Since I published my own interiors book The Shopkeepers Home back in 2015, I have noticed a gradual shift in interiors book publishing. What I’ve noticed is the books being published in 2017/2018 are less focused on purely providing inspiration and a nosy inside the homes of others but rather are honing in on the practicality of living. By this I mean: how to simplify your home, how to declutter, be more organised, how to live sustainably or more mindfully. I guess this is a response to a few factors – firstly, the internet and how easy is it to find visual inspiration online and secondly, the growing trend for mindfulness and living less frivolously.
These books, rather than encouraging us to go out and spend, spend, spend on new things for our homes to replicate a style or aesthetic, they are instead teaching readers to streamline their belongings, to work with what you’ve got and, when you need to, how to shop consciously. We’ve looked at four books, published within the last year, which offer this kind of advice and guidance, to see what they are all about.
This is Home: the art of simple living – by Natalie Walton
The opening lines of Natalie Walton’s This is Home almost exemplifies this new movement in interiors: ‘This is a love story about the home. It celebrates what we have. And reminds us to nurture the space that helps make our lives possible.’ Natalie has travelled far and wide to gather a selection of homes that have a strong sense of identity and authenticity; where the homeowners have created spaces that reflect them as people and nurture the family within. The book is split into three sections – Create, Live and Nurture – allowing the viewer to delve into the process of creating the space and how they live and enjoy it on a daily basis. It is not about big budgets, fancy furniture or flashy design, but about a simple approach to crafting a home with consideration and simplicity.
{ Published by Hardie Grant – Order here }
Mad About the House: How to decorate your home with style – by Kate Watson-Smyth
Kate’s latest book, named after her award-winning blog, is a practical guide to understanding and implementing good interior design. Surprisingly, there are a very limited number of photographs of interiors within the pages, opting for a series of stylistic illustrations instead. Again, this highlights the change in how interiors books are structured and presented, with the emphasis being on useful knowledge and advice that readers can put into practice. The book starts off addressing how to find your style and examining the importance of colour, before going into detail about each room in the house, and how to execute things like getting lighting right and planning the perfect bathroom. Kate’s fun and humourous style of writing and personal anecdotes keep the book light-hearted and engaging, making it less of an educational guide and more like learning from old friend who happens to hold all the style tips!
{Published by Pavilion – Order here }
New Minimalism: Decluttering and Design for Sustainable Intentional Living – by Cary Telander Fortin & Kyle Louise Quilici
With a website of the same name, professional ‘declutterers’ Cary and Kyle’s book shares their experience and knowledge in how to achieve that elusive minimal home with soul. They offer practical advice on how to change your mindset on the topic of decluttering and material goods, how to tackle it effectively and then how to put it back together beautifully. They promote the need for function and style and inform on how to shop with intention. It is very much a practical guide to making a change in how you live and includes recipes for natural cleaning products and ‘take action’ sections with tips on how to follow through on their advice.
{Published by Sasquatch Books – Order here }
Remodelista – The Organized Home: Simple, stylish storage ideas for all over the house – by Julie Carlson & Margot Guralnick
A small format book, Remodelista’s latest tome again demonstrates the clear demand for interiors books that help us live more simply. Tips and tricks are delivered in bite-sized segments, making this an easy book to dip in and out of. Packed with storage solutions for anything from your hairdryer to your kitchen roll, as well as how to implement a plastic free pantry and an all-in-one laundry cupboard. The images alone are enough to have me itching to tidy and sort! It’ll have your home impeccably organised in no time!
{ Published by Artisan Books – Order here }
What do you think of this new angle on interiors books? Is this what you want from a home decor book these days or do you prefer pure interior eye candy? I’d would personally love to publish more books in the future, and would love to know what it is that readers are keen to gain when they purchase a book about interiors. Or perhaps you don’t even bother buying these kinds of books anymore?! I’d love to hear your thoughts!
