The Age of Comfort
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7 reviews
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
The Philosophy of Furniture
12 Dec 2009
Format:Hardcover
An excellent overview of a pivotal moment in the history of Western design, too often passed over and taken for granted as simply a change of 'style.' DeJean traces the evolving philosophy of design, which erupted into high modernism in the 20th century, by discussing the changing ideas of the home and how one should live in it. From this, we learn of a new idea of architecture, one that focuses on function, i.e., meeting the needs of its users, rather than merely impressing its viewers. The chapters provide an enormous wealth of material on the origins of much of what we hardly notice today, the "furniture of our everyday lives." Couches, sofas, easy chairs, toilets, night tables, mantels, mirrors - the full range of bric-a-brac and essential items is discussed: the evolution of the decorating "musts" and the formation of modern taste is described. Fascinating!
10 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Paging an editor
5 Nov 2009
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book has some great material. Unfortunately it seems to have been put hastily together from a series of lecture notes. No one bothered to give it chronological coherence, to eliminate repetitions or even to check the spelling (Mme de Pomadour????)
7 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Who is the audience?
3 Oct 2010
Format:Hardcover
It is true that this book contains a tremendous amount of material, but it is extremely repetitive and, to some extent, limited. The author's constant references to Madame de Pompadouor and Monsieur Crousat leave the impression that these two individuals constitute the sole basis for most of her observations. I also wonder who the readership is supposed to be. If it is an academic public, I find the author's style tawdry - expressions like she "got away with murder" when referring to the excesses of Louis XIV's granddaughter are out of place. If, on the other hand, the author is aiming at a more general public, the book is overly detailed and, ultimately, boring. There was no need to write separate chapters on each different piece of furniture; combining them into a cohesive whole would have been much more interesting. But doing that would have required thoughtful editing which is totally lacking here. Finally, the last chapter on the body is superficial and leaves the impression that the author did not know how to end her study. As noted, throughout the book she (or her editor) allow the same thing to be said over and over again, for example the great actress who is described the same way at least ten times. This book was very disappointing. As another reviewer has noted, it is a collection of lecture notes carelessly cobbled together and not checked. I would recommend that you save your money and buy something else.
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