Book Review

Home Astrology: Creating The Perfect Home For Your Star Sign, by Paul Wade, Hamlyn/Octopus Publishing Group, London, 2004

Reviewed by John Townley

It is very difficult for any accomplished, legitimate astrologer to write a book that has appeal to the Sun-sign astrology market, because most of us rightly think Sun-sign astrology is an abomination upon the profession. On the other hand, the qualities of each sign and their use in understanding the tastes and inclination of the personality are as essential to astrology as the planets, houses, and aspects. 

In Home Astrology, English astrologer Paul Wade has applied his accomplishments and legitimacy as a true professional to apply the qualities of the signs to the details of designing and decorating living spaces, and he’s done a terrific job of it. Hopefully, it’s something the uninitiated Sun-signer will coo over while the real student of astrology takes to heart all the clever applications of general sign qualities to the real needs of daily living, wherever each sign is found in the natal horoscope.

The book begins with how your natal horoscope influences your aesthetic taste, followed by a general overview of the divisions and qualities of signs and the way they relate to color, texture, and style. That sets the stage for a twelve-section formula that which Zodiacal style to the basics rooms and elements inside the house.  Each sign section includes a set of keywords and associations, but most interestingly gets down to a specific description of the ideal possibilities for each including entrance, general living areas, bedroom, bathroom, extra room, lighting, flooring, fabric, wallpaper, window treatments, art and ornamentation, plants and flowers. Styles for all the signs run the gamut from historical/traditional (our faves) to very modern (a little chilly), with lots of color pictures to give you a feeling of what it’s about.

But it’s the little touches and suggestions you might not have thought of that really make the book. We wondered, for instance, what kind of flooring would please Leo – we Leos don’t think a lot about floors (we’re above them) and maybe could use some help. Something warm underfoot was suggested, maybe terracotta (ho-hum) but also how about an embossed black leather floor! Who’d have imagined?  We recall, in a moment of youthful aberration, doing our living room walls and floor in horsehair, and we loved that -- so why not? Now our search is on to find an ebony nauga willing to give up its well-tooled hide…

The book is full of original and entertaining surprises like that, which make it well worth the purchase. The art direction and type selection of this trade paperback makes it appear a little more spare than its text or pictorial content actually are, but once you get past that, it’s full of gems, and it’s a reference work you’ll go back to and share.

Further, with the use of astrology in house decoration having already swept India and headed West (Google “vastu” to see what we mean), this may be just the leading edge of a wave of the future…