Books

Design with books.  Happy Friday!!

Country

Being from a super tiny town and now living in one of the largest cities in the world, I sometimes miss the small town/country life.  I try to get up to the country as much as I can, in upstate NY and Connecticut.   When I visit these places with the old drive in movies, ice cream and fruit stands on the corner of the roads, and little touring circuses, I arrive back in the city feeling relaxed and rejuvenated.  I always tell my partner "We need to get a place in the country, we need to get a place in the country!" It's good to have a balance, right?!  Well, until we get that fixer upper on the Hudson River, all I have is my new Coffee Table book, "Country" to keep me calm and relaxed.  I just flip through the pages and I remember to breathe again.

I know this book has been out for a while, but its perfection!  So, here are some photos I snapped of pages from Jasper Conran's Country. Conran lives in London and is one of UK's leading designers of clothing, accessories, jewellery, ceramics, crystal, furniture and interiors, along with costume and set design for ballets, operas, theatre and film.  Country life is a universal aspiration.  Jasper say's to achieve this dream "It is not about spending money, or "getting the look", it is about understanding, self-expression and getting back to the root of what makes us tick."

Photography by Andrew Montgomery.  Click on images to see the details!!!!!!

Malene Birger's Life In Pictures

My current obsession is the book, Life and Work by teNeues.  I picked it up yesterday and can not stop flipping through the pages!  I love a nice hefty coffee table book filled with lots of pretty things and inspiration.  The photographs of Malene's homes and work spaces are perfection along with the details and layout.  Birger is an extremely talented fashion designer, but also a gifted interior designer as well as a painter.  She has an eye for details and quality.  I couldn't help but photograph some pages in the book to share with you all.  Along the way I've included some of Malene Birger quotes that are beautifully incorporated in the book.  Enjoy!  Oh, and happy Friday!

                                                                                   movement is the only permanent phase in our lives

 life without change

 is a life without development, new challenges or

experiences

                                                   I don't have a storage room-

                                                          everything in my life is either in use or

                                                                      exposed

                                                                you cannot plan success

                                                    - success is hard work and dedication-

                                                   with a constant focus on what comes next

i could see myself

living in a hotel

maybe when i get older-

ordering room service non-stop

Decorating With Books

 A space photographed by Todd Selby

 Dale Chihuly's library

Author, Tom Wolfe's library

 Interior Design Paul Corrie's vignette

 Model, Hana Soukupova and Drew Aarons NY apartment from Elle Decor

Books can be a perfect accessory for a space you want to warm up and personalize.  I love how books can give interiors texture and interest.  It's a brilliant way to add touches of color and add height to vignettes on table tops.  Above are a few of my favorite spaces that contain large amounts of tomes!

Book Launch Party

Vicente Wolfs new book is being celebrated over cocktails and hors d'oeuvres tonight.  Book is released on Oct. 19

Lifting the Curtain on Design

I enjoy Vicente Wolf's coffee table books, his third one "Lifting The Curtain On Design"  I'm sure will just be as great as his past two, "Crossing Boundaries" and "Learning To See"  In these books you'll find that Vicente is not only a talented designer but also a great photographer.  Most, if not all images in the books are photographed by him.
Hitting the shelves on October 19.