A Short History of an Idea.
Our need for domestic well-being is deeply-rooted, and home is the unique phenomenon that answers that yearning. Witold Rybczynski takes a close and entertaining look at the place we all know, and which is such an elusive mixture of house and household, dwelling and refuge.
Using vivid historical examples to conjure lifestyles as distant as the Dutch domesticity of Vermeer and the aristocratic excess of Versailles, 'Home' takes us on a journey, inviting us to visit the houses of people throughout time and across the world. Modernity is here too, in all its electrical, gas-heated, vacuum-cleaning glory, but there is also recognition of the desire for personal touches and individual comfort that resists the logical progression towards efficient minimalism.
You'll see how social and cultural changes influenced style of decoration and furnishing, learn the connection between wall-hung religious tapestries and wall-to-wall carpeting, discover how some of our most welcome luxuries were born of architectural necessity and much more. Most of all, 'Home' opens a rare window into our private lives - and how we really want to live.
