Review of A Home for the Soul: A Guide for Dwelling wtih Spirit and Imagination (Hardcover)

If you are looking for lots of ideas for floor plans, design or decorating ideas, this is not the book you want.If you are looking for a book that will help you create a space that feels like "home," this book will help you think about what that means in terms of your space.

Lawlor takes an unusual approach to his subject by first examining each living area with respect to the Greek gods typically responsible for that space.Before one dismisses this as a New Age thing, study the ideas behind the activities represented by that god.It's simply his "hook" to get the reader to continue on, to think about what this space is intended to do in the routine of life.As a storyteller, I was thrilled to read of his ideas for planning one's living area, which should be a space for stories, music and social interaction.He does not ignore the ever-present television, but he does suggest planning for lively, involved social interaction, which we all crave but often lack in our busy lives.

He does give general suggestions for room layouts if you are in the planning stages of construction, and closes each chapter with his vision of the ideal layout for that living area.He suggests materials, colors, furnishings and accents for each specific area, so that if you are looking to change existing space, you'll find that, too.Anyone who places a priority on books as a major furnishing component will win me over every time, but his vision of planning for a home, not a house, has appeal as well.

Product Description
A Home for the Soul
by Anthony Lawlor

Anthony Lawlor is known as the architect who brings soul to design. His acclaimed book The Temple in the House showed how to and the sacred in architecture. Now, in A Home for the Soul, he reveals how our houses and apartments can become havens of inspiration and renewal.
"From the moment we're born, we seek to find home." Lawlor says, "Yet, despite this primal longing, our dwelling places often disappoint us." In A Home for the Soul, we discover that the depth and meaning we seek is right in front of us if we but have the eyes to see. Lawlor teaches us how to develop a consciousness about the spiritual possibilities inherent in our interior surroundings; he shows how to recognize the sacred in material form. "Each time we bathe," says Lawlor, "we not only cleanse the body,
we refresh the spirit. Each time we open our front door, we enter a universe of connection and signifcance."
Lawlor leads us on a journey through each
room of the house, opening our vision to hidden possibilities. We discover, for example, how a stove expresses the transforming power of nature, how clothes closets reveal our inner personalities, and how home offices display our talents. Lawlor shows us the mythological
and archetypal meanings within the common objects of daily life--such as a bed, a bathtub, a pair of shoes, or a loaf or bread.
The author also offers practical suggestions
for arranging or building soulful homes.
He explains how to use wood, tile, brick, and stone to express qualities of the spirit and
how to use furniture and personal objects as allies in creating meaning.

Finally, Lawlor shows us how to construct a Mandala of the Soul--a wood cabinet with compartments for housing the symbols of home that have particular personal meanings for
each reader.
In these pages, we come to understand how all the rooms we live in can form a sacred place of wholeness, a home that cares for and uplifts the totality of mind, body, and soul.



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