House As a Mirror of Self : Exploring the Deeper Meaning of Home

This is a book about people and their homes. It is not about architecture, or decorating styles, or real estate, but about the more subtle bonds of feeling we experience with dwellings past and present. By sharing 25 years of research, and interviews with more than 60 individuals, UC Berkeley Architecture Professor Clare Cooper Marcus reveals a groundbreaking theory of what our relationship to our home says about ourselves.
House as a Mirror of Self clearly and powerfully illustrates that, beginning in childhood, as we change and grow throughout our lives, our psychological development is punctuated not only by relationships with people, but also by close, affective ties with our physical environment.

This is a refreshing, unique, and fascinating look at how we feel about our homes, how we shape them to suit ourselves, why some homes make is feel safe and secure and at ease, and others make us paranoid and uncomfortable. This book, in my opinion, should be legally required reading for every architect, interior designer, and real estate agent. For the rest of us, it is a surprisingly interesting look at the meaning of home. Clare Cooper Marcus's extensive and detailed interviews with people living in all kinds of homes, from illegal shacks to mansions, provide eye-opening insights into what "home" is, and how to create the feeling of home for you. It's about time someone finally wrote this book!