Author really takes reader on a behind-the-scenes tour of HOW we live in our habitats... Conran won't just ask, what color scheme do you want, but instead makes reader think about true functionality of beds & baths and all the accoutrements. If you use this book to remodel or build, you'll be making some informed choices!Ignore the hairstyles of the models (mid 1970's) and book won't seem so dated. In fact, Europe (source of most of these designs) must have been ahead of America in the bathroom design game, because most of the fixtures seem quite current, actually.
Bedroom sections of the book are more dated, though, with a lack of variety, especially with conspicuous absence of shabby chic, country, and ethnic styles which have become popular in America.
What is really great about this book is its organization. There are informative and entertaining sections about the history of, say, the bidet or the cradle. There are sections for the design of sickrooms, rooms for convalescing, rooms for couples, rooms for teens, and so on.
Great variety...Many excellent, helpful examples and diagrams! More photos and examples than most currently available design books of the same size.
Goes one step more technical/practical than usual style books, in that there is a whole section on choosing a mattress, one on toilet seat ergonomics, one on the manufacture of carpets.
One last complaint... photos often feature poorly lit interiors. The technology in that area has definitely improved. But it's still an excellent supplement to a homeowner/remodeler/interior designer's collection of style books.