Happy by Design: How to create a home that boosts your health and happiness

by Victoria Harrison, Debbie Powell (Illustrator)

Invite health and happiness into the heart of your home with practical ideas for decor, organization, and mindfulness that will transform your living space—and create an uplifting atmosphere that looks after you from morning to night!

Happy by Design teaches us how we can actively improve our health and wellbeing through the way we design and regard every room in the house. From the paint color that’s been named the happiest to the science of getting a good night’s sleep, Happy by Design offers bite-sized and affordable design ideas that are accessible to all—from a young renter in an urban apartment to a busy family in their own home.

Drawing on advice from experts far and wide, Victoria Harrison’s Happy Home Program helps everyone transform their living spaces and put personal wellbeing first in their homes and neighborhoods. With delightful illustrations and photos on every page, the program is easy to follow and packed with motivating tips and inspiration to help everyone live the happiest life possible. Happy by Design will help you breathe better with the top ten oxygenating houseplants, surround yourself with scents scientifically proven to brighten your mood, and—taking a page from the Danish concept of hygge—keep your home a clean yet cozy sanctuary, free of outside distractions. Discover these simple—but ultimately life-changing—steps.

 

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Happy Home Program
How to Grow Your Own Fresh Air
How to Decorate with the Happiest Color
Tidy Your Way to Happiness
Unlock the Secret to a Good Night’s Sleep
Discover the Happiest Scents
Harness the Mood-Boosting Power of Flowers
Shine a Light on Wellbeing
How to Create a Cozy Retreat
Wish Happiness for Others
Unearth Happiness in the Garden
How to Be Smarter Than Your Smartphone

Genres: Nonfiction, Mental Health, Design, Self Help

160 pages, Hardcover

First published June 7, 2018

Reviews

[Marina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book came up as a suggestion on Amazon, presumably as I’d searched for a similar title by Michelle Ogundehin. This is more of a coffee-table book with lots of bright and aspirational photos. Mostly, the content is the sort of things you get in magazines: the best plants for each part of the home, decorating with yellow (the happiest colour) and the old favourite, how to get a good night’s sleep (zzzz). However, I did enjoy it and, for two pounds for the Kindle version, it was cheaper than buying the kind of bookazine it resembles.

[Ann · Rating 1 out of 5]

A compilation of research done on Google

The illustrations and designs do the heavy lifting here. I picked it up hoping for some fresh insights but what I got was an airy compilation of popular articles you see making their rounds on social media (e.g. the NASA plant study done back in the 1980s, and copious overgeneralizations like 'Name me one person who dislikes the delicate perfume of a rose in bloom on a sunny day'). The author didn't even bother to critically assess what she had found. She cites research but does not question it. It might have been better if she left it as a collection of opinions rather than trying to pass it off as science!

If the pictures and designs weren't so attractive, I wouldn't have bothered borrowing it from the library. Thankfully I didn't spend any money on this book.

[Morgan Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was really lovely, although I already apply lots of the tips in my own life already this felt like a very rewarding and affirming book.
I think that the last page of it gives out a feel of the whole book, so check that one out if you want to know if it's your kind of book!

Find a full review at https://lbthelibrarian.wordpress.com/

[Kelly]

Pretty and joyful but in terms of content, nothing here you couldn't find on Apartment Therapy or any of your favorite design/home blogs. Makes for nice bedtime/morning tea perusing!

[Rebecca]

I'm writing this review nearly 11 months later, as part of a year-end wrap up. What I remember most is her chapter on entrances: they should be a way of welcoming people into a home that is distinctly yours. I now have this idea that I’d like to find a small, old-timey, pastel typewriter. That’s a weird, possibly self-contradictory description but I feel confident that I will know this typewriter when I some day encounter it. ::shrugs happily::

[Evelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lovely book to dip in and out of which is packed full of useful tips and tricks to help you improve your wellbeing at home. If this subject matter is already familiar to you or you read a lot of online blogs, you may find this book a little repetitive but I think it would make a nice gift for those are new to this way of thinking or have recently moved into a new home.

[Elle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bright ideas for happying your home

Though there’s nothing really groundbreaking in here, this is a nicely considered and curated selection of inspiration. Had me thinking differently about some of the spaces in my home, and gave me some new ideas and projects to work on. An enjoyable read.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a delightful little book with both sweet and practical tips on keeping a cosy home. It's a pleasure to read and would make a nice gift!

[Rachelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fun read about making your home that much better!

[Emily Guscott · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really interesting book that has lots of little hints and tips to make your living space that little more happier! Worth a read if you need that little lift from your home once in a while!

[Celine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good tips. Easy to browse through. Wish there was a bit more depth to it. Visually the pages and layout is really nice

[Marilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just might be happier and healthier now!

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing earth shattering, but a nice little book which got me thinking about some useful tweaks I can make to the house.

[Petra Kovář · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful book visually, not so good otherwise. Great for inspiration and I did use some tips while decorating my apartment, but not many. Great for re-gifting to someone who's moving.

[Linds · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great little book to learn more about how to make home a happy place!

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspiring, pretty photos. It would be fun to tackle the author's ideas by focusing on a chapter a month. I might try and do this next year.

[Jennefer Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read book which reminded me what i already know. It was not a waste of time however, as it put me back on track with the de-cluttering that had been pushed aside, the re-introduction of plants ~(I was big on them in the seventies when I produced numerous macrame hangers!) and the need to keep things simple. i am a great hoarder and a bad tidier so I need reminding on a regular basis.

[H · Rating 2 out of 5]

While on a reading binge of hygge books, I came across this one in the local library catalog. Did it have anything to do with hygge, not really. But it was filled with practical advice on how can tackle different areas in your life to be have more happiness. One of the highlights was a nice list of plants to have inside categorized by shady/sunny, etc.