Will I love Home?

Home discusses the complex series of factors that have generated the house as we understand it today. The chapters can be read independently as discussions on, for example, the evolution of comfort or the organisation of the different spaces. However, the book also builds into a fascinating argument for revisiting some of the pre-modern ideas of communal living, shared spaces, and live-work relationships. 

The author’s examination of the houses, apartments, and environments in which we live begins in the Middle Ages and pushes us toward the future. While loosely chronologically based, the author has fun creating chapters that are more theme-based: Nostalgia, Intimacy & Privacy, Ease, Efficiency, Austerity, Comfort, and so forth. I was particularly captivated by his take on privacy (there wasn’t much of that in days gone by, comfort (not much of that either), and light and fresh air (guess what? A pronounced absence of that too).) There’s an eye-opener on every page. Point to ponder: In the Middle Ages,… show more.