Purge the clutter. Outfit your home with care: The 34 essential kitchen tools. The 9 essential cleaning and fixing products. The 13, and only 13, things a bedroom needs to make it a haven of rest and privacy. Each item has been field-tested and rated for its environmental, social, and aesthetic impact. There is high-tech: the miraculous microfiber mop, the low voltage electric blanket, the truly responsive iron. And there is low-tech: the French press coffeemaker, the can opener, and the feather duster. Practical, entertaining, opinionated, Flanagan's Smart Home is a timely remedy for the age of excess. Above all, it’s necessary. Behind the bath mat, soupspoon, sofa, and lamp lies a far deeper question: how to live.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"A wonderful trip through our everyday household objects. I love the histories behind the things I live with, and Barbara Flanagan has given all of us so much more to live with. She is a master storyteller." —Michael Graves, Architect and Designer
About the Author
Barbara Flanagan is a writer and designer trained as an architect at Yale. She is the author of The Houseboat Book (Rizzoli) and has written extensively for The New York Times, as well as The New York Times Magazine, Elle Décor, Metropolis, and I.D., where she is a contributing editor. She has designed products for the MoMA Design Stores, and also designed her own tiny, high-tech house in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
Like eco-friendly? Like buying things that are built to last? Useful? Non-cluttering?
That's what drew me to this book, I'm very into decluttering and I love having things that are built to last.
For each of her picks she gives a little history, and some background into why she chose what she did. She gives a review at the end of each chapter with a price range for each item and if she has a brand name she likes she lists that too.
Ideas I liked:
Some new spins on things I'd never thought about before, and she has a few of them. For instance:
A lamp timer instead of an alarm clock. Brilliant in my eyes, alarm clocks scare me in the morning.
A pop-up mesh clothes hamper.
One that I wasn't so sure about but now seems really cool is using a salad spinner for more than just spinning salad - if you buy a good one.
And there's more, such as getting rid of non-stick pans and going to cast iron, which lasts for ever!
I like that she doesn't skimp. Buy the best that you can, but be wise in what you buy. And you know, most things really aren't that expensive. That to me is something I really enjoyed about this book.
Cons:
There wasn't anything bad, but I'd want to research some of her ideas out myself before buying. There were a couple that made me go `eh':
A saltcellar, it's like one of those things Alton Brown uses to get salt from on his show `Good Eats'. If you don't have any kids then I can see having one; personally I think they're cool. But if you do have kids I can see salt flung here and there and little dirty hands reaching into it, ick, and she really downplays salt and pepper shakers which I guess is a personal thing.... Read more ›
That's what drew me to this book, I'm very into decluttering and I love having things that are built to last.
For each of her picks she gives a little history, and some background into why she chose what she did. She gives a review at the end of each chapter with a price range for each item and if she has a brand name she likes she lists that too.
Ideas I liked:
Some new spins on things I'd never thought about before, and she has a few of them. For instance:
A lamp timer instead of an alarm clock. Brilliant in my eyes, alarm clocks scare me in the morning.
A pop-up mesh clothes hamper.
One that I wasn't so sure about but now seems really cool is using a salad spinner for more than just spinning salad - if you buy a good one.
And there's more, such as getting rid of non-stick pans and going to cast iron, which lasts for ever!
I like that she doesn't skimp. Buy the best that you can, but be wise in what you buy. And you know, most things really aren't that expensive. That to me is something I really enjoyed about this book.
Cons:
There wasn't anything bad, but I'd want to research some of her ideas out myself before buying. There were a couple that made me go `eh':
A saltcellar, it's like one of those things Alton Brown uses to get salt from on his show `Good Eats'. If you don't have any kids then I can see having one; personally I think they're cool. But if you do have kids I can see salt flung here and there and little dirty hands reaching into it, ick, and she really downplays salt and pepper shakers which I guess is a personal thing.... Read more ›
29 of 33 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
According to the author, you have too much stuff in your house.
She's referring to stuff that you really don't need for a simple, uncluttered lifestyle. In this book, she recommends 98 items that she has found essential, given her move to a smaller house.
Dump the TV
Buy a bed
Cook with iron
Instead
Lamp for waking
Mattress pad
Dump the carpet
It's bad
Toaster oven
Reading chair
Add a floor lamp
For flair
Plates for soup
Pepper mill
Fancy iron
BIG bill
Readers of this book should keep in mind that the items are recommended by a single empty-nester, so not everything would be practical for other types of households. There are some useful ideas and recommendations in here, and some interesting trivia about the history of appliances and whatnot, but in the present format it's hard to get enthusiastic about it.
The book is fairly small, and everything inside's in black and white. The information is in two-column format, and gives the impression that you're looking through a Consumer Reports yearly guide or Farmer's Almanac. The clip art is dated, and incorrect in many cases, and what could have been a humorous and somewhat useful reference book is totally wasted due to the bare bones presentation.
Take my advice
On this book
Use the library
To look
Amanda Richards, November 29, 2008
She's referring to stuff that you really don't need for a simple, uncluttered lifestyle. In this book, she recommends 98 items that she has found essential, given her move to a smaller house.
Dump the TV
Buy a bed
Cook with iron
Instead
Lamp for waking
Mattress pad
Dump the carpet
It's bad
Toaster oven
Reading chair
Add a floor lamp
For flair
Plates for soup
Pepper mill
Fancy iron
BIG bill
Readers of this book should keep in mind that the items are recommended by a single empty-nester, so not everything would be practical for other types of households. There are some useful ideas and recommendations in here, and some interesting trivia about the history of appliances and whatnot, but in the present format it's hard to get enthusiastic about it.
The book is fairly small, and everything inside's in black and white. The information is in two-column format, and gives the impression that you're looking through a Consumer Reports yearly guide or Farmer's Almanac. The clip art is dated, and incorrect in many cases, and what could have been a humorous and somewhat useful reference book is totally wasted due to the bare bones presentation.
Take my advice
On this book
Use the library
To look
Amanda Richards, November 29, 2008
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Barbara Flanagan is as practical and thoughtful as my grandmother
December 9, 2008
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
For those without a nesting instinct or men missing the part of the brain required for setting up a well organized, functional home, this book might be a God send. But, having been a homemaker for many years, I have for the most part arrived at the same conclusions as Barbara Flanagan. I love the essentials that make my home a more inviting, organized, and comfortable place to live. I have learned long ago that paying a bit more for quality is less expensive in the long run (i.e. cast iron pans vs. non-stick, for example).
Where the author and I differ lies in technology. She scoffs at digital picture frames, wishing time to stand still in hardwood frames. I can't imagine anything better than a digital picture frame, uncluttered, and containing as many photographs as your memory card can handle. I'll continue to store my most precious photographs in acid free storage boxes in the closet, while displaying only two minimalistic digital picture frames in the house that house hundreds of photographs for my enjoyment.
There are other things as well that I disagree with. I have no need for an alarm clock, my cell phone stores four alarms already and has weekend, weekday, and everyday recurring options. My Logitech 930-000054 Squeezebox Boom All-In-One Network Music Player with Integrated Speakers also stores multiple alarms and wakes me up to any song from my digital music library or Internet radio. It also puts me to sleep with relaxing classical or Celtic music with it's sleep timer.
The author also recommends vinyl over other forms of music.... Read more ›
Where the author and I differ lies in technology. She scoffs at digital picture frames, wishing time to stand still in hardwood frames. I can't imagine anything better than a digital picture frame, uncluttered, and containing as many photographs as your memory card can handle. I'll continue to store my most precious photographs in acid free storage boxes in the closet, while displaying only two minimalistic digital picture frames in the house that house hundreds of photographs for my enjoyment.
There are other things as well that I disagree with. I have no need for an alarm clock, my cell phone stores four alarms already and has weekend, weekday, and everyday recurring options. My Logitech 930-000054 Squeezebox Boom All-In-One Network Music Player with Integrated Speakers also stores multiple alarms and wakes me up to any song from my digital music library or Internet radio. It also puts me to sleep with relaxing classical or Celtic music with it's sleep timer.
The author also recommends vinyl over other forms of music.... Read more ›
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have read more de-cluttering and organizing books than I care to admit. And I always learn something new. But this book made me angry. Who is she to know whats right for everyone? I can just picture her roaming around in the dark in the middle of the night with a flashlight wrapped around her head. I can tell you. That is NOT right for me. And I am not about to give up my down comforter.
That said, after I calmed down, I realized something. She made me stop and think. There are a million options for all our (98) necessities, and that is what makes the workd a wonderful place. I believe her point is to make a thoughtful decision about the things we buy, and that "more, bigger, better" is perhaps not the best answer. More importantly, if we would stop the impulse-buy we would all be better off.
That said, after I calmed down, I realized something. She made me stop and think. There are a million options for all our (98) necessities, and that is what makes the workd a wonderful place. I believe her point is to make a thoughtful decision about the things we buy, and that "more, bigger, better" is perhaps not the best answer. More importantly, if we would stop the impulse-buy we would all be better off.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great reference book!
I found this at the local library, read it, and liked it so much that I bought a copy for myself. It tells you the best of, and least amount of, everything you need for your home. Read more
Published 17 days ago by J. Howells
4.0 out of 5 stars
A focus on quality basics
If you are fortunate enough to be able to buy the sort of (often expensive) products described in this book, AND you also somehow don't already own basic supplies that you need or... Read more
Published 5 months ago by leaf
4.0 out of 5 stars
great concept, but not all ideas are great
I bought this book because I'm in the beginning stages of purchasing everything I need for my first apartment and I want to buy items that are good quality and space efficient. Read more
Published 9 months ago by anne
5.0 out of 5 stars
Practical and Concise Advice
We recently moved from a large house to a very small house, with most of our things in storage units. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Tracy Reads Too Much
3.0 out of 5 stars
Take this book's advice with a cellar of salt
I appreciated the concept--and much of the content--of this book; but, like others, I am not convinced of its applicability. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Book dallier
5.0 out of 5 stars
delightful and thought-provoking read
I came across this book serendipitously, attracted by the title and cover. I found it in the stacks of one of the four branches in my Los Angeles Public Library rotation, and... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Jeannie Park
2.0 out of 5 stars
Slightly Ridiculous
Simply ridiculous advice!
My 600 thread count Italian percale sheets wash beautifully, and are line dried! Read more
My 600 thread count Italian percale sheets wash beautifully, and are line dried! Read more
Published on December 4, 2010 by Baazumi
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great little book filled with such practicalities!
I just had to get this book after a friend shared her copy with me. It's chock full of interesting and very practical advice, information and wise investments to make life easier. Read more
Published on September 17, 2010 by Terri L. Hagenmayer
5.0 out of 5 stars
Rethink What You Own
I loved this book. If you are longing to declutter your home and wonder what possessions to keep or discard, this book will get you sorting. Read more
Published on April 14, 2010 by Carole O'Connell
4.0 out of 5 stars
Worth Reading, But....
I'd check it out from the library rather than buying it.
I am not an architect, but I am certainly a design nerd. Read more
I am not an architect, but I am certainly a design nerd. Read more
Published on March 30, 2010 by Leta
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