Bestselling author, Alain de Botton has written about love, travel, status and how philosophy can console us. Now, he turns his attention to one of our most intense but often hidden love affairs: with our houses and their furnishings. He asks: What makes a house truly beautiful? Why are many new houses so ugly? Why do we argue so bitterly about sofas and pictures - and can differences of taste ever be satisfactorily resolved? Will minimalism make us happier than ornaments? To answer these questions and many more, de Botton looks at buildings across the world, from medieval wooden huts to modern skyscrapers; he examines sofas and cathedrals, tea sets and office complexes, and teases out a host of often surprising philosophical insights. The "Architecture of Happiness" will take you on a beguiling tour through the history and psychology of architecture and interior design, and will forever alter your relationship with buildings. It will change the way you look at your current home - and help you make the right decisions about your next one.

阿蘭·德波頓（Alain de Botton），英倫纔子型作傢，生於1969年，畢業於劍橋大學，現住倫敦。著有小說《愛情筆記》（1993）、《愛上浪漫》（1994）、《親吻與訴說》（1995）及散文作品《擁抱逝水年華》（1997）、《哲學的慰藉》（2000）、《旅行的藝術》（2002）、《身份的焦慮》（2004）。他的作品已被譯成二十幾種文字。