January 9th, 2010
I ♥ At Home with White
Sharing is Caring… Day 3: A Book
I thought I’d stir things up a little bit here with a non-fiction book. I think most people were expecting actual literature, but I’m going to go with something a little different: Atlanta Bartlett’s At Home with White, an interior design book focusing on using the colour white in your home.
This was the very first interior design book I ever purchased. I bought it a few years back when I was just considering pursuing design as a career path. It would be poetic to say that this was the book that solidified my desire to go into design. Unfortunately, it’s not quite the case. It is, however, true to say that this book is the one that inspired my design aesthetic. It had a huge impact on my interior style and really helped to hone my creative eye.
I think the best way to label my design style would be Bohemian Classic. This little blurb from Home Goods really hits the nail on the head in terms of what I value design-wise:
You have a refined sensibility and bring a sense of history and tradition into your decor. You appreciate how symmetrical arrangements and beautiful, well-crafted pieces create a solid foundation to a room. But you like to shake up this restraint with objects and accessories that express your personality and your love of other cultures. [...] You seek out unique objects that reflect what you love, and you use them in a sophisticated way. [...] Cozy chairs, ethnic fabrics, unique pieces, and even a little touch of quirk or humor give your house a laid-back, bohemian flair.
You value creativity. You are stylish and fun loving, and can be an inspiration to others. [...] And you know you have to be willing to take risks—whether with colors, finishes, furniture choices, or ideas—for your home to stand out.
This book really taught me that – to go out and embrace my own personal style in all its eclectic glory. To be creative and to try things even if they sounded crazy. To trust my instincts. And trust, I do. I’m sure many professionals would disagree with me on this, but I think a lot of design is based purely on instinct. You can fuss and obsess over everything little detail of things and try to get them to match just so until the cows come home. Or you can go with how it makes you feel and what your mind is telling you. Who says red and green always have to look Christmassy? If you’re really passionate about that colour scheme, you will make it look beautiful and it’ll be you. It’s about finding something that meshes with your personality and evokes the essence of you. Maybe that’s lame, but it’s true. You have to trust who you are and go with that, because just going out and buying items X, Y, and Z from the furniture showroom down the street… sure, it looks nice, but what does it say about you?
Before I started to immerse myself further into the interior design ‘world’, I wasn’t overly exposed to anything aside from the obviously main stream design hotspots. My design bubble was very small and it really only included cheesy decorating shows like Trading Spaces and Take This House and Sell It and big-box stores like Pottery Barn and Ikea. While they have their moments and odd strokes of creativity, I wouldn’t necessarily call them inspired.i
At Home with White really revolutionized my way of viewing design and making it work in ways outside of the norm. It was a huge stepping stone on my journey of self-discovery as a designer, and has really shaped who I am as an artist.
Is there a book (fiction or non-fiction) that really inspired the way you currently see the world in some facet or another? Another book that had a really big impact on me (in a completely different way, however) is Paulo Coehlo’s Veronika Decides to Die. I highly, highly recommend it. For my brief thoughts, I talked about the book a bit in my Things That Make Me Happy in May 2009 post; I also recommend Alice’s recent entry on the book: Thoughts On Veronika Decides to Die; she really put down a lot of my thoughts much more eloquently than I could have. :)
Stay tuned tomorrow for the third installment of the Sharing is Caring series for Day 4: A Website.
- Ikea, I can appreciate though. When done properly, Ikea is a cheap alternative to the pricier originals and sometimes can look quite expensive. But that’s a topic for another time. (»)
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Oh man, Sims is like crack! I’m not allowed to play that game any more. XD I never actually played the game either. I just got my brother to find me in the infinite money cheat, and then I built extravagant houses. XD It always frustrated me though, that you were so limited with design choices though. I think it would drive me batty now. :P
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