Edited by LEAH TWOMEYFLORAL ALCHEMY
by VICKI KERR,
photography by MAR EE HOMER
(thefloralalchemy.com, $79.95)
Sydney florist Vicki Kerr’s book explores the
beauty of flowers in their simplicity and in
isolation. Props such as fabrics, vases, paper
and sculptures are used to fade into the
background as much as for their textural
contrasts. Highlighted wonderfully are the
form, colour and pattern of flowers. While
there is inspiration in the assemblages, the
finest message here is that there are no rules.PLANT: EXPLORING
THE BOTANICAL WORLD
by VA R IOUS, introduction by JAMES COMPTON
(Phaidon, $79.95)
Esoteric but undeniably sublime, this book brings together
more than 300 of the most pioneering and stunning botanical
images ever created. All have been chosen by an international
panel of experts and sequenced to juxtapositional effect. Works
included range from the gentle drawing style of illustrators
to vivid photography. Leonardo da Vinci, Charles Darwin
and Pierre-Joseph Redouté are among those featured.IN THE MOOD FOR
COLOUR: PERFECT
PALETTES FOR
CREATIVE INTERIORS
by HANS BLOMQUIST,
photography by DEBI TR ELOA R
& HANS BLOMQUIST
(Hardie Grant, $55)
Swedish interiors stylist and author Hans
Blomquist has turned his hand to colour. Reading
like a collection of pieced-together inspirations
and moodboards, his exploration of palettes is
also a vehicle for solutions — such as how to go
dark successfully or embrace an all-white scheme
without coming across as boring. Blomquist also
explains how to move softly with colour and strike
well with bold hues. Texture is built and layered
around the colours, celebrating the room as well
as the walls — as we do in our own homes.WHERE THEY CREATE
JAPAN: CREATIVE STUDIOS
SHOT BY PAUL BARBERA
by K ANAE HASEGAWA
(Frame, $75)
A longtime Vogue Living collaborator, photographer
Paul Barbera continues his Where They Create series
with a focus on the Japanese studios of artists,
architects, illustrators and designers he admires.
Engaging interviews alongside images afford a holistic
peek into the creative worlds at work and play; the
current splendid state of Japan’s design culture.CHEZ MOI: DECORATING
YOUR HOME AND LIVING
LIKE A PARISIENNE
by SAR AH LAVOINE
(Hardie Grant, $35)
Interior designer Sarah Lavoine has crafted a
guide to living in that well-heeled, elegant Parisian
style, from recipes for hosting a summer brunch to
decorating adolescents’ rooms and lovely living
areas. There are tricks for this and that, advice for
pulling together colours and fabrics, unused and
green spaces, and even parenting.MR KEN
FULK’S
MAGICAL
WORLD
by KEN FULK
(Thames &
Hudson, $100)
In his own words,
San Francisco interior
designer Ken Fulk
regales the stories of
his projects almost in
the fashion of a movie director taking the viewer on a series of
technicolour journeys — threaded with honesty and dotted with
anecdotes that are enchantingly frank. Sure, it is a collection of
dream-like rooms, and it’s much fun to pore over the pages, but
could you ever really live in homes like these? Could you, indeed.88 VOGUELIVING.COM.AU
COMPILED BY ANNA DELPRAT. PHOTOGRAPHER: EDWARD URRUTIABACKGROUND:CHEZ MOIENDPAPERART & DESIGN