Terence Conran's Easy Living [Hardcover]

Terence Conran (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1999

When you cross over the threshold of your home or apartment, what is your initial reaction? Are you inclined to kick off your shoes, pour yourself a glass of wine, and sink into the sofa with the evening paper? Or are you overwhelmed by the urge to pull your hair out, burn the futon couch you've had since college, and throw something -- anything -- over your latest horticultural failure: the skeleton of a ficus that sits leafless in the corner? The first rule of creating a comfortable living space is getting rid of the headaches, and Terence Conran has all the advice you need to get started. He also lays some inspirational groundwork for decorating your home to fit your life. Conran addresses four key concepts, Elements, Comfort, Function, and Detail, in depth, providing advice on everything from space and light to the importance of adding your own personal touches.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Conran's The Essential House Book (Crown, 1994) provided an excellent overview of how to design domestic interiors. Here he gives advice on how to create a more comfortable, relaxed way of living through interior design. Throughout, he gives examples of what he considers important elements when designing for ease of living and illustrates these ideas with beautifully photographed interiors that depict a modern, clean, uncluttered style. Professional and design school libraries will find this book particularly useful for Conran's discussion of his design approach.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Easy Living" infuses far eastern concepts into western style. In the introduction, English designer and restaurateur Terence Conran says that whenever he's hired to create an interior, the first thing he suggests is piling all possessions outside the front door and considering the shell that remains...While this may sound a little wacky, his sparse interiors are breathtaking. -- Nylon magazine, June 1999

Enter well-known designer Sir Terence Conran, whose latest book, "Easy Living," offers readers uncontrived and elegant solutions for their homes. While Conran's book is clearly a decorating book, it's less about looks and more about living.

Conran uses beautiful photos and clear writing to illustrate four concepts he feels are most improtant for a comfortable home: Elements, Comfort, Function and Detail. The use of light, color and texture are key.

No doubt, the homes and furnishings in "Easy Living" are expensive, yet Conran's style doesn't intimidate. It inspires. Make your home your own; don't adopt someone else's style if it's not comfortable, he says. -- Charleston Post & Courier, June 27, 1999

Tired of how-to books, but still yearning for inspiration? "Terence Conran's Easy Living" offers up a clean-cut approach to maintaing simplicity in your surroundings. Chapters include "Sleep," which features a sumptuous bed, draped with mosquito netting, in a white room--dreamy design at its purest. -- Good Housekeeping, September 1999

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Soma Books (March 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579590454
• ISBN-13: 978-1579590451
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 9.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,863,170 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #62 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Expert Advice > Terence Conran

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pleasant and beautiful to read, October 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Terence Conran's Easy Living (Hardcover)

For a famous international interior designer, Conran has an unusually unpretentious narrative style complete with useful practical advices. The book's photographs are undeniably the focus of the book and so they should be--although Conran seems to love Corbusier, there are plenty of other styles to choose from. An upscale, yet accessible book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written, October 25, 2000

By 

secrethalo (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Terence Conran's Easy Living (Hardcover)

This book was marvelous. I enjoyed the fact that the book had no strict guidelines about decorating, just a kind of common sense approach. Now, if you are looking for step by step, (which I was) this may not be for you. But give it a try anyway. It may surprise you!

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy Living by Terry Conran, September 18, 2003

By 

Joseph S. Maresca "Dr. Joseph S. Maresca CPA,... (Bronxville, New York USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Terence Conran's Easy Living (Paperback)

Purchase this book if your objective is to get good ideas on the
subject of interior design. The author describes comfort zones
in multiple dimensions i.e. relaxation, touch, sleep and bath.
Relaxation is defined as mental breathing space. Touching
refers to how various textures of fabric evoke physical
responses. There is a section on functionality of interior
decorating. Functionality encompasses orderliness in the living
space. That is, a limited space may be utilized for storage,

shelving, hanging and containing personal objects.
The book is colorful. The artwork provides many perspectives
on how to emulate the interior designs depicted in the setting
of your own home, living or work space. This work will assist
you in optimizing the living space and making it visually
appealing.