What makes a home "beautiful"? Why do people differ so much in their preferences and tastes? Can buildings make us happy?

In "The Architecture of Happiness," Alain de Botton tackles a relationship that lies at the center of our lives. Our buildings - and the objects with which we fill them - affect us more than we think. Walls, streets, courtyards, and rooftops have feelings. And architecture shows that each of us is different, that space radically influences us.

According to Alain de Botton, architecture reveals who we could be in "ideal conditions." By turning the spotlight from a humble single-family home to some of the world’s most renowned buildings, de Botton examines how private residences and public structures - from those of Andrea Palladio to those of Le Corbusier and Norman Foster - influence the way we feel and think, as well as how architects could work to enhance our possibilities in the pursuit of happiness.

"The Architecture of Happiness" is a journey into the philosophy and psychology of architecture. And it could forever change the way we think about our homes, our city - and ourselves.