Simple Style

I recently read - and studied - Simple Style: Creating Relaxed Interiors for the Contemporay Home by Julia Bird. I adore her books. They are so fresh and inspiring. I felt like I needed to absorb this book just to embrace it. Oh, and then I did! I cleared and cleared, had a garage sale, and now have a white canvas to work with. Pictures on that another day ; ) Unlike a lot of home style books I have read lately, there are few pictures of family homes/living. Julia, however, captures a few of these in Simple Style which is so great: illustrating that living with children need not equal homes of colorful chaos, with too many toys (Which children don't need anyway. Simplicity works wonders on children's calmness too!)



This is what inspired me, from photographer of Simple Style Hotze Eisma:


More photos from Simple Style can also be found here

Bazaar Style - book review

If you need a little eclectic infusion into your home, or throughout, here's a really great find, sure to inspire: Bazaar Style. Not only does it capture the essence of beautifully re-purposing objects, textiles and furniture (eg. with a coat of white paint), it defies (magazine) style trends, mixing furniture and fabrics across time. Its also ecological and economical. Arguably, bazaar style takes time to develop. It takes years to collect treasures, furniture and fabrics, authors Selina Lake and Joanna Simmons assert. More poigantly, they argue that the trend of 'pairing down, putting away and use of pale colors is a blip' in the history of Western decor: It seems that people have always craved color in their homes; since Medival times, people have painted walls (beginning with lime wash) and put up wall paper since the mid-1800s, especially with the development of richer dyes. While the pictures in Bazaar Style are lush, often teaming with charm, the text describes how to layer color and pattern, encouraging boldness, offering streams of ideas, to personalize each room in the home. Throughout the book, care is given to the function of items and rooms, helping to plan rooms, place furniture, focal points, displays, the feeling captured by one's decor scheme.

Have you read this book yet? Its a must read, full of many fresh, colorful ideas, and happens to feature a lot of pink, a color I have fallen for since having a little girl. Here, take a peek inside. More of Selina Lake's sumptuous pictures can be seen here.

At Home with White, Atlanta Bartlett

Everyone's talking about At Home with White by Atlanta Bartlett, touting this book as one of the best in home decor on the subject of white. It really proves that timeless white is a perfect canvas for a home. While the pictures are stunning, there is some real life practical advice on how to use white - notably how to make a white decor scheme work by understanding white color families. Here Bartlett breaks white into 6 main color families:

chalky - romantic, ice cream, pastel shades

muted - 'work well in older homes and complement antiques beautifully'

neutrals - 'buff, taupe, beige, with undertones of yellow, brown or grey, work in elegant interiors'

creamy - 'warm and soft off white tones that would work in a country setting'

cool - 'crisp, clean and modern, has bluish undertones' (think Ikea)

grey - 'work well in cold daylight, and are therefore popular in Scandinavian countries, and are a mix of black, red and green pigments'

Your light source, or piece of inspiration furniture or accessory, can help you choose which white family to adopt. Here are some inspiring pictures from her book:

French Decor Inspiration and Josephine Ryan's French Home

Sometimes inspiration comes from afar, and I often feel inspired by French fashion, antiques and decor. A trip to a Paris flea market would be heaven for me! Stumbling across French Essence the other day renewed my interest in all things French. Vicki has a knack for capturing and blogging about French style - as does authour and antiques dealer, Josephine Ryan. She has created a life from collecting antiques from France, sold in her shop in London. Here is another article about her.



Teamed with photographer Claire Richardson, (whose photos I blogged in an earlier post) Ryan has created a simply stunning book French Home, capturing beauty and light in elegant French simplicity.
A style of decorating which touts, and even enhances imperfections - 'benign neglect' - with all the complex subtilities of pale, chalky shades of blues, greys, whites, and browns. Its a style which uses old and new objects, updating, if necessary, with a 'lick of white paint.' Ryan describes a style 'that effortlessly embraces personal quirks, indulges refined preferences and rejects the sterility of soulless design.' Sounds like a bit of a criticism of modernism, non? At any rate, its a sumptious read, with an added bonus of French history bits thoughout. For example, Ryan notes that some of France's first chandeliers were made to light medival churches. When glass making developed to make lead crystal in the 18th century, more elaborate chandeliers were produced, as the scattering light affects of lead crystal became highly desirable.

Should you live on the 'other side of the pond' from Ryan's antique shop, and feel inspired to incorporate a French style or a piece or two in your home, The French Cupboard may have something you are looking for, or more locally, French Vanilla Home and Garden in Victoria, BC

Flea Market Style - book review

Authour Emily Chalmers lives in England, at the doorstep to absolutely wonderful second-hand markets. She makes me want to move to her neighbourhood as its a little more challenging in the newer city of Vancouver to find antiqued treasures. At any rate, Flea Market Style (2005) shows how one can incorporate flea market finds into any style, from modern to miniamalist, not just eclectic, as one may presuppose.

Neatly divided into two sections, the first presents finds in the range of home decor: furniture, glass ware/kitchen ware, patterns, colours, lighting and collections. The photos of her finds are pure eye candy. In the second section of her book, Chalmers not only incorporates flea market pieces into the particular rooms, from kitchen to bedroom, the text further provides rich details in how to use vintage items - to create displays, how to look at vintage finds in a new light, and how to reuse items, such as vintage fabrics in a multitude of ways. Importantly Chalmers lays flea market finds across a range of styles. In doing so, she provides a depth of inspiration, not matter what your style, and can certainly help re/define one's style.

The Healthy House Book

Such beautiful simplicity is laid out in The Healthy House Book by Gina Lazenby. Its the kind of simplicity I strive for, especailly living with two children and their things which routinely make their way around our apartment. Lazenby inspires me to cull, and not just spring clean, but deep clean to let more light and energy into the home. Centred more on health than style (although there are quite a few pictures thoughout the book of a beautiful, natural style with plenty of light) Lazenby discusses disorder and (chi/metaphysical) energy as stressors within the home. Quite simply, energy is blocked by having too much - furniture, objects, pictures, etc.. While many of us understand this, Lazenby points out that when you have to move around so many things, they become a metaphor for aspects of our life where we compromise and not obtain what we *really* want in life. Letting go of things not only makes a healthier state of mind, but allows for new opportunities to present, greater control over life, and clears the mind. Decluttering implications are be lofty ideals about the implications of everything you do or buy impacts your state of health and others in your home.

Lazenby also tackles a number of other home stressors, including electropollution, chemical pollution, environmental stress and lifestyle stress using principles of feng shi and other forms of metaphysics to create a healty home. She goes beyond low voc paints and green cleaning products to mindul living, including voluntary simplicity, and harmonizing the home. Visit Lazenby here.