HOOK

HOOK 47 home deSign reciPeS By Cathy Hobbs How one decorates one's home says a lot about a person. Walking into a home for the first 3me can truly set expecta3ons, for good or ill. Some- 3mes, the pressure to make the right impression for a first-3me homeowner can be overwhelm- ing. The en3re industry of interior design exists to alleviate these fears, but what can you do when you can't afford to hire a professional inte- rior designer to alleviate that stress? Former tel- evision news anchor turned na3onally syndicated design writer Cathy Hobbs has come up with the answer with her new book, Home Design Recipes. It is a very detailed, step-by-step, room- by-room look at interior design for the home that is easily diges3ble and full of inspira3on. The book is divided by room, star3ng outside the home and working its way through the living areas and bedrooms to reach the basement. Each chapter is filled with knowledge and ideas that anyone can use to get the most out of whatever space they call home. Hobbs does this not with lengthy blocks of text, but with top ten lists, quick checklists and re- minders, dos and don'ts, and take- away 3ps. Colorful photos demonstrate her points on every page, and no room is le# unexplored. Hobbs is a very talented and pas- sionate interior designer, and her ex- per3se shines throughout the book. This is a book that is meant to be used as needed, rather than read in one si5ng. Planning on renova3ng your backyard? Flip to the color- coded chapter on outdoor spaces to get 3ps on adding fire pits, gardens, sun protec3on, and more. Need to set up a home office? Open the book to the proper sec3on and get ideas on organiza3on, ergonomics, and greenery. Does your young son or daughter want to redo their room? Home Design Recipes has a playful chapter meant just for them. Hobbs even adds a sec3on on home staging for those looking to get the most out of their investment when it is 3me to sell. Reading between the lines, Home Design Recipes is not just about what you should do to best accent your home, but a go-to guide that helps you create an enchan3ng liv- ing space that will bring peace and joy to the occupants. It balances a crea3ve spark with prac3cal needs to ensure that the reader has all the tools they need to transform their house into the home of their dreams. into the twisted art of the mundane and fills you with unex- pected 3dbits and factoids that will make you the life of any party. Prokop has a seemingly endless curiosity that allows her to ex- plore the origins of such varied items as Bubble Wrap (created in 1957 to be a new form of wallpaper), peanut bu4er (patented in 1895 as a protein subs3tute for people who had trouble chew- ing), and 3ssues (created as Kleenex in 1924 specifically to help remove make-up). When she writes about these subjects, her prose is invi3ng and easy-to-digest, welcoming and informa3ve. She is like a good friend sharing with you the latest gossip—only what she's gossiping about is the fact that the first fire hydrant in New York City was established in 1817 right in front of a fire- man's house. The book is divided up into small, bite-sized chunks, making it easy to pick up and put down at a moment's no3ce. The prob- lem is, the content is so compelling, you soon find yourself hav- ing spent thirty minutes learning all about crossword puzzles, the hula hoop, and hypnosis. Not that this isn't 3me well spent, but it does sneak up on you and cap3vate your a4en3on in ways you were not expec3ng. I, for one, was surprised to hear that the treadmill was once used as a torture device in Bri3sh pris- ons, or that one of the first solar-powered objects was a French prin3ng press created in the 1860s, or that the smiley face icon was invented in 1963 as a morale booster for an insurance com- pany. I am now richer for this knowledge, no ma4er how trivial it may seem. In fact, that is what makes this book so successful. We, as a species, love the trivial. We o#en want to lose ourselves in the mundane and ordinary. Prokop's book is a perfect trivia buffet, a feast for the mind. In what can seem a trying and challenging world, it lightens one's mood just a bit to learn that the first electric traffic light was installed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1914, or that the woman who came up with the concept for the wind- shield wiper was laughed out of the room by almost every car manufacturer to whom she pitched her idea. The Story Behind allows us to learn about the ordinary aspects of our world in a way that keeps a smile on our faces.

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