Customer Reviews

Home-Psych: The Social Psychology of Home and Decoration

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This look at the way people's houses reflect themselves
and their relationships with others is a wonderful hybrid
of scholarship and popularization. Kron writes for
magazines, but her insights come from anthropology,
sociology and psychology -- and she's got a wonderful
sense of humor. If you've ever wondered about roped off
living rooms, guest towels which are never used
or cheap soap in an expensively sybaritic shower, this is
the book for you. It's a deceptively easy and pleasant read,
the anecdotes so nicely illustrating her points that I
reread it every couple years.

Ever wonder why you try so hard to have . . . or not have . . . your parents' decorating style? Why you feel compelled to place a velvet Elvis in your Ethan Allen dining room? Why you use red as a neutral, or prefer square lamps over curved ones? I wasn't looking for answers to such weighty questions because it had not dawned on me that decor was more than eye candy. I stumbled on the book in the library thirty years ago and purchased an old copy recently. I felt that this intelligent book gave me an important insight into how I furnish my home and the messages I send in my public space and the messages I express in my intimate space. I thought it was a very good book that reaches beyond its era of publication. I found it a good companion book to John Molloy's Dress for Success and/or Live for Success.

This book elaborates on all of the psychological aspects of why we decorate our home. It discusses both our need for beauty, our desire for social standing, the pressure to keep up with our social peers, and our cravings for homes beyond our financial means. Home-Psych is incredibly easy to read, written more like an anecdotal tale than an in-depth study. This, to me, is also the reason why it's not a keeper. While a wonderful read the first time through, once read the information is well-retained. There aren't sub-plots, complex nuances, or much missed substance to glean on the second read-thru. In short, I highly recommend obtaining and reading this book the first time... and then passing it on to someone new.