Why It's Important to Take Your Pleasure Seriously

Of all the phrases associated with mid-century design, few have stayed with us like take your pleasure seriously. The maxim is widely attributed to Charles Eames, who with his wife and creative partner Ray Eames shaped some of the most loved furniture, films and exhibitions of the twentieth century. It sounds almost like a contradiction, yet the more you think about it, the more sense it makes.

As January draws to a close and resolutions start to wobble, we thought it was the perfect moment to explore what it means and why it deserves a place in the way we live at home.

What does take your pleasure seriously mean?

It is easy to misread the phrase as permission to be lazy, but that is not really the point. For the Eameses, work and play were never separate. They were known for their delight in toys, circuses, kites and everyday objects, and they brought that same curiosity to the rigorous business of designing chairs and making films.

Taking your pleasure seriously, then, means giving the things you love proper attention and time. It is about choosing joy deliberately rather than squeezing it into whatever is left over after everything else.

Pleasure is not the reward at the end of a busy life; it is part of the reason for living one.

Is there a take your pleasure seriously book?

Readers sometimes ask us whether there is a take your pleasure seriously book. The phrase has appeared in many places over the years, on prints, posters and in writing about the Eameses, but its fame comes from Charles Eames himself rather than from any one title. If you want to understand the thinking behind it, the best route is to read and watch more about Charles and Ray Eames and their work.

Small pleasures at home

The beauty of this idea is how well it translates to everyday life. You do not need grand gestures; you need attention. A few ways we try to put it into practice:

• Make the morning coffee a ritual. Use a cup you love, sit down to drink it, and share it when you can, as in our photo.
• Keep favourite things on show. Objects that make you smile deserve shelf space, not a box in the loft.
• Cook for the joy of it. Bake something simple on a weekend, like our easy almond cake, purely because you want to.
• Create a reading corner. A good chair, a lamp and a small table are all it takes.
• Protect your free time. Treat a slow Sunday as an appointment rather than an afterthought.

Designing a home for pleasure

The Eameses' own house in California was famously full of collected objects, plants and treasures from their travels. It was a working home, but also a joyful one. That balance is something we come back to often.

When you are planning a room, ask not only how it will function but how it will make you feel. Choose the paint colour that lifts you, not the one you think you should choose. Hang the print that makes you laugh. Put the comfortable chair where the light is best. Our January Cure posts are all about clearing space for exactly this kind of thinking.

Pleasure as a practice

Like any good habit, taking your pleasure seriously gets easier with practice. Start small. Notice what genuinely delights you over the next week, whether that is a particular walk, a song, a meal or a conversation, and make a little more room for it. Then do the same the following week.

It is a gentle philosophy, but a powerful one. In a world that often rewards being busy, choosing to value enjoyment is quietly radical. And as the Eameses showed, a life that takes pleasure seriously can also be a life of remarkable work.

So pour the good coffee, use the nice plates and say yes to the things that make you happy. That, we think, is reason enough to take your pleasure seriously.

Questions readers ask

Who said take your pleasure seriously?

The maxim is widely attributed to the American designer Charles Eames, who worked with his wife and creative partner Ray Eames.

Is there a take your pleasure seriously book?

The phrase is best known as a Charles Eames maxim rather than the title of a single famous book. It appears on prints, posters and in writing about the Eameses.

How can I take my pleasure seriously at home?

Give everyday joys real attention: turn morning coffee into a ritual, keep favourite objects on show, protect slow weekends and design rooms around how they make you feel.