This endlessly informative and inspiring guide to interior design shows how sensory perception is the key to creating a happy place inside your own home. What do you see, hear, and smell when you walk in your front door? Do you feel safe and relaxed? Is it too warm or too cold? As people spend increasing amounts of time in their homes, it's more important than ever to feel at peace there. Achieving that feeling of comfort can mean different things for different people but, as interior design expert Marion Hellweg shows us, there are basic principles of home design that work for every style of life and architecture. Gorgeously designed and presented, this book first explains how our sensory perception affects us and influences our wellbeing. It then follows up with lavishly illustrated sections that explore a variety of ways to optimize our sensory perceptions throughout our homes: the language of color and form; the influence of natural and artificial light; the basics of room layout; haptics and acoustics; incorporating plants and nature; optimal sleeping conditions; the importance of a healthy kitchen; common spaces and privacy; ergonomics and furniture design. There are interviews with a wide range of experts who offer deeper insights into each subject; there are links to sources; and countless practical tips and advice. Filled with visual ideas from contemporary living spaces across the world, this book shows how stimulating the senses in the right way will help make our homes as comfortable as they can be.

Around the world people are choosing to live small-whether it's downsizing from a large home or converting a van into a house on wheels. This gorgeous book looks at a variety of scenarios, taking readers across the globe and inside the doors of remarkable compact homes. Interior design expert Marion Hellweg combines her years of experience with that of inveterate style bloggers to offer practical and innovative advice on interior design; storage solutions; finding adaptable, multifunctional furniture; decluttering and organising; and, more generally, leading a mindful, eco-conscious minimalist lifestyle. Filled with mood board-type layouts that offer hundreds of great ideas, this book does more than offer an architectural survey of tiny homes-it illustrates room-by-room real world examples of how people are adopting a sustainable lifestyle that minimizes things and maximizes quality of life. Inspiring as well as practical, this book is the first step toward imagining and creating your own small happy place.