The One Day Box: A Life-Changing Love of Home by Flora Soames
Status: Completed
I had no context for this book going in – I didn’t recognize the author’s name, and the book itself has no dust jacket, where the author information and back cover copy usually reside on a hardcover. The only context I had was some of the pictures I saw flipping through it at the library, which were nice. I am interested in interior design and maximalist style as a way to balance my husband’s collecting tendencies with my desire for a beautiful home. So I checked it out. And I think I would have liked it so much better if I hadn’t actually read it and just looked at the pictures. The pictures were very pretty. But the text just smacked of wealth and upper class Britishness. Flora talks so casually about genuine antiques that probably cost more than I make in a month. Out of all the homes featured in the book, only one of them couldn’t have fit my entire last apartment in the foyer. When I found out Winston Churchill was Flora’s great-grandfather, my only thought was “this explains why this lady seems so out of touch with ordinary people’s reality.” There’s a whole chapter that’s just kinda promoting her own product line. And to top it all off, the book never actually explains what a “one day box” is (unless it just means the collection of pretty wallpaper and fabric Flora used as inspiration for her wallpaper and textile designs?). The photos are very pretty and I won’t deny that she has a good sense of interior design. But I also kinda dislike her as a person.
Trigger Warnings: Partner death, depression
Bluejay Reads 