Living a Beautiful Life: 500 Ways to Add Elegance, Order, Beauty and Joy to Every Day of Your Life [Hardcover]

Alexandra Stoddard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 20, 1996

Eating. Sleeping. Bathing. Chores. These are the things we do every day, yet few of us stop to consider how we perform the routines that occupy 95 percent of our lives: in chaos or serenity, with irritation or with joy.

Here, in one elegant, copious and forever rereadable book, Alexandra Stoddard shows how to live a more beautiful, more ordered life, every single day. Drawing on the wisdom of Emerson, Samuel Johnson, Rilke and many others and warmed by Alexandra Stoddard's personal anecdotes, this book deals with life both philosophically and practically -- from discovering the sources of your well-being to buying the right stationery or sheets; from using solitude to replenish your spirit to using fabrics, ribbon, paper and your own five senses to transform your daily life.

Living a Beautiful Life demonstrates how to use the ordinary in extraordinary ways, suggesting hundreds of techniques for turning dull, irritating routines into life-enhancing rituals; hundreds of simple ways to transform your days -- or your bedroom, kitchen, bathroom and desk -- into delights of beauty and efficiency. There's a marvelous trick for locating the perfect psychological spot for your bed, a quick way to use "remembrance of things past" to choose color schemes that suit you, suggestions for how to turn a fifteen-minute lunch break into a restorative experience. And throughout, Alexandra Stoddard shows how taking care of "the little things" can ultimately add up to a change in the big things.

Most of all, Living a Beautiful Life reveals how a beautiful life can be achieved; how daily motions become truly satisfying patterns of pleasure; and how these patterns of pleasure can add up to a life lived deeply and well, transforming even the most cluttered and hectic existence.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Interior designer Stoddard (Style for Living, etc.t believes that "only by paying careful attention to the simple details of daily tasks and to our immediate surroundings can we live vitally and beautifully all the days of our lives." Her syrupy, repetitious prescription for gaining control over life and uplifting the ordinary into restorative events is mostly commonsensical: i.e., making morning lists, using perfumed stationery, special china and bedding, finger bowls, massages, fresh produce, good lighting. But some readers will balk at bathing with citrus fruit slices, opening mail with a silver George III meat skewer or making the inside of the refrigerator "a feast for the eye" with flowers, and may be at a loss as to where they can purchase a "Fragrance on the Line" plastic disc of pure extract of perfume for insertion into a telephone mouthpiece. Unimaginative drawings are included. First serial to McCall's; BOMC alternate.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Stoddard, interior decorator, author, and expert on beauty and design, now has numerous suggestions for making every day a special day. Inspiration for creative and colorful living is not only limited to ideas for the kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom. Each of the six chapters ends with "grace notes" which are yet more ideas to make some of the small things in one's life enjoyable, whether it be letterwriting, weeding a garden, entertaining, or doing something special for a homebound person. As in her other two titles, Style for Living ( LJ 7/74) and A Child's Place ( LJ 9/15/77), individuality and personality are highly regarded. Recommended for public libraries. Mary Ann Wasick, West Allis P.L . , Wis.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Random House; Gift edition (August 20, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679456236
• ISBN-13: 978-0679456230
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #327,365 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Author of 27 books, Alexandra Stoddard is sought after as a speaker on the art of living the good life. She has inspired millions of listeners and readers with such books as Things I Want My Daughters to Know, Choosing Happiness, You Are Your Choices, and Time Alive. A mother and grandmother herself, she lives in Stonington Village, Connecticut, with her husband, Peter Brown.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very enlightening and fun read!, May 8, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Living a Beautiful Life: 500 Ways to Add Elegance, Order, Beauty and Joy to Every Day of Your Life (Hardcover)

I felt obligated to post my review because, as cheesy as it may sound, Alexandra Stoddard's book, Living A Beautiful Life, actually changed my life -- for the better. I'll agree that all of the Grace Notes are not for everyone -- they are merely suggestions. Neither do I try and do everything that she recommends. But she did succeed at getting me to look at life and its daily routine in a different way. She's also introduced me to wonderful authors, such as Madeleine L'Engle. Alexandra's writing has helped me to live a more beautiful life "in the moment" by appreciating every blessing and using every moment to add more beauty to it. Now I try and celebrate every little aspect of life, if possible, by not keeping anything mundane. My life greatly reflects my passion for life and I am now more aware of the beauty involved in simple existence. Alexandra has written other great books (which have helped me tremendously) on relationships, family, interior decorating, the lost art of letter writing, etc. Remember, it's all about what works for you. I'm currently collecting Alexandra's books and highly recommend them all. Alexandra, thank you very much. By sharing your passion, you give a wonderful gift. :)

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THIS BOOK HAS BEEN A BLESSING TO ME!, May 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Living a Beautiful Life: 500 Ways to Add Elegance, Order, Beauty and Joy to Every Day of Your Life (Hardcover)

This book is full of ideas on how to make every day life more enjoyable. It is not a recipe to be followed exactly, but it certainly caused me to think about how I do things. Suddenly, tidying up the house wasn't such an ordeal, and I wasn't so quick to do a sloppy job at my daily tasks. I highly recommend this book to any lady who would like to enhance her life.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Alexandra out-Marthas Martha, July 22, 2000

By 

I. Gross Georg "imgeorg" (Edmond, Oklahoma USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Living a Beautiful Life: 500 Ways to Add Elegance, Order, Beauty and Joy to Every Day of Your Life (Hardcover)

I bought this book years ago when the cover was different, and it cost only $12.95 in paperback, and I still use it for ideas, although some of them are a little off-the wall or even impractical for me. It's the kind of book where there is a culture clash with some of the things she suggests: "Put strawberries in a bowl and leave two, with stems on, on the table next to the bowl.." Why? Or "Put eggs in an old wire basket." Well, I'm afraid they won't last too long like that, and with the organic eggs I buy costing over $2,00 a dozen, it's the height of impracticality for me. Then there's "Make lobster, avocado, and wild rice salad for a picnic." Two problems: a) tell me how, and b) maybe this is no problem for a New Yorker or Connecticut resident, but for a landlocked Oklahoman that's a mighty pricey picnic! Statements like these make her seem very Martha Stewart, like she's from another world. Certainly not mine, anyway.Still, there are many, many parts of her book where she makes perfect sense, such as buying in season, and that people buy too much food, and taking the television out of the bedroom is a great idea I've completely taken to heart! So to sum up, this book that gives you food for thought, if you don't choke on some of the grace notes!