The Family Home : Relaxed, Informal Living for All Ages - Softcover

Joanna Copestick, whose other books include Color and Storage, has written a manual for making the home an accessory to family life. She takes into account the changing nature of family (which, in the 1990s, can consist of children from several marriages, grandparents, or a single parent) and home (because many are also part- or full-time offices). Copestick goes room to room and with a designer's finger points out how you can make each room suitable for your family's needs. She warns against falling for fads, instead advising you to evaluate your own preferences and incorporate them into your decorating schemes. Simple ideas for making the home hospitable to both children and parents abound: "toy storage baskets and chests can be placed to the side of a sofa or chair at night for use as a side table." Copestick's recommendations are based on the enlightened precept that "it's always better to work around your offspring than fight against the decorative limitations they impose."

You'll refer to The Family Home for many years. It'll come in handy when you have a baby around, in the midst of the preschool days, and during the awkward teenage years (when just shutting the door may be the best decorating strategy). Copestick even addresses the all-too-brief time when grandchildren and adult children gather to fill your nest. --Stefanie Durbin