Category: Design

Colour studies: Recent design books

AlayneLeave a comment

Here are some of our recent design related books! This month we’ve got a strong focus on creating a happy and space efficient living space, as well as a look into the history of architecture and the modern trend of illustrators becoming tattoo artists.

Some of these items are on order, so they aren’t on the shelf yet. Reserve them today to be one of the first to read them!

Design Happy : Colorful Homes for the Modern Family / Wentz, Betsy
“In her first book, interior designer Betsy Wentz shares 13 fabulous family homes. The book is really a practical design guide for anyone who may not want–or simply cannot afford–to hire an interior designer. The story of each home includes color studies, design lessons, and pro tips, plus plenty of practical advice for anyone who might face similar challenges.” (Catalogue)

Houseplants and design : a New Zealand guide / Carlson, Liz
“Houseplants have never been hotter. They have the power to instantly turn a house into a home and to create a feeling of peace and calm, transforming both your physical space and your headspace. Bringing nature inside is a simple way to maintain a connection to the outdoors.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

 

New Tattoo Artists : Illustrators and Designers Meet Tattoo / Cortes, Mariona Cabassa (EDT)
“Artists from disciplines commonly seen as far removed from tattooing embrace it with a different look and approach. Artists from graphic design, photography, illustration, painting and sculpture have found in tattooing a new tool to express themselves and give way to their distinctive language. And they do it with a fresh look and extraordinary results…” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Tiny Living Spaces : Innovative Design Solutions / Baker, Lisa
“Exciting and surprising approaches of how living spaces reduced to a minimum can enhance the quality of life to a maximum The trend towards the Tiny House – and also the Micro Flat – is more than just a short-term hype. It is an attitude towards life, a contemplation on the essentials to which more and more people are attracted.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Living Wild: How to Plant Style Your Home and Cultivate Happiness / Carter, Hilton
“In Living Wild, bestselling ‘plantfluencer’, author, designer and family man Hilton Carter explores multiple ways to style your home with plants – and cultivate happiness along the way.” (Catalogue)

 

The Story of Architecture / Rybczynski, Witold
“An inviting exploration of architecture across cultures and centuries by one of the field’s eminent authors” (Catalogue)

 

How we make: New design books

Thomas

This month, peek behind the veil of the work of artists and designers, analysing the cogs and wheels in order to better understand the work itself. Sometimes you have to pull something apart and look at the pieces to understand the whole.

Things we create / Brechensbauer, Axel
“We all live in a world of objects, yet we rarely stop to think about how and why they came to exist, why they look and feel the way they do, what shapes our preferences, or why we own and use the things we do. Told with visual verve, wit, humor, and above all, clarity, Things We Create is both a history of and a metaphysical study of physical objects — all the stuff we buy, we collect, we need, we want” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Deviant design : the ad hoc, the illicit, the controversial / Martin, Craig
“Craig Martin addresses the transgressive or deviant aspects of design: design that straddles the divide between the licit and illicit, the legal and illegal in a variety of ways. Deviant Design contends that these amateur and illicit practices challenge the normative idea of the professional designer or maker” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Design for how people think : using brain science to build better products / Whalen, John
“User experience doesn’t happen on a screen; it happens in the mind, and the experience is multidimensional and multisensory. This practical book will help you uncover critical insights about how your customers think so you can create products or services with an exceptional experience.  Learn how to immediately apply what you’ve learned to improve your products and services Explore practical examples of how the Fortune 100 used this system to build highly successful experiences” (Adapted from Catalogue)

The art museum in modern times / Saumarez Smith, Charles
“The National Portrait Gallery, the National Gallery and the Royal Academy all saw either radical architectural interventions or rethinks of their mission under Charles Saumarez Smith’s leadership, making him uniquely qualified to explore the ways in which art museums have changed over the past century and examine where they might be headed in the future.  While museums used to be invariably in city centres, they may now be in remote locations, destinations of cultural pilgrimage.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

From the sculptor’s studio : conversations with twenty seminal artists / Cole, Ina
“20 of the most influential contemporary sculptors talk candidly about their work.  From the Sculptor’s Studio is a unique collection of personal conversations with 20 seminal artists, each of whom have created iconic work, exhibited worldwide, and pushed past the boundaries of sculpting in their own way.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Overdrive cover A Modern Way to Live, Matt Gibberd (ebook) In this lavishly illustrated book, Matt tells the stories of these remarkable living spaces and their equally remarkable owners, and demonstrates how the five principles can be applied to your own space in ways both large and small. Revolutionary in its simplicity, and full of elegance, humour and joy, this book will inspire you to find happiness in the place you call home.
(Adapted from Overdrive description)

New ways of seeing and doing

Thomas

This month’s recent design picks offer new insight into the old and innovative new approaches that are sure to help you look at things differently, and perhaps will even have you trying something you’d never of thought of.

A new way of seeing : the history of art in 57 works / Grovier, Kelly
“A New Way of Seeing casts fresh light on some of the most famous works in the history of art by daring to isolate in each a single, often overlooked detail that is key to the work’s greatness. Kelly Grovier, one of the most exicting new voices in cultural criticism, offers illuminating analysis of enduring masterpieces, frequently presenting them alongside comparative works. He encourages us to look deeply in order to perceive the richness and strangeness of the “eye-hook” that offers a clue to a work’s truest meaning.” — Back cover.” (Catalogue)

Make ink / Logan, Jason
“The Toronto Ink Company was founded in 2014 by designer and artist Jason Logan as a citizen science experiment to make eco-friendly, urban ink from street-harvested pigments. Organized by color, and featuring lovely minimalist photography throughout,  Make Ink  combines science, art, and craft to instill the basics of ink making and demonstrate the beauty and necessity of engaging with one of mankind’s oldest tools of communication.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Seasonal flower embroidery : a year of stitching wild blooms and botanicals / Aoki, Kazuko
“Small embroidered gifts for every season. Give the gift of embroidery! Inspired by flowers in every season, theses small projects make the perfect gift. From small purses and pins to stunning artwork, these embroidery projects are small but stunning and make a big impact with just thread, needle, and fabric”– Provided by publisher.” (Catalogue)

 

Dungeness : coastal architecture / Bradbury, Dominic
“The Kent coastal strip of Dungeness is a unique environment. Harshly vulnerable to the elements yet protected from inland development.  Dungeness is a crucible for exciting architecture; the local vernacular includes fishermen’s cottages, lighthouses, and ex-industrial structures. The book includes sixteen stunning case studies of homes both converted from non-domestic buildings and exciting new builds”–Publisher’s description.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Designing modern Japan / Teasley, Sarah
“From cars to cameras, design from Japan is ubiquitous. So are perceptions of Japanese design, from calming, carefully crafted minimalism to avant-garde fashion and street subcultures. But these portrayals overlook the creativity, generosity and sheer hard work that have gone into creating and maintaining design industries in Japan.  Deeply researched and superbly illustrated, Designing Modern Japan will appeal to the wide audience for Japanese design, history and culture.”– Supplied by publisher.” (Catalogue)

Understanding street photography : an introduction to shooting compelling images on the street / Peterson, Bryan
“Discover the secrets to mastering street photography — from city streets to country roads and the alleyways in between — from an acclaimed international photographer, teacher, and best-selling author”– Provided by publisher.” (Catalogue)

Books in every room : Interior design for 2022

Alayne
Picture of a cute, open plan lounge

“The essence of interior design will always be about people and how they live. –Albert Hadley

It’s a fresh new year, so why not give your home a fresh new look? Would you like to incorporate your family history into your living spaces? Maybe you’d like some ideas for thriving in your apartment? The below booklist is a great place to start if you’re embarking on an interior design project in 2022!

Need even more inspiration? Head over to our online magazine collection through Libby, which gives library members free access to an extensive Home & Garden collection.


Home stories : design ideas for making a house a home / Leggett, Kim
“Learn how to create rooms filled with warmth, meaning, and your own unique story of home. Kim Leggett’s first book, City Farmhouse Style, was a big hit. Now Kim is back with the welcoming interiors her fans crave and a no-rules approach that is all about using what you love to create rooms that tell your personal story.  (Catalogue)

Kelly Hoppen’s essential style solutions for every home / Hoppen, Kelly
“Kelly Hoppen, multi-award-winning designer and TV personality, shares her essential style solutions that will transform your home. Kelly knows what works, and here she shows you how to do it by bringing together creative ideas and inspiration alongside a wealth of professional know-how, practical advice and cost-effective style solutions that can work for every home, big or small.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

The new mindful home and how to make it yours / Thornhill, Joanna
“How do you create a space that calms and revives you? Thornhill cuts through the fads to offer practical solutions to home-based problems. She shows you how to create supportive room layouts, consider the mindful effects of colour, and embrace natural and sustainable elements in your home. — adapted from back cover” (Catalogue)

A blissful nest : designing a stylish and well-loved home / Dempsey, Rebekah
“In Blissful Nest, celebrated interior designer Rebekah Dempsey offers hundreds of fresh and attainable design ideas to show you how to discover your interior style and create a home that best reflects your personality and the way you live”– Provided by publisher.” (Catalogue)

Workstead : interiors of beauty and necessity.
“Workstead designs one-of-a-kind interiors and pieces that balance beauty with necessity, and this book presents a special blend of their tour-de-force historic renovations and innovative yet elegant new constructions.'”–Publisher’s description.” (Catalogue)

Victoria Hagan : live now / Hagan, Victoria
“As an acclaimed interior designer and member of the AD100 and the Interior Design Hall of Fame, Victoria Hagan had achieved the highest pinnacle of success in her field. But when 2020 arrived, she found herself, like all of us, at home, seeing her life and her space with fresh eyes. The result is this book–a creative manifesto and a life-affirming look at the nature of home, and how it connects and calms us, comforts and nourishes us.” (Catalogue)

Books do furnish a room : display, organize, store / Geddes-Brown, Leslie
“As all book lovers know, a collection of books affords not only access to endless pleasure and knowledge, but also, when skilfully deployed around the home, the opportunity to create a multitude of decorative impressions. In this beautifully illustrated guide –  self-confessed bibliophile Leslie Geddes-Brown offers inspirational yet practical ideas about how to make the most of books in every room.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Living in tiny homes : big ideas for small spaces / Hellweg, Marion
“Practical tips, design ideas and storage solutions for small homes & tiny houses”–Page 1 of cover.” (Catalogue)