold patterns with a sure hand. I couldn't live in many of his spaces but they are fun! Plentiful photos and lots of inane commentary, take it or leave it!

[Christian]

an amusing look into Adler’s influences and work. great for stirring up ideas if you’re into 60’s & 70’s design. not particularly helpful, informative or useful.

this reads like a well-curated Pinterest board, not something i would reference again & again.

[Megan]

Quick read. Pretty photographs. But no solids takeaways.

[T.]

Meh. Not my style and really kind of odd.

[Carrie Willard]

I loved the photography, colors and ideas presented in the book! Makes you want to jump up and redesign your space. Also reenforces that you should love your stuff and display it proudly.

[Liz Michaels]

2.5 Jumble and boho is not my style. If you like crazy busy this book is for you.

[Ashley]

Really fun!

[Relyn]

Meh. Weird style, not many useable ideas.

[Melynda DeCarlo]

Exuberant, campy, crafty and fun. I liked the insertion of project fold outs.

[Madeline Wright]

I've needed something to help "unclog" my brain from a horrible bout of writer's block and this was just the visual array of colors, language, and home design inspiration I needed to kickstart my creative juices again. Jonathan Adler's writing warmly invites the reader into his world of fabulosity with a random pile of suggestions of what books to read, movies to watch, and some other things that have inspired him in his work. There are a few DIY craft ideas included too. Oh, and his cute little dog, Liberace, appears throughout the book.

Now I don't know what I want to do more tonight: Write, or veg. in front of HGTV for the rest of my life.

[Irada Rabah]

First off -JA is my hero, idol, imaginary mentor. If I were rich as Croesus or at least as Dubai sheikhs, I'd hire him to decorate my home. However, as some one mentioned here, this book lacks substance. It's fun to look at and display on your coffee table, but one can't learn much from it. Instead of giving an advice on, for instance classical proportions (which he mentions only in passing) or JA's famous use of oversized objects, this book dishes out reductive silliness and waaaaay too much camp.

[Adriane Devries]

Darling and laugh out loud funny, Jonathan Adler’s 100 Ways to Happy Chic Your Life is the perfect catalyst to re-Vamping your home and your life. Why bother with fussy rules and limitations imposed by social norms? Use glitter, cross-stitch, and macramé; listen to a mix of Disco and Beethoven; try new and surprising things, as well as the occasional matched set of furniture. Ultimately, go with what you love and create a home atmosphere that brings fun, warmth and wonder to your life. Don’t wait for that elusive some day.

[Lisa Filipczak]

I have been busy doing some home remodel projects so this book caught my eye. It was recommended at the Denver Public Library so I checked it out. There are some good design tips included and lots of photos of Jonathan Adler's cool properties. I don't think I will adapt any of his design tips though because they seem a little extreme for me. It was still enjoyable to check out the concepts and photos.

[April]

Loved all the ideas in this great coffee table book. I borrowed it from the library but I could so own this. Of course my favorite part was scanning the pictures to find Liberace, the cutie-pie pup. I got many great ideas--the pictures are very nice--well done. Jonathan Adler's style is not my style per se but I still found many excellent ideas for my home. And the whole tone of the book was bright and cheerful. Recommended!

[Pam]

While this book has plenty of great ideas, I rated the book a 2 for the complicated and often conflicting graphic layout that makes the book diffiult to read and the photographs sometimes impossible to see. Busy is not necessarily better when it comes to a book's layout. It really is a shame as there are numerous interesting ideas here which in a better format would shine.

[Ryan]

Love, love, love this book. It’s a short(ish) coffee table style book about being you and trying new things. These tips are short and sweet but can create big impact on your home\life. My favorites are name your house ( I think I’ll call mine Porcupine Peek). Learn to love wind chimes (I do!) and rethink your bookshelf (which I have often).

[Megan]

This is a very charming design book. I greatly enjoyed Adler's affinity for Prince, his DIY ethics and his delightful bonne mots ("I have been described as waterfront property with a little Hurricane damage"). He also highlights artists and designers he admires in a fluid and unobtrusive way, like the windchimes of Paolo Soleri and the hairstyles of Lady Bunny.

[Amanda]

Lots of pretty pictures.

Some good decorating ideas, but honestly, not much I would likely implement or haven't already seen done somewhere else. Most of the examples are a bit too much for me to go for, in all honesty, but still, was a good book for anyone who likes looking at furniture or design ideas. Good to know what you don't want to do too.

[Cody]

I love everything about Jonathan Adler - the attitude, the colours, the style, the personality. If I won the lottery, I would RUN to buy his $3950 Ravello cocktail table. After doing good for my fellow man of course.

[Kris]

Decorating books are candy for me. Jonathan Adler designs the warmest, grooviest, happiest rooms I've ever seen. I drooled over all the photos, and I want him to come to my house. Love, love, love!

[Anna]

I love that Jonathan Adler, ceramist extraordinaire brings even tile to his interiors , and I covet one of the ceramic topped round wood and steel coffee tables. Visually sumptuous and fun to pore through.