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Review
'Quirky ... as much a celebration of the inhabitants as their homes' --Time Out
'A refreshing reminder of Francis Bacon's edict that 'Houses are built to live in and not to look at...' --Sainsbury's Magazine
'These are not 'inspirational' homes in the showy sense - but the philosophy behind them should inspire us' --The Guardian
'An interiors book to make you smile ... a refreshing reminder that people, not things, are what make a home' --The Times
'A wake-up call to all of us over-obsessed with decluttering'
--Fabric
'An anarchic new book of interiors ... this is a book that smiles on the souvenir tea tray and the brimming laundry basket, the courduroy armchair, fridge magnets and the wiry mess of the home office' --The Independent on Sunday
'Sticks two fingers up to the style dictators'
--Design Week
'A refreshing reminder of Francis Bacon's edict that 'Houses are built to live in and not to look at...' --Sainsbury's Magazine
'These are not 'inspirational' homes in the showy sense - but the philosophy behind them should inspire us' --The Guardian
'An interiors book to make you smile ... a refreshing reminder that people, not things, are what make a home' --The Times
'A wake-up call to all of us over-obsessed with decluttering'
--Fabric
'An anarchic new book of interiors ... this is a book that smiles on the souvenir tea tray and the brimming laundry basket, the courduroy armchair, fridge magnets and the wiry mess of the home office' --The Independent on Sunday
'Sticks two fingers up to the style dictators'
--Design Week
Product Description
The antistyle bible for those who ignore makeover culture, Living Normally is an interiors book with a difference. Fifteen inhabitants of ordinary homes are given the chance to air their views on life at home today and to have the world come for a cuppa at their place. The results are a snapshot of Britain today and a refreshing reminder that a home should be a place to escape to; to feel happy in; and to live in. This affectionately photographed look at our everyday homes is a celebration of nice people, the modern family and our need to surround ourselves with memories and the curious ephemera of daily existence. Meet Evelyn, the lady who came from St Vincent and stayed because she loves the snow. Share some time with Ivy, whose house is full of memories of her children and her beloved Albert, the spoon-playing policeman whom she recently lost. Enjoy these and all the others in this charming evocation of simple existence.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A wonderful refreshing book portraying homes as they really are, not the perfection which is presented in all the other interior books and magazines.
Trevor Naylor's narrative is light, easy and honest as he sees homes as places where life should be lived and not places where you're afraid to plonk yourself on the sofa.
Niki Medlik's photography is clear and almost 3 dimensional and it's inspirational to know she didn't try and re-arrange her scenes to create a different story than what was in front of her.
Hats off to Thames & Hudson for publishing a book which is a window to how we really live.
Trevor Naylor's narrative is light, easy and honest as he sees homes as places where life should be lived and not places where you're afraid to plonk yourself on the sofa.
Niki Medlik's photography is clear and almost 3 dimensional and it's inspirational to know she didn't try and re-arrange her scenes to create a different story than what was in front of her.
Hats off to Thames & Hudson for publishing a book which is a window to how we really live.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
An interesting idea: the interiors book for the rest of us. The stylish have had it their way long enough, least in Britain, where there are plenty of style magazines and TV programmes about interior makeovers. The British houses photographed for this book are probably very typical of how many people live.
Look through the photos and you'll see plenty of organised clutter because there is too little space in the average house, basements (in the American sense) are unheard of, and garages didn't exist in most pre-sixties houses build for ordinary folk. Interior style seems to depend on lots of space and not too much to go in it, the opposite of the families in the book who would rather be comfortable than stylish. Trevor Naylor's heart-warming text confirms this.
What let the book down for me was the average photography and bland design. There are too many pages with badly cropped images frequently made worse by have several butted together. Six pages near the beginning use this format and I think it weakens every photo. If more thought had been given to the book's design and especially the trimming of the photos it would have given all the pages a lift. Magnum photographer Martin Parr did a similar booked called 'Signs of the Times' (ISBN 0948797910) which I think was much more successful in putting the same idea across.
Living Normally reveals how folks live in their homes. To see how they live outside have a look at 'Welcome to Britain' (ISBN 0755314476) or 'Is Britain Great?' (ISBN 0955025818) two wonderful offbeat celebrations of real life.
***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.
Look through the photos and you'll see plenty of organised clutter because there is too little space in the average house, basements (in the American sense) are unheard of, and garages didn't exist in most pre-sixties houses build for ordinary folk. Interior style seems to depend on lots of space and not too much to go in it, the opposite of the families in the book who would rather be comfortable than stylish. Trevor Naylor's heart-warming text confirms this.
What let the book down for me was the average photography and bland design. There are too many pages with badly cropped images frequently made worse by have several butted together. Six pages near the beginning use this format and I think it weakens every photo. If more thought had been given to the book's design and especially the trimming of the photos it would have given all the pages a lift. Magnum photographer Martin Parr did a similar booked called 'Signs of the Times' (ISBN 0948797910) which I think was much more successful in putting the same idea across.
Living Normally reveals how folks live in their homes. To see how they live outside have a look at 'Welcome to Britain' (ISBN 0755314476) or 'Is Britain Great?' (ISBN 0955025818) two wonderful offbeat celebrations of real life.
***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.
Format:Paperback
a lovely and likable book, the book i want to buy everyone for Christmas. Having being inadvertantly caught in the headlights of visual design and culture in the past, this book affirms the kind of design sobriety i have been enjoying of late.
The writing is kind and warm and makes me want to ring the doorbell of everyone in the book so i can pop in for a natter, feeling relieved that no one is really worrying too much about the state of their tea-towels.
This book gets a big smiley from me for it's attitude towards both its subjects and readers. and i do like the photos. they're really quite nice.
The writing is kind and warm and makes me want to ring the doorbell of everyone in the book so i can pop in for a natter, feeling relieved that no one is really worrying too much about the state of their tea-towels.
This book gets a big smiley from me for it's attitude towards both its subjects and readers. and i do like the photos. they're really quite nice.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Why, oh, why was this book ever published?
What happened at Thames and Hudson when they allowed this collection of trash to be printed? Please, oh please, tell us why? Read more
Published on 4 Jan 2008 by B.Friendly
A Terrible Warning!
This book depicts the sheer horror of what happens when people don't care about the appearance of their domestic surroundings. Read more
Published on 31 May 2007 by Miranda
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