Live Natural: A Relaxed Approach to Creating Healthy Homes

by Alison Davin, Lisa Romerein (Photographer)

A beautiful, inspiring guide to building, designing, and decorating a natural living space that is healthier for your family and for the planet. “In Live Natural , Ali Davin puts functionality before aesthetics, one actionable tip at a time. This book is for anyone who’s ready to make a change in how they inhabit the world.”—Colleen & Jason Wachob, Co-Founders, mindbodygreen Known for comfortably chic interiors that blend natural materials, nontoxic building, and artisanal techniques, California designer Alison Davin creates warm, welcoming spaces with an emphasis on wellness. Always mindful of limiting waste, her homes are made to last a lifetime. While existing books approach this topic from either a highly technical or scrappy DIY perspective, Live Natural carves out a unique space in the coffee-table book marketplace, pairing beautifully photographed high-end homes with a clear point of view on wellness and environmental responsibility. Shot by the renowned photographer Lisa Romerein, the inspirational visuals of warm, aesthetically pleasing living spaces bathed in natural light will draw the reader in and pair with a clean, image-forward layout. This book creates a safe, welcoming space to receive ideas, challenging “the way things have always been done” in construction and design. Filled with accessible, actionable tips and delivered in an approachable tone, Live Natural empowers readers to advocate for themselves at home and in the world. Packed with insightful tips and illustrated with inspiring photographs from clients’ residences, Live Natural details how to craft a purposefully designed space with clean air quality and a lower environmental impact. This book will help readers harness light, space, and natural elements to design a clean, comfortable home they will love. More Accolades “California design pro Ali Davin offers useful, from-the-trenches advice on how to create a healthy, toxin-free home—and natural style inspiration to boot”—The editors of Remodelista “What I’ve always loved about Ali’s work is how layered it is. At first glance, it’s low-key and approachable, but when you look closer, it’s filled with rich character and detail. She has channeled that approach into this book—on the surface, it’s a bunch of beautiful photos, but the health-focused content goes so much deeper.”—Kelli Lamb, Editor, Rue

Genres: Nonfiction

240 pages, Hardcover

Published June 11, 2024

Reviews

[Penny · Rating 3 out of 5]

My rating is 3.5, because though its issues were bothersome, I still picked up a few things.

Jute's philosophy is clear, but the book lacks adequate explanation. For instance, off-gassing is mentioned several times, yet we're not clued in to what it is or what its effects are. There's mention of electromagnetic fields (EMFs), but we are not told what these are, WHY we should avoid increasing them, and what they do to us. So, much context is missing.

An index, even brief, would be helpful. Usually, design books include an appendix or resource list, but no luck here. I wanted to review some recommendations but could not find upon looking back.

A beautiful book, for sure. Many spreads lack any explanation/caption of what the author wants to draw our attention to. One instance is the mention of using terra-cotta, then no examples.

My takeaway: It IS possible to live (mostly) clean, in a toxic-free environment. But unless you have oodles of time for research, you'll need to hire a firm like Jute.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely design display of wood decor in natural settings and surroundings.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the idea behind this book. The actual content beyond the (admittedly inspiring and beautiful) photos is really light; if you were to extract the text only, all you'd have is a pamphlet.

Still, I hadn't heard this particular message before. A lot of it is around avoiding mass-produced garbage simply because of the glues and chemicals they use, which off-gas for years in your home, and instead opting for natural materials, such as wood with dovetail joints instead of glue.

I don't plan on remodeling anytime soon, so a lot of the advice isn't for me (sorry, not going to get rid of my drywall) but I am filing away two practical ideas to make the home cleaner: investing in a water purifier for the entire house, and an air purifier.

Worth a read if you are at all interested in how the choices you make in your home affect your health and the planet.