Creating the Artful Home: the Aesthetic Movement and Its Influence on Home Decor covers the history of a movement that emphasized "art for art's sake"-and the influence it had on home decor. The Aesthetic Movement in America lasted just a few decades (1870-1900), and served mainly as a bridge between the high Victorian sensibility and the radical shift to the Arts & Crafts style. The movement germinated among artists who used opulent color, decorative patterning, and lavish materials simply for the aesthetic effects they could evoke. It was commonly held that a home that expressed an artful, harmonious soul would instill high aesthetic and moral merit in its inhabitants. The Aesthetic Movement in America helped to popularize the idea that everyone should be able to enjoy beautiful, well-made homes and furnishings-not just the very wealthy. Artful homes could be composed from brilliant antique store finds, discriminating department store purchases, and gems hand-made by the ladies of the house. It was the moment when people embraced the idea that only a beautiful home could be a happy home. Karen Zukowski delves into the movement's establishment, evolution, and main characters, and shows how today's homes can incorporate Aesthetic principles: Through suggestion rather than statement, sensuality, massive use of symbols, and synaesthetic effects-that is, correspondence between words, colors and music. How influential designers such as Clarence Cook and Charles Eastlake popularized the idea that beautiful homes with tasteful furnishings could be available to practically everyone How today's designers, manufacturers, and retailers deploy the very same stylistic markers of the Aesthetic Movement: rich color, layered pattern and texture, mixtures of historical motifs

Artist, designer, and tastemaker Young’s first book celebrating his homes and showcasing his distinct design aesthetic, with its emphasis on serene and modern classicism. Young has built a strong following both for his fine art and his beautiful homes. In his first book, he invites readers into his world, answering their most-asked questions: “How do I create a uniquely beautiful home?” and “How can I be creative in the approach to my home’s look?” The book is arranged by the five guiding principles Young lives by: palette, texture, form, layers, and nostalgia. Whether creating a painting, designing a room, styling a vignette, or entertaining family and friends, these elements are essential to his work. The book shows readers how Young uses these concepts in his decorating, detailing his philosophy and overall creative approach as an artist and designer, and how they, too, can lean on them to curate beautiful environments. Rich with new, serenely stunning images of his townhouse in DC and his never-before-seen country house in Virginia, Sycamore House, the book also features beautiful images of Young’s portraiture, collages, and abstracts, as well as flower arrangements, textiles, and ceramics. Ultimately, this book will inspire readers to establish their own point of view and translate it across any creative project they pursue, to create a life that is artful, beautiful, and unique.

Arts and crafts were one of the very first therapies employed by occupational therapists. Today, crafts are still employed as effective interventions for clients with mental health disorders, physical dysfunctions, cognitive issues, and sensory concerns in hospitals, outpatient clinics, veterans’ centers, schools, skilled nursing facilities, or community settings. Step by step, the authors show you how to use a wide-range of novel, and highly engaging crafts. They explain how to connect the key tasks associated with an activity to functional outcomes, and how to modify them to meet the specific needs of individual patients. They also address the issues of documentation, and reimbursement.