Benham Sonya Lee - Pretty Prudent Home: Your Ultimate Guide to Creating a Beautiful Family Home

Published in 2015 by Stewart, Tabori & Chang
An imprint of ABRAMS

Text copyright 2015 Jacinda Boneau and Jaime Morrison Curtis
Photographs copyright Ainsley / Carlisle, unless otherwise noted on .
Illustrations 2015 Sonya Lee Benham

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014942989
ISBN: 978-1-61769-154-6
eISBN: 978-1-68335-539-7

Editor: Rebecca Kaplan
Designer: Sarah Gifford
Production Manager: True Sims

The text of this book was composed in Fournier, Balance, and Bryant.

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195 Broadway, New York, NY 10007
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We dedicate this book to our families, our readers, and everyone who ever tried something new, even if it seemed hard, crazy, or impossible. This book is for the wondrous, the adventurous, and the stay-up-all-night-attempturous; for the cuddlers, the creators, the lovers, and the makers.

Economy, prudence, and a simple life are the sure masters of need, and will often accomplish that which their opposites, with a fortune at hand, will fail to do.
CLARA BARTON

WHAT IS A PRUDENT HOME?

A prudent home is lovingly handmade with attention to detail and care for the future. It is a family place that is beautiful, comfortable, and functional: rich in everything that matters.

Prudence, as an ideal, is about more than the simple pinching of pennies. Its a way of living in which we consciously invest ourselves wisely toward future returns. When it comes to shaping our homes, families, and lives, we cant help but contribute more than just money. We invest our time, sweat, attention, and love. And while the returns we generate dont come in the form of dividends, they are the most meaningful rewards, both tangible and immeasurable.

When we devote ourselves to designing our family homes and creating household occasions, we believe that what were really doing is building our ideal life itself, bit by bit, stitch by stitch, and moment by moment. For the prudent, a do-it-yourself project is not only a means to an end. The time spent creating is a meditation, and the final result is a reflection of who we believe ourselves to be and a contemplation of the family we think we can become. We are the creators of our own prudent worlds. We are not just making things, we are making memories.

You live in a place. Maybe its a house you own, maybe its an apartment you rent, maybe its a loft or a tent or a tree house. To you (and to us, if you would just invite us over already), it feels like home. Your family is with you, your routine is established, and all is well in the world. You have everything that you need. Your life is good; its actually so good that when you stop to think about it, you cant help but feel grateful for everything that you have. Its all so fortuitous, and you are so fortunate. We agree.

Still, sometimes, you think about home improvements or redecorating or making stuffbecause it looks like fun, and you need a hobby, and you think your kids might benefit from a new desk on which to do their homework (so why not make them the perfect desk in their favorite shade of aqua?). Its just a seed of an idea that spills out while searching and pinning in your off-hours, borne of your desire to make actual things and your unspoken, but ever-present, desire to make everything even better for your family in every way possible. But how do you start on that path? And once you open that door, how do you avoid getting swallowed up by all the things you might want and narrow your focus to the things you can really do?

Were here to help. To begin, we suggest you first take a step back and paint a personal picture of your prudent home. Find practical points and inspirational exercises to focus your planning, and have some fun figuring out where house design and home life intersect in your heart.

Its so fun to sneak a peek inside the homes of people who inspire youreal people who have given great thought to the elegance and function of their family living spaces. Weve gathered some of our favorites here. Ranging from sleek modern spaces to cozy antique-filled abodes, these intriguing homes exemplify the principles of prudent decorating.

See FINDING YOUR STYLE quiz on to discover your own style profile.

CHRISTINE & STEVEN VISNEAU
Christine and Steven Visneau are the owners of V EE C ARAVAN , a shop for unique, organized living (veecaravan.bigcartel.com). Shes a stylist and hes a fashion photographer, and together they share a cozy mid-century-inspired home in Dallas, Texas, with their two young daughters. Creative and eclectic choices in dcor mix with everyday necessities presented in a clean and organized way to make their home a comfortable and inspiring space to raise a family in style.
MODERNIST + ECLECTIC ENTHUSIAST