House Design

Mini Farming describes a holistic approach to small-area farming that will show you how to produce 85 percent of an average family's food on just a quarter acre - and earn $10,000 in cash annually while spending less than half the time that an ordinary job would require.

When Christine Platt set out on her journey to live with less, she never intended to become The Afrominimalist. She just wanted to tame the chaos in her closet! But after struggling with the austerity and whiteness of mainstream minimalism, Christine realized why minimalism often seems unattainable for so many: the emphasis on all-white, barren aesthetics distracts from the practice of living with intention. And so, she decided to do things her way by curating a life of less influenced by the African diaspora.

In this wide-ranging, character-driven audiobook, science-journalist Emily Anthes takes us on an adventure into the buildings in which we spend our days, exploring the profound and sometimes unexpected ways that they shape our lives. Drawing on cutting-edge research, she probes the painkilling power of a well-placed window and examines how the right office layout can expand our social networks.

A visionary carpenter shares meditations on work, creativity, and design, revealing powerful lessons on building a meaningful life through his experience constructing some of New York’s most iconic spaces.

Using the latest evidence and research in wellbeing and Biophilic Design, learn how to transform every space in your home to create a restorative and nurturing environment. Discover the many benefits of connecting to nature, maximising natural light, improving air quality, and the right way to add colour, texture, and pattern to create spaces that improve relaxation, recuperation, social connections, and sleep.

You want a warm, cozy, inviting home, without using more resources, money, and stuff than needed. Why use more if you don't have to? In Cozy Minimalist Home, accidental stylist and best-selling author Myquillyn Smith guides you step by step on making purposeful design decisions for your home. You'll have the tools to transform your home starting with what you already have and using just enough of the right furniture and decor to create a home you're proud of in a way that honors your personal priorities, budget, and style. No more fretting when it comes to decorating your house!

Most institutions unknowingly train employees, or teach students using an outdated approach that relies on a punishment-reward system that doesn’t work. (Hint: You’re probably using it right now). This faulty approach squanders of potential, creates negative feedback loops, and leaves many with the false assumption that they aren’t “smart”. The good news? We don’t have to make that mistake anymore. Scientists have found that people are chemically and structurally hardwired to enjoy learning. It’s in our DNA.

Versace. The very name conjures up images of outrageous glamour and bold sexuality, opulence and daring. All of course true, but only half the story. Versace is also the legacy of a great creative genius from a poor, backward part of southern Italy who transformed the fashion world through his intuitive understanding of both women and how a changing culture influenced the way they wanted to dress. House of Versace shows how Gianni Versace, with his flamboyant sister Donatella at his side, combined his virtuosic talent and extraordinary ambition to help create celebrity culture.

Building a new house requires a lot of foresight—things will go wrong and the plan will most likely find itself derailed at one point or another. Although this is in many ways a natural occurrence, it doesn't have to be in any way catastrophic. With the right plan in place and a detailed map of how to progress through the entire process, no matter the curveballs you encounter, you’ll be able to seamlessly get back into the flow of things. It’s one thing to have the skills, but it’s another thing entirely to be able to apply them in a way that produces results.

"Bird Cloud” is the name Annie Proulx gave to 640 acres of Wyoming wetlands and prairie and 400-foot cliffs plunging down to the North Platte River. On the day she first visited, a cloud in the shape of a bird hung in the evening sky. Proulx also saw pelicans, bald eagles, golden eagles, great blue herons, ravens, scores of bluebirds, harriers, kestrels, elk, deer and a dozen antelope

Tiny houses on wheels are glamorous and solve a lot of problems for people, but actually building one is a different story entirely. Maybe you've spent a lot of time researching and planning, but you're not quite sure you are ready. Or perhaps you are having a tiny house built for you but don't know what your builder will really do or how to communicate with them. Whatever your situation, this audiobook will arm you with construction knowledge in simple terms.

Invited to stage a Mystery Night for the annual antebellum house tour of the Historical Preservation Society of Chastain, South Carolina, Annie Laurance instead finds herself the leading lady in a flesh-and blood drama. The play's the thing when the curtain falls on grande dame Corinne Webster. While jeweled fingers point, accusing Annie of murder, the perpetrator lurks among the cast and the murder weapon is one of the props. Now it will take all of her sleuthing skills to discover the real killer.

One day, the prizewinning poet George Bradley happened to take note of a carpet that had lain beneath his feet for decades. Carefully studying its weave and pattern, he was astonished by its complexity and allure. He became suddenly fascinated, and his newfound curiosity about oriental rugs sent him on a thrilling adventure, introducing him to a little-known realm in which beauty, artistry, business, and history collide. Carpet Diem chronicles Bradley’s exploration of the world of oriental carpets.

How do the French create the elusive and alluring sanctuaries they call home? This question long intrigued Danielle Postel-Vinay. Thanks to a chance encounter with a French expat in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and years of immersive research, she embarked on a quest to discover the secrets of the French home aesthetic. Experiencing first-hand la belle vie - the beautiful life - Postel-Vinay now shows everyone how to create their own French sanctuary, a home sweet maison, no matter where they live.

Everyone wants a home that is beautiful and clutter-free. But most of us are unsure how to get there without breaking the bank. Popular interior designer Shannon Acheson takes the guesswork out of creating a lovely home. Home Made Lovely is a mindset: Decorating should be about those who live there, rather than making your home into a magazine-worthy spread.

In this mesmerizing memoir-in-essays, New York Times best-selling author Erica Bauermeister renovates a trash-filled house in eccentric Port Townsend, Washington, and in the process takes listeners on a journey to discover the ways our spaces subliminally affect us. A personal, accessible, and literary exploration of the psychology of architecture, this book is designed for homeowners, remodelers, and those who are simply curious about how our built environments shape who we become.

In this fascinating and illuminating work, Leonard Mlodinow guides us through the critical eras and events in the development of science, all of which, he demonstrates, were propelled forward by humankind's collective struggle to know. From the birth of reasoning and culture to the formation of the studies of physics, chemistry, biology, and modern-day quantum physics, we come to see that much of our progress can be attributed to simple questions - why? how? - bravely asked.

The creator of the popular cleaning website Clean Mama and author of Clean Mama’s Guide to a Healthy Home shows you how to establish systems and rituals to transform your home into a clean, organized, and comfortable space for you and your family.

Are you ready to avoid bad decisions, advice, and repairs? If you are a homeowner that wants to learn how to avoid making bad decisions when properly repairing your crawl space, this is the book for you. Most homeowners are unaware of the role the crawl space has on indoor air quality. Many look for quick cheap fixes that can make the problems worse and are a complete waste of time and money.

Your home is probably your largest monthly expense and ultimately you want it to become an asset, perhaps to pass on to your kids when you’re gone. Why then do homeowners put so little value in the people they hire to work on their homes? If you own an expensive car, you’re not likely to take it to the cheapest garage you can find. If you want a nice smile, you seek out an expensive, private dentist to give you that smile. No one goes to a cheap plastic surgeon or a cheap tattoo artist. Going to court? “Better find myself the cheapest lawyer I can” – said no one ever.