The Emotional House: How Redesigning Your Home Can Change Your Life [Paperback]

Dawn Ritchie (Author), Kathryn L. Robyn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 2005

What do you really want from your home? Your home is a reflection of you: Getting to know yourself is a great way to discover how your home should look and function—emotionally as was as practically. More than just a place to live, an emotionally designed home can nurture your spirit, calm your emotional roller coasters, and empower you to make needed changes in your life.

This book offers easy, step-by-step ways to find your own personal style, tame your house’s unruly hotspots, and create a beautiful, feeling, and functional home. Once you work through this book—whether it’s to create more love in the bedroom, more warmth in the family room, or simply a place for relaxation and renewal—your home will help you thrive personally and prepare you for the coming attractions in your life.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book unlocks the door on home design, giving you the keys to creating a home that lifts your spirits and agrees with your lifestyle."
--Candice Olsen, one of North America's top designers and host of Divine Design on HGTV

"Everyone wants to have their dream kitchen and home. Finally her is the guide on what to do and how to do it successfully. I wish I had had this book when I was redesigning my own!"
--Joanne Weir, chef, cookbook writer, and star of KQED's Weir Cooking in the City

About the Author

Kathryn L. Robyn is the author of Spiritual Housecleaning. She has led transformational workshops and facilitated support groups for over twenty years. She is trained in Reiki, a method of energy healing, and has worked with organizations such as Child Help USA, the Alcoholism Center for Women, and Alive and Well, Inc. Her support groups for artists and adult survivors of child abuse and her popular workshops help individuals transform defeating habits, reframe personal obstacles, and repair trauma and spirit-related injuries. She offers workshops and personal consultations for those wishing to create a more supportive, nurturing, and inspiring home.

Product Details

• Paperback: 213 pages
• Publisher: New Harbinger Publications, Inc (April 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572244089
• ISBN-13: 978-1572244085
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #482,773 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It Changed My Life!, May 19, 2005

By 

Cynthia T. Paulson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Emotional House: How Redesigning Your Home Can Change Your Life (Paperback)

I tried the exercises in the book and for the first time in my life I have a great color scheme in my house! I did three rooms and love them all! The colors work with my furniture and friends have even commented on it. One room we never used and now we are in there all the time. It is warm and cozy and you feel good in there. Guess that is what the authors meant by color therapy!"

46 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A LIGHT BULB MOMENT BOOK, September 17, 2005

By 

dee (Toronto, ON CANADA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Emotional House: How Redesigning Your Home Can Change Your Life (Paperback)

The Emotional House is no ordinary design book. Doing the exercises inside will set off a series of light bulb moments for anyone who tries them. This book offers amazing action plans and goal-setting exercises that go way beyond designing. There are plenty of good design techniques too (I really enjoyed the colour therapy and personal style exercises) but it was learning about the emotional functions of rooms that was the real eye-opener. I finally understood some of the issues in my home and fixed them.

Some other reviewer mentioned something or other about altars instead of focal points(?). I don't remember anything like that and I read this book cover to cover. Focal points were discussed throughout as a way to anchor the emotional function of the room (according to Amazon's Search Inside This Book option, focal points appear on 15 different pages). Perhaps that reviewer mixed this book up with another? From my perspective, The Emotional House is well worth the read.

I'd sum it up as: the road to a great life starts in the home, so fix your place up!

41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I really enjoyed this book..., August 18, 2005

By 

cybra "cybra" (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Emotional House: How Redesigning Your Home Can Change Your Life (Paperback)

After reading and looking through many different style books and interior design advice books, I found that I was confused about how to pull different ideas, doodads and furniture I already have together. Ms. Robyn has a gentle and clear writing style and a way of helping the reader to assess HOW enjoyable one's house is and WHY a room is, or isn't, working. A brief example... do you have a formal style but live casually? There is going to be a clash that will create tension. This book is structured aroound some very basic rules, that will help any style you choose to work well.