The Making of Home

The Making of Home traces the evolution of domestic life and spaces from the 1500s to the present day. Through detailed research spanning multiple countries and centuries, Judith Flanders examines how houses transformed into homes. The book moves through various aspects of home life, from furniture and floor plans to cooking methods and cleaning practices. Flanders draws on sources including paintings, diaries, letters, and household inventories to reconstruct the realities of domestic spaces across time. The narrative tracks major shifts in how people lived - changes in technology, social structures, and cultural values that reshaped home environments. The focus remains primarily on Northern Europe and North America, exploring both rural and urban domestic settings. This social history reveals how deeply our modern concept of "home" is rooted in relatively recent cultural developments. The work challenges assumptions about domestic life while illuminating the complex forces that created our contemporary understanding of home and comfort.

Readers describe the book as dense with historical details and facts about how homes evolved, particularly in Northern Europe and America. Many appreciate the thorough research and inclusion of primary sources like diaries and inventories. Readers liked: - Clear connections between home development and social changes - Exploration of everyday domestic objects' origins - Debunking of common misconceptions about historical homes Readers disliked: - Writing can be dry and academic - Too much focus on Britain/Netherlands while neglecting other regions - Occasional repetition of points - Limited discussion of non-Western homes One reader noted: "The amount of research is impressive but it reads like a doctoral thesis at times." Ratings: Goodreads: 3.7/5 (416 ratings) Amazon: 4.2/5 (89 ratings) Most critical reviews mention the book's academic tone and narrow geographic focus, while positive reviews highlight the depth of research and fresh perspectives on domestic history.

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🏠 Before the 1800s, most Europeans didn't have separate bedrooms - people slept wherever they could find space, including on dining tables and floors 📖 The word "comfort" originally meant spiritual or emotional support - it only began to refer to physical ease and coziness in the 18th century 🪑 The practice of arranging furniture against walls didn't become common until the late 1800s - previously, furniture was brought out only when needed and then stored away 🏺 Indoor plumbing was initially viewed with suspicion and resistance - many wealthy Europeans preferred their existing system of servants carrying water rather than installing pipes 🎨 Author Judith Flanders is also a successful crime fiction novelist who writes under the pen name J.F. Riordan, in addition to being a renowned social historian