Five of the best new must-read home interiors books
Sink into a soft chair, wrapped in a cosy blanket, a pot of coffee on the side and a good book to inspire seasonal decorations, spring projects and playing house. Here are five to put in your letter to Santa.
Hot glue gun to the ready: brings out the inner crafter with nothing complicated requiring a special trip to the craft shop.
With nostalgia trending, Myers offers an alternative for the minimally-minded who want seasonal feels with the simple Scandinavian look using things found at home.
Think thread bobbins as tree decorations, plant pots with notional Christmas trees made from torn-up paper, and gouged-out apples as tealight holders.
Instructions are easy to follow for both adults and children, helped by Caroline Arber’s lush photography.
- Published by CICO Books (€14.89); photography by Caroline Arber © CICO Books
Do you know your diptych from your triptych?
Buying art used to be regarded as the preserve of people with bulging wallets and an art consultant on retainer, but the digital world has made it more democratic, with achingly cool art galleries now competing with online platforms selling art affordably and increasing numbers of artists posting their work directly on social media.
Rachel Loos’ untangles art-world terminology for the uninitiated, discussing style and budget whether your taste is large-scale art or photography and posters.
- Published by Ryland Peters & Small (€28.65); photography © Ryland Peters & Small
California-based, English-born interior designer Kathryn M Ireland’s client roster is impressive, including the likes of Arianna Huffington, Caroline Kennedy and Steve Martin.
Taking us through three decades of projects, anecdotes and design finds, she manages to avoid the monotony of detailing her work chronologically, instead taking us zig-zagging across the Atlantic over the years.
Client projects from London’s Kensington to Cape Cod, along with properties she’s bought and worked on fill the pages, illustrating her style and its slow evolution.
At times it feels like she’s name-dropping: Steve Martin asked her to find him a house as well as decorate it (see page 52 for the story), but it’s simply that her professional life revolves around A-listers which makes the book and its interiors voyeurism enticing.
- Published by CICO Books (€45.84); photography by Tim Beddow and James Merrell
Gardeners, floral arrangers and foragers who love decorating with nature’s supply of foliage are likely to be happy recipients of this book in their Christmas stockings.
Exploring a year in the garden, Hunter takes the reader on an atmospheric trip around her home and studio in Wales, where her projects range from drying garden flowers for an autumnal wreath to making voluptuous floral vignettes in a room or tablescape.
Also photographer, Hunter’s skill with flowers and foliage and her eye for a good camera frame mean her images have the quality of an old Dutch still life. It’s arty stuff but has plenty of inspiration for getting busy with nature’s free bounty.
- Published by Ryland Peters & Small (€40.11); photography by Lucy Hunter
This book prompted a search of for a quote about the virtues of the humble spud, declared by the odious curate Mr Collins as an exemplary vegetable while dining at the home of the Bennet family.
It actually turns out not to be from the original text but from the adapted screenplay by Andrew Davies, the originator of Mr Darcy’s clinging wet shirt scene.
A mediocre compliment to the hostess for sure, given how Georgian style dictated a table laden with soups, roasts, savoury pies and creamy fricassees, followed by an equally indulgent sweet course.
Many of Austen’s scenes are set at a table or reference feasts to come. Working from her novels and letters, Vogler hones in on the social importance of food, from getting one up on the neighbours to an opportunity to flirt and "secure" a husband over midnight supper.
For modern-day fans of these classic reads Dinner with Jane Austen offers menus to create the experience at home. No guarantee, however, of "securing" a husband.
- Published by CICO Books (€11.45); photography by Stephen Conroy © CICO Books
