Customer Reviews

Rescue from Domestic Perfection: The Not-So Secrets of Balancing Life and Style

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For a habitual HGTV watcher like myself, Dan Ho is a bit of a shock. He advocates against painting your walls red and lining up all your pictures, just so, above the sofa. Personally he minimized his possessions, moved into a smaller space and says we all work too hard trying to be in style.

His book tells us how to let go of the idea that possessions lead to perfection. I'd think we would all realize by now that having-it-all leads instead to messiness. If you own a book on clutter or getting organized, then you know what I'm talking about.

I haven't seen his new show yet, but after having my eyes opened by his book, I want to hear more from this man. He says we just need to relax and tap into who we really are and that's style.

While I found the concept Dan is selling--"gai" as true style--refreshing and compelling, I was puzzled by several sections in the book where he spent much time/effort/space trying to tell his readers what they should or should not be doing in order to have authentic style...my understanding of his philosophy was that we should do what resonates for us, yet he felt compelled to make sure that we understood that kitchen canisters (among other things) are terrible things that are not "gai." While I agree that buying something just because it is "in style" is not the way to be authentically stylish, it does not mean that any one product can't be part of a person's authentic style if they have a personal motivation behind using it.

Bottom line--if you are looking for an alternative to the "style" magazines and TV shows that will help you make your house a home and your life more authentic, check out this book, but remember to absorb the spirit of what he is saying, ignore the declarations about various items, and make up your own mind about what is "gai" for you.

Dan Ho breathes new life into the style/decorating/DIY/self help genre. He pumps you up, giving readers permission to enjoy the important things in life, rather than waste valuable time creating the perfect craft room or hunting down useless kitchen gadgets at culinary boutiques. I appreciate his positive, no nonsense approach and value his humourous, helpful insights!

You go Gai!

Dan Ho gives a whole different perspective on simplifying your life. I found his suggestions insightful and easy to implement. The book is colorful, simple and entertaining to read. Believe me, you will not get bored reading it!

Oh, Dan Ho, you make me laugh... In one section you tell me to stick to my own ethnicity in the kitchen (rather limiting for those of us not from awesome islands!), and get take-out for everything else (also limiting for those of us not in big cities!)... and THEN you tell me to make friends with my plumber so that I can borrow his blowtorch the next time I want to make creme brulee.

You so silly!

It looks like this book's price has gone down, like maybe it bombed. Oh well. You're still cool, man. I'd like to make some creme brulee with you.

Aside from Ho's interesting history, this book offers a lot of sound and logical advice. He makes you think and reflect on why you use time and energy to transfer that rice already bundled in a beautiful and user-friendly package into glass jars that match the rest of the glass jars in the pantry. I have to admit he makes sense...unless you have this innate insatiable need to match everything and have your kitchen look like the candy store downtown.

On the other hand, Ho's sound and logical advice is lost due to his holier-than-thou opiniated nuances that exude throughout the book. It's like if you do not conform to his school of thoughts, you have no "gai" and having no "gai" has been put across as the 8th deadly sin. That's off-putting, considering the useful subject content of this book.

I bought this book in a bargain bin, but it's one of my favorite finds. Ho's philosophy goes against the grain of the American Style of living. Those who have professionally designed homes, matching photo frames, and designer knick-knacks may take offense to Ho's declaration that style is basically what you love, what doesn't cost an arm and a leg, what is not purchased with the intention of impressing others, and what is useful (not a direct quote, just what I took from the book.)

Because of this book I watched his cable show, and learned a lot about minimizing my closets, making better use of space, and letting go of my need to have a "perfect" home. My home is a lot more functional now, I have less belongings, and I'm happier walking in the door. This place is a lot less cluttered and a lot more 'me', and this book is what started it.

This is a book for those looking for a different way. Design for rebels. I loved it.

I loved this book so much I lent it out and haven't seen it in a long time will have to get another copy!

The title of this book should be something like, "Only I am qualified to tell you what constitutes good taste."