I'm a history addict; profiles of designers, descriptions of domesticity in the past, and accounts of the objects that shape our daily lives—all these topics fascinate me to no end. These five books, all of which indulge that love of history, share a common structure: they move through the home room-by-room, unfolding the contexts of the past, uncovering the cultural value of the experiences shared within, and providing anecdotal insight about the function-specific spaces that we live in each and every day.
From the front door to the living room, from the kitchen to the dining room, and from the boudoir to the bathroom, these five books use history and function to explore the hidden layers of the places we call home.
1. If Walls Could Talk: An Intimate History of the Home by Lucy Worsley
2. The Age of Comfort: When Paris Discovered Casual and the Modern Home Began by Joan DeJean
3. At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson
4. House Thinking: A Room-by-Room Look at How we Live by Winifred Gallagher
5. Geography of Home by Akiko Busch
(Images: as credited above)
Jessica's Crafted Space
Ana Creates a Community at Home
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Z2 iPod Dock and Wi...
Catch Up With Friends: Menu for a Casual Dinner Party with Fresh Comfort Food
True Greek Recipe: Paximadi Bread Salad with Tomatoes, Feta and Capers
I read "At Home"...it was really interesting to find out the origins of rooms and how they have developed to become the rooms that we're familiar with now, and to see how they are evolving even today, with the rise of technology.
I read "At Home"...it was really interesting to find out the origins of rooms and how they have developed to become the rooms that we're familiar with now, and to see how they are evolving even today, with the rise of technology.
Ooh, I'm a sucker for history, too. I'm going to look into some of these!
House Thinking is a good read, and I got at least one practical idea that I have put into place with great success at my house. It's akin to the landing station, but involves dedicating a convenient drawer wherever you have one (I use a kitchen drawer) as somewhere to put your mail, flyers of note, commonly used household folders, etc. She points out that a lot of homes do not have any such dedicated space or storage on the main floor and the mail etc just piles up. Now I can get rid of it every day, but it's handy when I need it, and the drawer size self-limits before it can get out of control (then I sort and file away in the basement).
I also keep pens, lip balm and other those other little things one is always looking for in there.
I think I need to re-read House Thinking, ,Juliejuliette, bec. your description sounds intriguing. I read it when it came out and didn't enjoy it at all. Maybe I just wasn't in the right place.
I read At Home because I love Bill Bryson - he has a great style that's both funny and educational.
Meecee, I totally agree! Bill Bryson is a fantastic writer, and At Home (like all his other books) was just wonderful!
Bill Bryson! It makes me so happy when other people love him too. My husband surprised me with "At Home" when I was pregnant which is great because it means I don't remember any of it and I can read it again
Lucy Worsley was a guest on NPR's Fresh Air when the book first came out. Very interesting interview. Here's a link: http://www.npr.org/2012/03/13/148296032/if-walls-could-talk-a-history-of-the-home She's a curator for some of the royal residences in/near London, if i remember correctly.
Another excellent book is "Home - A Short HIstory of an Idea" by Witold Rybczynski. He's an architect who's interested in how we live in the spaces we do.