Books help homeowners find domestic satisfaction

"No money is better spent than what is laid out for domestic satisfaction"

Samuel Johnson

The English author and lexicographer is quoted as having said this in 1776, a good 215 years before the TV show "Home Improvement" went on the air. This sentiment is just what the chief executives of businesses like Lowe's, Builder's Square and the J.C. Penney Home Store are banking on: That our homes are our castles, and we're willing to spend a king's ransom on them.

But where to start? We all know how dangerous it is just to walk in a home improvement store with no plan in mind and checkbook in hand. First you should plan a stop at any Springfield-Greene County Library (which, incidentally, will be moving its headquarters into a former home improvement store in October) and check out one of our many books on home design, maintenance and repair.

According to the American Association of Retired Persons, 87 percent of people would choose to spend their later years at home, in comfortable, familiar and affordable surroundings.

However, it is essential that an older person evaluate whether his or her current home will provide the desired level of safety, comfort and independence. In many cases, the necessary adaptations and alterations are surprisingly easy and inexpensive as shown in the book "Elder Design: Designing and Furnishing a Home for Your Later Years," 728.084 B.

In her room-by-room analysis of the average house, certified interior designer and gerontologist Rosemary Bakker deals with both major and minor changes, including choosing colors, furniture, flooring and room arrangements that prevent accidents.

Color, for instance, can be used to compensate for reduced vision[[In-content Ad]]