Open Your Eyes: 1,000 Simple Ways To Bring Beauty Into Your Home And Life Each Day (Harperresource Book) [Paperback]

Alexandra Stoddard (Author)

Book Description

Series: Harperresource Book | Publication Date: October 31, 2000

For nearly forty years and in numerous books, Alexandra Stoddard has shared her keen eye for design and sure sense of style. Now this renowned decorator and lifestyle philosopher teaches you hoe to see with the expertise and clarity of professional designers.

First, Alexandra helps you become more attuned to your surroundings-as you set a table, straighten out a linen closet, stroll through a garden, or browse in a thrift shop.  Then, through personal anecdotes; examples from masters; a rich array of ideas, tips, and techniques, she reveals hundreds of ways to see and solve problems or proportion, pattern, color, and composition.  Her simple suggestions-whether it's changing a lampshade, rearranging treasured objects on a table, or moving a chair-will yield dramatic results.  Filled with practical solutions offered with warmth and encouragement , Open Your Eyes helps make each day a visual feats as it deepens your understanding not only of what makes something beautiful but what makes something beautiful to you.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"Seeing well," suggests noted interior designer Stoddard (The Decoration of Houses) in her 20th book, "transforms mere existence into the art of living." The six chapters that comprise her substantive guide to creating a beautiful home environment examine such concepts as order and balance, applying them to the arrangement of everyday surroundings. Often mining personal experience, Stoddard's appealing first-person approach to making one's home a harmonious and restorative setting focuses more on aesthetics than on period furniture or flooring materials; this is as much a training manual for observing one's surroundings?and one's response to them?as it is a book of design principles. Stoddard discusses these principles?such as proportion and scale, symmetry and depth, form and composition?and demonstrates how they can be translated into the language of furnishings, window treatments and picture arranging. Despite the annoying distractions of aphorisms (from Plato, Kant and Joseph Campbell, for example) on nearly every page and Stoddard's tiresome tendency toward injunction (Become a Critic; Be Highly Opinionated), the foundation of classic interior design is clearly laid out on these pages. Photos not seen by PW. Author tour.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

The much-published interior designer Stoddard gives her view on how to design a comfortable, beautiful home. She covers the basic areas that designers consider when planning interiors: scale, balance, pattern, and composition. As she discusses each, she gives specific tips on how to look at the home and remedy troublesome areas. Although this book gives practical decorating information, there are not enough pictures to illustrate her advice, so sometimes her message gets lost. Purchase if there is a demand for her books.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (October 31, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380731444
• ISBN-13: 978-0380731442
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,269,321 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

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A true teaching book, July 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Open Your Eyes: 1,000 Simple Ways To Bring Beauty Into Your Home And Life Each Day (Hardcover)

I borrowed this book from the library, and having finished it, I'm now going to buy it so I can keep referring to it. This is the first "decorating" book among the many I've read that really explained decorating/design principles rather than beguiling me with photos (although I liked her photos, too, especially the attic retreat). I was interested to read another reviewer's comment that Ms. Stoddard was talking down to her readers. Several years ago I thought that too when I read "Creating a Beautiful Home." I remember feeling resentful and thinking, "Oh, sure, if you have money..." In this book, however, I came to understand that she's not dwelling on what you spend on things but rather things you can do to enhance your daily life that don't depend on money. I particularly appreciated the exercises Ms. Stoddard gave and her anecdotes about her own teacher. And her explanation of the Golden Mean is the clearest I've ever read.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A pleasant experience, December 1, 1999

By 

Giselle Ferreira - See all my reviews

This review is from: Open Your Eyes: 1,000 Simple Ways To Bring Beauty Into Your Home And Life Each Day (Hardcover)

I really like the way Mrs.Stoddard writes, very clear, simple and full of delightful details for the readers to understand what she means. You don't have to have a lot of money to live a beautiful life, just commonsense, beauty thoughts and a will to truly express yourself in your everyday life. This book, like all the others that I've read written by her, were a delight to read and a very good guide for those who want to improve their day-to-day life, paying more attention to minor details that really make a difference. Congratulations, Mrs.Stoddard, on your words, your thoughts shared with us, the way you put the words, tha quotations that you use as examples, the presentation of the books.I'm a big fan of yours and if I have the opportunity one day, I'll attend one of your lectures. Thank you for sharing your ideas with all of us.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A very disappointed Stoddard reader, January 16, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Open Your Eyes: 1,000 Simple Ways To Bring Beauty Into Your Home And Life Each Day (Hardcover)

I would have to say that this book was a disappointment in the extreme. Most of the ideas are old, tried, and true - there is nothing new in here, and her constant "name dropping" becomes quite annoying.

If you REALLY want a wonderful book... try Stoddard's "Living A Beautiful Life". It is much more worthwhile.