Often you see projects in books that look just too amazing to even attempt! This book truly is for beginners and I think there is something here for anyone, whatever level, to try. I think you could make all your Christmas presents from this one book…
Beautiful, beautiful books…
It is a lovely thing to own books. There is some research to suggest that there is appears to be some added bonus to not just looking at books, but actually owning them. I think this is supposed to be in terms of children learning to read, but I will take it that there is a positive to actually owning books and being about to read them, and pore over them as often as makes us happy.
All the books I am reviewing this month, are books I would love to own. They are all beautiful books, and in the month I have had them to review, I have found myself drawn to my very comfy leopard print velvet chair to read them. The wonderful thing about reference books is you can just pick them up and put them down at will. I am finding though, that my will to put them back down is not so great… I have managed to destroy the dinner more than once while reading them!
There is a lovely selection of books – and I think there will be something for just about every taste… so here we go…
Handmade Living by Lotta Jansdotter.
This book is the perfect book for those of you who love that gorgeous Danish/Scandinavian aesthetic when it come to design. It has the lovely simplicity about it that is so calming and deceptively easy. My godparents are Danish and I have fond memories of visiting them and their daughter in Copenhagen. Each time I would come away with a new appreciation for the longevity of the use of simple natural materials and colours. The book shows designer Lotta’s ‘functional, easy, organised and not overly ornate’ style. There are projects and ideas on entertaining as well and a look at her own home and studio. It is well, well worth a look. It is published by Chronicle Books and distributed by Southern Publishing. RRP is $71.99
Next up is Romantic Style by stylist Selina Lake & Sarah Norrman with Photography by Debi Teloar.
Lake is the author of one of my all time favourite books, Bazaar Style that I might have to feature next time. The book is a homage to all that is romantic and feminine with lashings of white, cabbage roses and chandeliers. Though this trend has moved on, this book captivates clever timelessness of the look. It is more than simply ‘shabby chic’ with chapters on Vintage, Elegant and Modern romantic. The chapter on colours is gorgeous with splashes of lime velvet and black walls. I do find the cover a bit misleading – and I encourage you too look past that to the gorgeous interiors inside. The publisher is Ryland Peters and Small with the distributor Southern Publishers Group. RRP is $59.99
Made at Home by Lisa Strickley.
Made At Home is just perfect for those of us who are not too gifted in the sewing skills department, but who are aching to define our homes with a more ‘homemade’ feel. There is something intensely gratifying about making something for your own home that is both practical and functional. So much the better if it is also beautiful! What I like about this ‘guide to simple sewing’ by textile designer Lisa Stickley, is its lack of perfection. Often you see projects in books that look just too amazing to even attempt! This book truly is for beginners and I think there is something here for anyone, whatever level, to try. There is a range of simple cushions to try, and even instructions of how to attempt ‘winter curtains’ that even I wouldn’t be frightened by. There are shopping bags, and aprons, tea cosies and placemats. I think you could just about make all your Christmas presents from this one book alone. The styling is deceptively simple with a lovely soft palette, but vintage-quirky with it. The publisher is Quadrille and the distributor is Southern Publishing Group. RRP is $40.99
The last book is Cheap Chic by Emily Chalmers.
I adore this book – no point in me hiding that! I love Emily Chalmers other books, and her styling, which pops up in all sorts of magazines. Her shabby, ethnic, thrown together feel is again not as easy as it first appears. You have to love the way she mixes old with new. The pieces she sometimes uses, though once fleamarket finds, are now found in much more expensive stores as her aesthetic has found its way to a more mainstream market. That said there are still wonderful ideas to be found in the book. I love the lack of ‘perfectness’ about her rooms – that thrown together feel that she does so well. She often used one of my favourite colours – the brilliant (what I would call) Danish blue – that lovely iridescent version of blue. She mixes it with white and bright textiles, and somehow makes it all work. There are still plenty of cheap ideas to be had from this book – and it really is just a joy to read. It is probably my favourite of the lot. Published by Ryland, Peters and Small, distributed by Southern Publishing Group. RRP is a very reasonable $39.99.
Review and still life photography by Anya Brighouse, 29 November 2010.
Leave a Reply