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The Family at Home: Love. Life. Style.
Children and style rarely seem to share space; creating a home that reflects our chic sensibilities and kids’
yen for freedom has been baffling. Until now.
In The Family at Home, Anita Kaushal, decorator, designer, and mother of two, brings us into smartly designed and decorated spaces that function as seamlessly for stylish grown-ups as they do for the unpredictable melee of family life. After all, no matter how inviting your children’s bedrooms, your kids will want to drag their favorite toys beyond it. Now you can feel relief knowing that when the time comes, their things can be put away and the room can once again be transformed into your place.
Kaushal, herself one of seven children, embraces the modern concept that children are a natural part of our lives, neither inconvenient beings nor precious centers of the universe, and so The Family at Home, focuses on the needs of both parent and child. For example, a library trolley adds whimsy to a volume-lined living room and displays books within a child’s grasp; oversized pillows that look tidy both on the floor and on a couch make for inviting family time and easy cleanup; cubbyholes that double as a secret reading space and room divider create a shared bedroom; and axe-hewn teak benches contrast warmly with the surfaces of a sleek kitchen. The unique spaces in this book have the hallmark of a home anyone would want to return to: they are livable, flexible, and, above all, brimming with individual style.
The book’s four chapters echo the rhythms of family life and consider how each space lends itself to dual use, depending on whether children are present:
• Live shows how to adapt living areas to the needs of children and adults.
• Share offers ideas for making the kitchen and dining areas flow impeccably for cooking, eating, and celebrating with family and friends.
• Nest is devoted to making bedrooms and bathrooms calm retreats.
• Bare focuses on light and air, gardening, nature, and caring for the planet.
The Family at Home is richly illustrated with 300 beautiful color photographs of domestic places inhabited by everyday people. Stunning and practical, it is replete with storage and display solutions, lighting suggestions, techniques for incorporating built-in furniture, an indispensable resource section, and much more. No other book abounds with ideas and insights to be adapted or merely appreciated as you create your ideal home.
yen for freedom has been baffling. Until now.
In The Family at Home, Anita Kaushal, decorator, designer, and mother of two, brings us into smartly designed and decorated spaces that function as seamlessly for stylish grown-ups as they do for the unpredictable melee of family life. After all, no matter how inviting your children’s bedrooms, your kids will want to drag their favorite toys beyond it. Now you can feel relief knowing that when the time comes, their things can be put away and the room can once again be transformed into your place.
Kaushal, herself one of seven children, embraces the modern concept that children are a natural part of our lives, neither inconvenient beings nor precious centers of the universe, and so The Family at Home, focuses on the needs of both parent and child. For example, a library trolley adds whimsy to a volume-lined living room and displays books within a child’s grasp; oversized pillows that look tidy both on the floor and on a couch make for inviting family time and easy cleanup; cubbyholes that double as a secret reading space and room divider create a shared bedroom; and axe-hewn teak benches contrast warmly with the surfaces of a sleek kitchen. The unique spaces in this book have the hallmark of a home anyone would want to return to: they are livable, flexible, and, above all, brimming with individual style.
The book’s four chapters echo the rhythms of family life and consider how each space lends itself to dual use, depending on whether children are present:
• Live shows how to adapt living areas to the needs of children and adults.
• Share offers ideas for making the kitchen and dining areas flow impeccably for cooking, eating, and celebrating with family and friends.
• Nest is devoted to making bedrooms and bathrooms calm retreats.
• Bare focuses on light and air, gardening, nature, and caring for the planet.
The Family at Home is richly illustrated with 300 beautiful color photographs of domestic places inhabited by everyday people. Stunning and practical, it is replete with storage and display solutions, lighting suggestions, techniques for incorporating built-in furniture, an indispensable resource section, and much more. No other book abounds with ideas and insights to be adapted or merely appreciated as you create your ideal home.
- GenresNonfiction
256 pages, Hardcover
First published October 30, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 17, 2016
I really wanted to like this. I certainly liked the idea of a business book for women that felt a little more wholistic. However, the author came across as being extremely full of herself and not particularly likeable. Also, the advice was primarily business cliche (work hard and network), with a few tidbits about how to dress and some random recipes thrown in for color. This is my least favorite so far this year.
March 2, 2009
I'll admit, I didn't actually read this entire book (it's BIG and I had to get it back to the library) but I would check it out again and again or buy it because it was so beautiful and insightful. Very down to earth, without being granola. And even though I probably would never do a number of the things in the book, there were quite a few things that I read that I would definitely try to incorporate into my family life. I would absolutely recommend checking this book out from your local library and browsing it's pages.
July 7, 2009
This is full of eye candy and thought provoking quotes!!! Loved it!
December 19, 2010
A lot of good suggestions and lots of nice (and partially nostalgic) pictures!
September 2, 2012
Zalig om in weg te dromen!
November 5, 2009
the pictures are amazing.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews