Wednesday Wish: PAUMES Books

London Ateliers | Stockholm’s Ateliers | Ateliers de Paris
Bureaux à la Maison | Paris Brocante | London Vintage
All at £20.50

I first spotted these recherché PAUMES books a couple of years ago on the Yvestown blog. They’re published in Japan and I couldn’t find anywhere that stocked them.

I’ve just found out that they’re now available right here in the UK from the wonderful Boudie & Fou. There are 31 titles in total available on their website – one for each day of the month!!

Bookmarks: Creative Space

Today’s book review features a fascinating little read.

Creative Space – Urban Homes of Artists and Innovators by Francesca Gavin.

The book takes a peek inside the homes of creative types – artists, designers, writers, photographers etc.

…and explores the style of the spaces they inhabit.

Some people combine work & living space, whilst others keep some degree of separation between the two… but even in these cases, the taste & influences of the occupants is very interesting. How their interior spaces affect their work – and how their work affects their homes & contents.

The homes featured are located all over the world – with their unique cultural & social influences, environment and climates.

The book is quite a backlash against minimalism.

The rooms are filled with an eclectic array of furniture, completed and ongoing work projects, pieces by fellow artists, flea market finds, collections of objects, reference material and so on.

In fact, quite the antithesis of the cool, white spaces much loved by many glossy interior magazines. These spaces are inventive & spontaneous, less staged perhaps – less pristine and more chaotic in many cases.

They’re full of interest & colour.

In addition to the photos of each space, there are also Q&As from the occupants.

The narrative delves a little deeper into what makes them and their homes tick – why they’ve chosen to live where they do, any alterations they’ve made, details of their work, how they use the space etc.

There are 30 creative spaces featured – in cities such as Barcelona, Berlin, London, New York, Paris and Tokyo.

Just to highlight a few of the occupants:

Fafi – a Paris-based artist, illustrator and designer
Nicola Formichetti – a fashion director and stylist living in Shoreditch
Leah McSweeney & Rob Cristofaro – a fashion label couple who’ve made a New York loft apartment their base
Julia Schonlau – an illustrator and character designer who lives in a two-bedroom flat in Berlin
Juan Redon – a Barcelona-based architect, curator and pop collector
Yukinori Dehara – a figure illustrator, toymaker and animator in Tokyo

It’s certainly a great little book to dip in & out of – you’ll notice something new every time.

The photos full of ideas & inspiration…

…but having said that, we wouldn’t choose to live in all these homes, although there are a few that we’d definitely quite fancy!

If you’re thinking of getting yourself a copy, the book’s available from Hive and Amazon UK or USA

[Many thanks to Laurence King Publishing for the review copy]

Tuesday Huesday: Popping with Colour

We’ve just discovered this website – it’s a rich mine of interior decoration inspiration. The contrasting palette the owners used in this room just popped out at us – you know how much we love bright, zingy colours!

Bookmarks: The Way We Live in the Country

It’s been a real pleasure reviewing this book – it’s right up our street – or right up our country lane as the case may be!

This is the second review we’ve written in the The Way We Live… series, the first being The Way We Live With the Things We Love.

As the title suggests, this one is concerned with all things rustic & rural…

…the landscape, the lifestyle, the buildings & their interiors.

Once again, there’s a wonderful introduction by author Stafford Cliff.

As with all good introductions, it not only gives a broad overview of the subject. It also creates atmosphere and whets the appetite for the pages that follow.

He begins with this magical image:

Many years ago, long before mobile phones or sat-nav, I went to visit a friend who lived in central France. As the light began to fade, my companions and I found ourselves driving along narrow roads in open farmland with our map and our directions running out. Suddenly up ahead we noticed a narrow track leading through fields to a distant farmhouse. We knew that we had arrived at the right place because every few feet along both sides of this road my friend had placed old jam jars containing little flickering candles. The effect was heart-stopping and memorable, and it said ‘Welcome’ in a way no words ever could. The scene comes to mind again now, because it distils the special qualities of living in the country, or visiting those who do.

The book comprises five main chapters – Country Landscapes, The House in the Country, Traditional Homes, Contemporary Homes and Country Details.

It’s great to see traditional & contemporary homes in the same book – the different interpretations of country living.

The blend of the two is just our kind of look – mixing antique country furniture with vintage ceramics & textiles from the 1950s & 60s.

A tool used throughout the book is page spreads of images comparing similar house details in different parts of the world.

It’s perfect for a quick flick through, but also stands up to deeper scrutiny.

The gorgeous photographs taken by the late Gilles De Chabaneix are accompanied by insightful captions – adding detail & context.

We have a handful of books that we gravitate towards – this one has joined their ranks.

This is a great book for providing interior decoration inspiration.

The mood of the subject simply washes over you. It’s very odd, but you almost sigh with relaxation – a sense of well-being & calm descending as you flick through the wonderful landscapes & houses.