We take many things for granted in our homes. As the new year approaches, I've been able to catch up on some reading and was able to go through Joan DeJean's fascinating book The Age of Comfort: When Paris Discovered Casual -- And the Modern Home Began. DeJean traces the layout of our homes back to 17th Century France with the first sofas on record.

Imagine life without a sofa! Well, can you imagine what life was like when the first ones came into the home? The sofa completely changed the way families lived and turned everything we know about interior space upside down. The sofa single-handedly

• brought comfort and casualness into the home

• introduced the first piece of furniture designed to accommodate two people

• contributed to an awakening of conversation between people in a room

• invited courtship, wooing, and seduction between couples

This time in France saw an amazing revolution in the way people live, with architects, the first interior designers, stylish trendsetters, and two royal mistresses (the Marquise de Maintenon and the Marquise de Pompadour) leading the charge. This era also saw the introduction of bathrooms (tubs with hot water and the flush toilet), living rooms, convenience furniture, home heating, and private bedrooms!

Fascinating Snippets from The Age of Comfort

The private bedroom acquired its distinctive personality between 1710 and 1730. Gone were the balustrades and columns. As visible proof of the room's new mission, the bed was tucked away in a cozy niche or nook (literally a recessed portion of the room)

I admire interior designer Alessandra Branca, author of the lovely new book New Classic Interiors. She has homes in Rome, Chicago, and New York (perhaps others I haven't yet counted!), and her new book liberally shares her creative vision with the world. I find that generosity refreshing in our industry.

What's Alessandra's New Book All About?

When your grandfather is a Vatican Museum art historian and you've grown up in Rome surrounded by the greatest classical art and architecture, you're fated for a wonderful life in design. Alessandra Branca's book celebrates the classic while infusing it with everyday purpose. Her interiors are comfortable, elegant, and witty -- and her book gives a lot of inspiration for homeowners and folks in the design profession. Here are a few tips and observations that we loved.

The Money Times

It's easy and convenient to shop furniture and accessories from a catalog or catalog outlet stores like Crate & Barrel, Restoration Hardware, Pottery Barn, Design Within Reach, Pier 1, Anthropologie, Williams Sonoma Home, and even the big box stores like Target, K-mart, or Wal-Mart. Here's my advice on how to wisely get the best home decorating look by "shopping around."

Remember that catalog stores are highly staged. You're going to see vignettes that are psychologically appealing to buyers. But don't be fooled -- most vignettes will look sterile if you transport them whole cloth into your home. You don't want your interiors to look like everything you own was purchased from one of these stores.

I had a recent visit to Pottery Barn, and based on this trip, here are a few tips:

1. When I go into a catalog store, I look for