TWO Book Reviews: Shades Of Grey And New Small Garden

Have you been good this year?!! Are you looking for Christmas present ideas? Here are my last two Modern Country book recommendations for your Christmas list this year.. I have one for inside and one for outside!

The first is Shades of Gray by Kate Watson-Smyth (published by Ryland, Peters and Small). Now I have to be honest and say that when I first heard of this book, I was tempted to roll my eyes: Not another person getting on the grey bandwagon....but then I actually saw it for myself and was utterly converted! Please give it a try!

Imagine all your favourite Modern Country Style interior photos in one place, with specific paint ideas, advice and inspiration....that's Shades Of Grey in a nutshell. 

There's very little boring grey in here (which is what initially worried me) but there is LOTS of gorgeous, subtle greyed hues. Plus plenty of description of real paints, leading you to want to read every last word to make sure all inspiration is squeezed from the pages.

The second book is utterly lovely Amazon bestseller New Small Garden by Noel Kingsbury (photographs by Maayke de Ridder). This is published by Frances Lincoln who have produced so many completely gorgeous gardening books. 

New Small Garden has all you'd expect in a book about gorgeous small gardens - plant list, top tips, stunning photos.....BUT what I think marks it out from the crowd is the quality of the ideas. Noel Kingsbury's knowledge is vast and he shares it very generously.

There are so many tips I'll be taking and using as we plan and design our own garden. There are charts comparing plants' seasonal performances, for example, helping you to minimise the amount of time you have deteriorating foliage on show. Then are masterclasses to teach you about plants' structure over time. 

In a small garden, it's vital that you make every square inch count and New Small Garden really takes that idea to the next level by teaching you how to effectively layer plants. 

Shades Of Grey and New Small Garden are two very different books but both utterly Modern Country. Click through to Amazon now - You'll love 'em!!

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Christmas At Walnuts Farm!!

You must have come across this gorgeous home - it's been in so many magazines. It's called Walnuts Farm, owned by Bella and Nick Ivins, who have just had a fantastic new book published, called The New Homesteader (published by Ryland Peters & Small, photography by Nick Ivins), all about creating a self-sufficient home farm, growing your own produce and raising livestock.....and its a cracker!

As you might expect from such a commercially savvy pair, this isn't your run-of-the-mill book about farming. This is farming Modern Country Style! Just take a look at the outside of the farmhouse, painted with Farrow and Ball Pigeon, and beautifully decorated for Christmas.....

The New Homesteader is packed with gorgeous recipes...

...photos of the whole house and garden to drool over... 

...and Bella and Nick Ivins' own story, this book will keep you going for a long, long time....

Images via Walnuts Farm

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Book Reivew: Farrow and Ball How To Decorate

Living, as we do, in a period home that is most definitely a project in progress, I'm always on the lookout for the most gorgeous, most inspirational, most beautiful books for me to devour, and, happily, I can then pass the details of the best of those on to you - just in time for Father Christmas to pick them up for your stocking!

Today, I bring you Farrow and Ball's new book How To Decorate. As a girl obsessed with paint colours, this is way up there in my dream book category.

Floor in the delicious Farrow and Ball Shaded White

Farrow and Ball Railings gives a sultry look

Typical of all Farrow and Ball's products, How To Decorate exquisitely presented, with a mix of glossy photographs, brown paper info pages and incredibly informative text but it's in no way just a collection of pretty pictures. 

French kitchen in Farrow and Ball Black Blue and Manor House Gray

Farrow and Ball Cinder Rose with Black Blue accent door

The authors, Charlotte Cosby (Head of Creative) and Joa Studholme  (Colour Expert), clearly know exactly what they are talking about so that the book doesn't feels like an extended Farrow and Ball advertorial.

Walls in Farrow and Ball Nancy's Blushes

Farrow and Ball Ammonite with woodwork in Mole's Breath

Their depth of knowledge and enthusiasm for the power of colour is infectious. I guarantee that you'll find yourself wanting to pick up a paintbrush before you've finished the first chapter!

Woodwork in Farrow and Ball Drop Cloth, walls in Shadow White

Kitchen in Farrow and Ball Breakfast Room Green

Divided into three parts: Where To Start (looking at factors that should influence your decisions), The Manual (which colours look best where and why) and The Directory (technical information), this will be a book that you dip into again and again and again. How To Decorate has been published to coincide with Farrow and Ball's 70th anniversary, this is a brand that has earned its stripes.

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Remodelista by Julie Carlson Book Review

Have you been warmly engulfed by the design vortex that is the Remodelista blog? If that's a yes then it'll come as no surprise that the book Remodelista: A Manual for the Considered Home by Julie Carlson is an absolute home bible for the renovators among you. 

Here's the blurb:

Remodelista.com is the go-to, undisputed authority for home design enthusiasts, remodellers, architects, and designers. Unlike sites that cater to all tastes, Remodelista has a singular and clearly defined aesthetic: classic pieces trump designs that are trendy and transient, and well-edited spaces take precedence over cluttered environments. High and low mix seamlessly here, and getting the look need not be expensive. Remodelista decodes the secrets to achieving this aesthetic, with in-depth tours and lessons from 12 enviable homes; a recipe-like breakdown of the hardest-working kitchens and bathrooms; dozens of do-it-yourself projects; The Remodelista 100, a guide to the best everyday household objects; and an in-depth look at the ins and outs of the remodelling process. In a world of design confusion, Remodelista takes the guesswork out of the process.

Remodelista is beautifully packaged. With great quality pages and a weighty cover, this is a book to display with pride!

The whole ethos of Remodelista is that the author's want to pass on their wisdom and experience gained through many years of renovating their own properties, helping their readers save time and money and valuable energy. Why waste hours mindlessly trawling the Internet when others have put in the legwork for you? For exaple, there's a fantastic explanation of what to buy and what to avoid at Ikea.

My favourite quote is this:

Classic and livable trumps trendy and transient.

Remoelista consistantly combines a contemporary edge with a timeless warmth. It's a gorgeous aesthetic....

The homes they share are very much of one look. And, it should be said that there is a very strong American-bias....but that's no bad thing! 

If you adore the images I've shared here then you will be in design heaven! Lots of white walls, pared-back spaces....but in no way lacking in homely cosiness. It's a look they have absolutely mastered...and are will to share every iota of information with us.

Yippee!

{If you'd like to buy a copy of the Remodelista book, click here!}

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New Vintage: The Homemade Home by Tahn Scoon: Book Review

This book is an absolute Modern Country Interiors gem! I'm so thrilled to be able to review it on here!! New Vintage: The Homemade Home by Tahn Scoon has the subtitle: Beautiful Interiors and How-To Projects. The title, although an entirely acurate description, doesn't quite do justice to the wonder of this book.

You see, New Vintage takes you into another world; a world full of beauty and creativity, where you really do start to believe that it might just be possible to make sure that everything in your home is both useful and beautiful.

The reference to Vintage in the title should not be misunderstood as referring to Granny Chic, or anything of the sort. Oh no, no, no! New Vintage is all about understated restraint. A very cool mix of Old and New. Modern Country Interiors abound.

The How-To projects are both extraordinarily doable and extremely desirable: a little simple reupholstery here, a little burnishing of wood there...add a crystal knob or two, and you're away!

But if there had to be just one thing that I had to pick out of New Vintage as it's unique selling point, it's just that! It's unique! I've not seen anything quite like it. Lots of warm wood, a slight Scandinavian slant, a touch of French elegance and a lot of Tahn Scoon's incredible take on Modern Country Style.

Tahn Scoon says, "The book focuses on how to decorate yourself with inspirational interiors and hip how-to projects, such as how to make an upholstered bedhead and re-vamp vintage furniture. A home filled with beautifully crafted hand and homemade pieces is a home filled with warmth and soul. Be daring enough to fill your home with the things you love, the home-made, the handmade, the well-worn and the well-loved - and boldly combine them with the clean sensibilities of the new - and you'll have a home that is truly beautiful and absolutely you."

See what I mean?

Tahn Scoon's book New Vintage offers Modern Country Interiors at their best!

{Click on the link to buy!}

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Making A House Your Home by Clare Nolan: Book Review

Making a House Your Home: The Essential Guide To Modern Day Homemaking by Clare Nolan was published way back in 2011 but, rather out-of-character for me, a voracious devourer of design books, I've only recently discovered it. I absolutely adore it, and thought you would too... Here's a book review just for you...in time for Christmas!!

Clare Nolan is the Lifestyle Editor for You magazine (which comes with the Mail on Sunday). She clearly has a huge wealth of knowledge and experience at her fingertips and is extremely open in sharing that with us, including a fantastic section on working with what you already have.

Though it was released back in 2011 by Kyle Books, it hasn't dated in the very least. Rather, three years on, it has fast become one of my go-to books, showing just how timeless Clare's ideas are.

Here's a list of the contents, which are all very self-explanatory:

Making a House Your Home takes you through every step of how to turn your ideas into a reality...

This shot, along with many others in the book, is from Clare Nolan's own home. It's a fairly modest house, which I love. This is not only a book to gaze at longingly; there are so many ideas to put into practise in your own home....such as how to get yourself a pantry on a budget..

You'll be left thoroughly inspired to give your own home a real shake-up....rather than, as with some interiors books, wondering why you can't be a Lady of the Manor.. *stamps foot*!!

Full of gorgeous images, and text so good you'll want to be Clare's best friend by the time you've finished, 

Making a House Your Home is one of my all-time favourites. 

Get it. Click on the link! 

Really. 

You won't be disappointed.

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