The Stress Free Home: Beautiful Interiors for Serenity and Harmonious Living [Hardcover]

Jackie Craven (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 3, 2003

Over the past few years, home improvement has come to mean more than fixing leaky taps, updating kitchens and painting the walls. It is about creating a feeling as much as a "look" - and this title speaks directly to that need. In addition to defining the major sources of stress and providing tips and tricks for reducing stress in your life, such as massage, meditation, aromatherapy and music therapy, it shows how to create home environments that are oases for the body, mind and sprit. The volume showcases: beautiful living rooms that welcome you to unwind in splendour after a long day out in the world; well-equipped home offices that encourage creativity and productivity; garden-inspired retreat rooms that call upon the power of plants - and all that lovely oxygen - to rejuvenate the body and refresh the soul; delicious dining rooms where good food, good friends and good conversation flourish; elegant master bedrooms that promote a good night's sleep; and playrooms that bring out the kid in you. The guide provides tips on using colour and light to enhance harmony and also includes helpful sidebars for everything from reducing noise pollution to stress-free housekeeping to serenity-building exercises.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jackie Craven is an old-house renovator and a widely published writer who specializes in architecture and home design. She writes for the home-improvement column, �The Fix,� for House & Garden magazine and has also written numerous features for prominent newspapers nationwide. She lives in New York City.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Quarry Books (September 3, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592530028
• ISBN-13: 978-1592530021
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,692,984 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Relaxing Bliss of Your Own Home, November 4, 2004

By 

Patricia Robak (New England, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Stress Free Home: Beautiful Interiors for Serenity and Harmonious Living (Hardcover)

This beautifully-designed book immediately reveals twin pleasures: Jackie Craven's calm, intelligent, informative text, and high-quality photographic imagery of the most harmonious and inviting interiors I've ever seen.

If you aren't totally inspired to simplify, beautify, and personalize your domestic space by the time you glide through the first nine chapters - covering the timeless wisdom of many cultures plus comfort, health, balance, and the gratifying sensual experiences of color, scent, sound, and texture - then you certainly will be after Chapter 10, "Deeper Meanings." Here, the author acknowledges our greatest emotional stressors: "Excess Responsibility", "Insecurity and Worry", "Frustration", "Conflict", "Loss", and "New Beginnings." She expresses an empathetic understanding of the impact of each of these, and offers easy and useful suggestions for improving your personal environment to encourage a soothing and healing atmosphere.

A tranquilizer between two covers, this is a lovely and restorative book which reminds us that our potential to create a peaceful and mindful life begins at home.