Alexandar Stoddard's Tea Celebrations Book

Whether it is a formal Japanese tea ceremony, an English high tea, or simply a pot of tea and some cookies shared with friends, the act of drinking tea has long been a way for people to achieve a feeling of serenity. Now bestselling author Alexandra Stoddard explores the many ways in which a cup of tea can lift our spirits, soothe our souls and deepen our friendships.

Author Biography:

For thirty-seven years and in nineteen previous books, Alexandra Stoddard has shared her keen eye for design and sure sense of style. Now this renowned decorator and lifestyle philosopher takes readers to a new level of visual awareness, showing how to achieve the discerning eye that is the key to creating beautiful environments for living.

In Open Your Eyes, Alexandra Stoddard shows us how to see with the expertise and clarity of professional designers, creating a home that reflects our individual sense of beauty, refined to its best expression. She reveals how to use daily awareness to educate our eye, sharing examples from the masters and her own extensive training and personal experience. These visual epiphanies can happen anywhere, once we become attuned-perhaps as we set a pretty table, straighten a linen closer, stroll in a park or garden, or browse in a thrift shop.

Through Stoddard's anecdotes and a rich array of ideas, tips, and techniques, we learn hundreds of ways to see and solve problems of proportion, pattern, color, and composition through simple, pleasing changes. These may be as subtle as rearranging treasured objects on a table, altering a lamp shade, or moving a chair-but they have dramatic results: a home that is more beautiful, more comfortable, and more useful, reflecting our unique sense of life. Each day becomes a visual feast as we deepen our understanding not only of what makes something beautiful but of what makes something beautiful to us.

Filled with the warmth, encouragement, and down-to-earth solutions that have helped hundreds of thousands to seek and find their own personal style, Alexandra Stoddard's Open Your Eyes provides essential tools to elevate our understanding of what makes our house a home and transform our surroundings into personal works of art.

The bestselling author of Creating a Beautiful Home celebrates the joys of tea and the ceremony of tea time. Throughout this beautifully illustrated book, Alexandra Stoddard stresses that the most important aspect of tea is the spiritual: the centeredness, serenity, and conviviality that having tea can provide. Favorite recipes included.