Perfectly Kept House is the Sign of A Misspent Life How to live creatively with collections, clutter, work, kids, pets, art, etc... and stop worrying about everything being perfectly in its place.

Inspired by an inscription on the doormat of the author's childhood home in Virginia, a 17th century farmhouse--"A Perfectly Kept House is the Sign of a Misspent Life"--this book is a celebration of living imperfectly with the things we love. The thing that we value most--children, pets, collections, hobbies and obsessions--are not always easy to live with and this book shows ushow to do so creatively and happily. The book is divided into case studies of other tastemakers who have inspired Carter (photographers, textile designers, fashion designers, writers, artists): "Living with Pets"; "Living with Children"; "Living with Work"; "Living with Obsession"; "Living with Hobbies"; "Living with Collections"; "Living with Memory" with longer texts by Carter on such key topics as Housekeeping; Clutter; Floors; Kitchen Tables; Letting the Light In; The Unmade Bed; The Purposeless Room, etc imparting her philosophies, as well as her useful tips for living creatively and not just messily. Beautifully written and lavishly illustrated with beautiful photographs of 8 different houses, as well as historical images that have inspired Carter, from Pablo Picasso and Alexander Calder's very cluttered studios to Vanessa Bell's Bloomsbury home, this book is a good read with inspiring and liberating messages on housekeeping and decorating

Mary Randolph Carter is an author, photographer, designer, and longtime creative director for Ralph Lauren. She is the author of For the Love of Old and the Junk series of books.