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  • Published: 25 June 2014
  • ISBN: 9780241970058
  • Imprint: Penguin General UK
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 280
  • RRP: $27.99

The Architecture of Happiness




Highly acclaimed writer and philosopher Alain de Botton turns his attention to interior design and architecture

In The Architecture of Happiness, bestselling author Alain de Botton explores one of our most intense but often hidden love affairs: with our houses and 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 and pictures - and can differences of taste ever be satisfactorily resolved?

To answer these questions and many more, de Botton looks at buildings across the world, from medieval wooden huts to modern skyscrapers; he examines sofas and cathedrals, tea sets and office complexes, and teases out a host of often surprising philosophical insights. The Architecture of Happiness will take you on a beguiling tour through the history and psychology of architecture and interior design, and will change the way you look at your home.

  • Published: 25 June 2014
  • ISBN: 9780241970058
  • Imprint: Penguin General UK
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 280
  • RRP: $27.99

About the author

Alain de Botton

Alain de Botton was born in Zurich, Switzerland in 1969 and now lives in London. He is a writer of essayistic books that have been described as a 'philosophy of everyday life.' He's written on love, travel, architecture and literature. His books have been bestsellers in 30 countries.

 

Alain also started and helps to run a school in London called The School of Life, dedicated to a new vision of education. 

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Praise for The Architecture of Happiness

Clever, provocative and fresh as a daisy

Literary Review

Full of splendid ideas, often happily and beautifully expressed . . . an engaging and intelligent book

Independent

Genuinely thought-provoking

Time Out