Do you ever have that treat-y moment where you decide to buy yourself a magazine and then you stand in the magazine shop for about half and hour tossing up between house, craft, fashion or food (usually food gets knocked off my list pretty quick)... then you narrow it down to a genre (or virgin, as I like to say!) and then you still feel too overwhelmed so you leave.
or you buy one and then wish you'd gone for another?
stand with me here magazine ditherers of the world.
So, that rather random introduction brings me to 3 books I have recently read and delighted in of the house genre/virgin.
Absolutely Beautiful Things by Anna Spiro
This one was given to me by my sister for my birthday and it has some really good designy advice as well as a plethora of beautiful, inspiring images. Anna is a maximalist rather than a minimalist so we were already going to be great friends! I read every word - and now it sits by my bed incase I ever get to lie in and read - which will never happen because I actually sleep every morning moment I get (I think I may still be a teenager!). This is a true coffee table style book large, hard cover, great images.
Published by Penguin books Australia. Her website is here.
The Nesting Place by Myquillyn Smith
Now I did put this on my book wishlist a while ago but then I saw it in the library and grabbed it. I read every.single.word of this book. The premise of the book is to push people past their fear of taking risks, their commitment to perfection and to give them some sound advice about taking a leap with their home even, or especially, if they are renting. Although the author has a name I'm not sure how to say and a design style that is very different from mine I loved the way she wrote and I agree with her approach. She is a thrifty, make-overy, love what you have and enjoy your home kind of gal and I love that.
Published by Zondervan. Her blog is here.
Homespun Style by Selina Lake
I think I have seen photos from this book before and so I was pretty stoked to see it on the shelves of my library too. A quick browse in the home/crafty/new books section always comes up trumps! I started reading every single word of this book but then the pictures were so pretty, SO pretty that I couldn't read the words anymore. This whole book is full of a very Miriam kind of design aesthetic - it is a riot of colour and mis-match and hand made and all of it.
Published by Ryland, Peters and Small. Her blog is here.
All of these books have inspired and challenged me to make the most of anywhere I call home and to take even more risks to decorate the house in a way that makes me feel joyful. One of the questions Myquillyn poses is to come up with some words that you would like to describe your home. Here are 5 I'd like to think people would use about my place
colourful, joyful, welcoming, interesting (in a way that wants you to stop and look), creative
Do tell, what words would you want to describe your home?
love you more than a colourful cushion, imperfectly styled xxxx
