Fancy a little change? This week on the blog we’re sharing our top interior design books that help you find your style with the changing of the seasons. But for today, we have this little gem from the fabulous Megan Morton.
Monday Inspo
Tag Archives: #Interiordesign
Styling your home in time for Christmas
It is fast becoming that time of year when friends and families start piling into our homes laden with goodies and treats to share and we frantically tidy the house (and pretend it always looks this good) and decorate it with baubles, fake snow (for those of us in the Southern Hemisphere) and tinsel galore. We’ve noticed that Christmas decorating can certainly divide people…some people like to go all out (especially our children), and others like to rein it in and prefer to celebrate this crazy season with just a ‘touch’ of festive cheer.
So we have scoured the literary world and have found some fabulously inspiring books that can help you style your home in a variety of ways that will both wow guests and also keep your home beautiful long after the festive season…(psst, they make terrific Chrissie pressies too).
The Scandinavian Home by Niki Brantmark
Scandinavia is famous for its distinctive style: homes are pared-back and simple, and form and function are combined to create aesthetically pleasing and practical interiors. Scandinavians are inspired by light, having an abundance of it in summer but so little of it in winter, and house designs tend to maximise the amount of natural light that enters the home, and allow the inhabitants to make the most of outdoor life during the summer. Similarly, nature and the weather are major influences: homes are made warm and cosy for the freezing winter months – not just literally with log burners, but also through incorporating wood and natural materials. Here Niki Brantmark, owner of the interior design blog My Scandinavian Home, presents a wide-ranging collection of these beautiful homes and explores how the Scandinavian lifestyle is reflected in them all.
How to Decorate by Farrow & Ball
Set to become the bible of home decoration, Farrow & Ball How to Decorate provides a highly practical and inspirational guide to the successful use of paint and paper in any home, large or small, urban or country. Published on the 70th anniversary of the founding of the iconic brand, the book brings together the expertise of Joa Studholme and Farrow & Ball’s creative team to demystify the nitty-gritty of transforming a home – from deciding which colours work best in a north-facing room to creating accents with paint and making the most of a feature wall.
Decorate for a Party by Holly Becker
Decorate for a Party is a stunning sourcebook packed with decorating tips and techniques that will ignite your creativity. Whether you are planning a significant celebration or a simple dinner with friends, this book delivers creative ideas for every occasion. All aspects of party planning are covered, from lighting to playlists, hostess gifts, colours and patterns, food ideas, wall decor ideas, DIY projects and hundreds of fun tips that will make your party memorable. With over 200 practical ideas including ten step-by-step projects, ten playlists and ten 6 Ways projects, Decorate for a Party is split into ten sections by theme covering a range of different colour palettes and styles, from bright to moody tones, forest and children’s parties and beautiful boho and modern styles. All themes can be mixed and matched to use for a wide variety of occasions in homes of any size from the sprawling country home to a one-room city apartment. Decorate for a Party encourages you to make the most of what you have, to make things by hand and modify store-bought party supplies, and to infuse your party with personality and style. You’ll find hundreds of quick and beautiful ways to create a party that is meaningful, memorable, budget-friendly and fun!
The New Bohemian’s Handbook by Justina Blakeney
The New Bohoemian’s Handbook guides readers in beautifully simple techniques for adding good vibes, and style to living spaces. Packed with hundreds of ideas for bringing positive energy to your home, the book features exercises and activities for thinking about rooms in new ways. With Justina’s expert guidance, learn how to rearrange, paint, prop, and plant your way to a home that’s fresh and inspiring. Uncover your “spirit environment” and learn how to use colour and scent to enhance mood, productivity, and relaxation. Revel in Justina’s encouraging advice, (“you got this!”) and easily and affordably turn any dwelling into a personal sanctuary.
It’s Beautiful Here by Megan Morton
Interior fulfilment can be fleeting. Linen cupboards crash from a ten to a two in a blink and couch cushions need to be eternally fluffed. It’s Beautiful Here attempts to capture the moments of domestic paradise without making the mistake of thinking they are permanent, but hoping hard they might be. With her trademark wit and enthusiasm Megan Morton let’s us peek into the abodes of the people who have by luck, chance or determination nailed that ever elusive interiors je na sais quoi. From Paris to New York and even Adelaide, we meet a motley crew of renters, Barbie Dreamhouse owners and accidental interior heroes and learn that a beautiful home doesn’t rest on great design alone it’s shaped by the people who live there.
Simple Decorating by Melissa Michaels
If you want to jump-start your style and refresh your home without needing power tools and a winning lottery ticket, make Simple Decorating your go-to resource for can-do decor. Spark your makeover momentum with 50 no-fuss tips and discover how to get unstuck by embracing a style that is your very own, transform your spaces with simple colour, window treatments, and furniture choices, Whether you start with one tip or take these on as a challenge for the month, it’s never been more fun (or possible) to create a home you can’t wait to come home to.
Enjoy!
How to style a bookshelf like a Pro
I don’t know about you but my bookshelves are packed from top to bottom with books. There isn’t a plan with regards to how books can be showcased and the space ends up looking more like an eyesore than an appealing area to enjoy in your home. For this blog I have called in the big guns in the form of the wonderful blogs Spark & Chemistry and Tidbits and Wine who step you through the process. Design Sponge also provide some inspiration in the forms of homes that ‘get it right’ when it comes to styling some of your most loved books and possessions. If you are wanting to add some beautiful items to your bookshelf, we recommend The Designstuff Group.
Image from Spark & Chemistry.
- When it comes to styling your bookshelves, it’s best to start with the shelves and find ways to improve the look of them. This might be papering the back of them with interesting paper, painting them or converting free-standing bookshelves to built-ins. Once the bare bones look the best that they can, it’s time to start adding to them.
- Start considering what you want to place in the shelves. Aim for large items and start diagonally – the could be stacks of books placed horizontally, large items such as vases or other types of memorabilia. If you start putting an item on the top left, the next larger-sized item should be placed in the bottom right to ‘balance’ the shelves.
- Consider the colour palette of the shelves. Tidbits and Wine recommend selecting main and highlight colours. The below image features a mainly blue and white bookshelf with highlight colours of gold, red and green. The shelf looks balanced as the colours remain consistent throughout the shelf and in the room.
Once you have placed your large items, start placing your medium-sized items and then your smallest items.- For smaller items, you might consider grouping them in two’s or three’s to give them greater impact – this works well if the items are of a similar colour or style. If you are finding it challenging to style books that have different coloured jackets, consider removing the jackets or turning them around so that you can see the pages. This also gives you a nice textural element to the display.
- You might consider grouping books according to their colour. Brightly coloured books look fantastic styled this way.
Image from Tidbits and Wine
7. Consider adding sculptural elements such as candlesticks, interesting bowls or statues that provide a focal point for the bookshelves.
Voila! You’re now styling your bookshelf like a pro! If you would like some more tips on home decor and interiors, here are some books that may help.
For more bookish inspiration, follow us on Pinterest.
Coffee Table books your best friend will love
The beauty of coffee table books is that you can showcase your style no matter what your passion is: whether it be travel, shoes, fashion, interior design, antiques or art. They make a beautiful and personal gift and stunning accessory to your home.
Here are 5 Coffee table books that would be perfect gifts for your best friend, no matter their taste:
Icons of Vintage Fashion: Definitive Designer Classics at Auction 1900-2000 by Penelope Blanckaert
Examines fashion from the twentieth century through auction sale listings, providing the estimate and amount the item was sold at, with profiles on designers and styles.
The Shoe Book by Nancy MacDonnell
For centuries shoes have served as a form of expression that communicates to the world who we are or who we want to be. Following on the heels of the success of The T-Shirt Book, The Leather Book, The Bikini Book, and The Trench Book from Assouline’s Anthology Collection, The Shoe Book explores the history and technologies that have shaped the designs and styles that continue to evolve.
In the Spirit of Beverly Hills by Nancie Clare
Assouline began with an idea and a belief: the first, a notion that beauty, perfected, has meaning that is capable of transforming our lives; and the second, that a book–artfully crafted and highly considered in its visual content–can open our eyes and minds. With our first book, La Colombe d’Or, we sought to convey the experience of a small hotel in the south of France, a tiny, sublime world of art, history, luxury, and inspiration unto itself.
The Big Book of the Hamptons by Assouline
Celebrates the mystique and romance of the iconic and extravagant neighborhood of the Hamptons, exploring the architecture and gardens of the area’s opulent mansions.
The Sartorialist by Scott Schuman
Scott Schuman just wanted to take photographs of people on the street who looked great. This book is an anthology of Scott’s favourite shots from around the world. It includes photographs of well-known fashion figures as well as those shots of the anonymous passerby whose imagination and taste delight the viewer.
So you want to be an…..Interior Designer
Feel you have a knack of creating beautiful spaces or just looking for some inspiration? Here is a collection of 5 beautiful books to scratch that itch:
An Eye for Design by Allegra Hicks
This work examines textile, interior, and fashion designer Hicks’ approach to design and luxury. The book retraces the genesis of her patterns over the past decades of her work.
The Language of Interior Design by Alexa Hampton
The daughter of a celebrated White House decorator draws on early memories of watching her father and studying art to counsel readers on how to understand design by observing four basic principles, sharing lavish photographs of 18 homes that represent a variety of styles.
A La Carte: The Elements of an elegant home by Sherrill Canet
Choose your style then let Canet guide you through the steps of decorating every room in the house – from the front hall to the master bedroom.
Island Style by India Hicks
India Hicks: Island Style invites readers into the charming world of Hibiscus Hill. Timeless and under-decorated, her designs combine carefree island culture with British colonial form and formality.
Things I love by Megan Morton
A fun, inspiring and practical guide to loveable interiors. In Things I Love, interiors stylist extraordinaire and author of Home Love Megan Morton inspires by example, sharing her infectious enthusiasm for the houses, people and design she loves.
