The Architecture of Happiness" is Alain de Botton's exploration of the hidden links between buildings & our well being. Bestselling author Alain de Botton has written about love travel status & how philosophy can console us. Now he turns his attention to one of our most intense but often hidden love affairs: with our houses & their furnishings. He asks: What makes a house truly beautiful? Why are many new houses so ugly? Why do we argue so bitterly about sofas & pictures
- & can differences of taste ever be satisfactorily resolved? Will minimalism make us happier than ornaments? To answer these questions & many more de Botton looks at buildings across the world from medieval wooden huts to modern skyscrapers; he examines sofas & cathedrals tea sets & office complexes & teases out a host of often surprising philosophical insights. " The Architecture of Happiness" will take you on a beguiling tour through the history & psychology of architecture & interior design & will forever alter your relationship with buildings. It will change the way you look at your current home
- & help you make the right decisions about your next one. " Engaging & intelligent.. .full of splendid ideas happily & beautifully expressed". (" Independent"). Alain de Botton was born in 1969 & is the author of non-fiction essays on themes ranging from love & travel to architecture & philosophy. His bestselling books include " Essays in Love"; " The Romantic Movement"; " Kiss & Tell"; " Status Anxiety"; " How Proust Can Change Your Life"; " The Pleasures & Sorrows of Work"; " The Art of Travel"; " The Architecture of Happiness" & " Religion for Atheists". He lives in London & founded The School of Life & Living Architecture."