Living Together: How Couples Create Design Harmony at Home

by Denis Colomb, Júlia Szabó, Erica Lennard (Photographs)

Profiles of fifteen artistic couples explore how two individuals with differing tastes achieve design harmony in a shared living space.

160 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2002

Reviews

[Cherie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. I thought, based on the title and description, that it would be more of a how-to. I was expecting examples of how couples clashed in styles, and how they overcame said clash with various strategies. This book touches on that slightly, but this is mostly just a book showing off the lavish and over-the top homes of wealthy, globe-trotting, designers. On the few occasions that styles clashed so much to cause a disagreement, the couples pretty much just solved the issue with money - either by buying new stuff, a new space, or creating something entirely new. Not exactly guide material for the average Joe.

Although the style is a bit dated now (the book was published almost 20 years ago), the photographs are nice, and there are a few good takeaways from it: There are ways to incorporate each others' style preferences regardless of how different they are, and to remember your designing a space that is a reflection of your separate lives joined together - a symbol of your love for each other.

If you're looking for a how-to guide on getting through the conflicts of combining your stuff and styles when you're about to move in together, look elsewhere. However, if you're looking for a little peek into the lifestyles of the rich and famous, with a touch of style inspiration and words of encouragement, then this fits the bill.