A design book filled with beautiful photography and clear ideas for how to use pattern to decorate your home. If you focus on pattern, from texture and color to furniture and textiles, everything else will fall into place. Pattern is the strongest element in any room. In Living with Pattern, Rebecca Atwood demystifies how to use that element, a design concept that often confounds and confuses, demonstrating how to seamlessly mix and layer prints throughout a house. She covers pattern usage you probably already have, such as on your duvet cover or in the living room rug, and she also reveals the unexpected places you might not have thought to add it: bathroom tiles, an arrangement of book spines in a reading nook, or windowpane gridding in your entryway. This stunning book showcases distinct uses of pattern in homes all over the country to inspire you to realize that an injection of pattern can enliven any space, helping to make it uniquely yours.
You can use this book to design a house for yourself with your family; you can use it to work with your neighbors to improve your town and neighborhood; you can use it to design an office, or a workshop, or a public building. And you can use it to guide you in the actual process of construction. After a ten-year silence, Christopher Alexander and his colleagues at the Center for Environmental Structure are now publishing a major statement in the form of three books which will, in their words, "lay the basis for an entirely new approach to architecture, building and planning, which will we hope replace existing ideas and practices entirely." The three books are The Timeless Way of Building, The Oregon Experiment, and this book, A Pattern Language. At the core of these books is the idea that people should design for themselves their own houses, streets, and communities. This idea may be radical (it implies a radical transformation of the architectural profession) but it comes simply from the observation that most of the wonderful places of the world were not made by architects but by the people. At the core of the books, too, is the point that in designing their environments people always rely on certain "languages," which, like the languages we speak, allow them to articulate and communicate an infinite variety of designs within a forma system which gives them coherence. This book provides a language of this kind. It will enable a person to make a design for almost any kind of building, or any part of the built environment. "Patterns," the units of this language, are answers to design problems (How high should a window sill be? How many stories should a building have? How much space in a neighborhood should be devoted to grass and trees?). More than 250 of the patterns in this pattern language are given: each consists of a problem statement, a discussion of the problem with an illustration, and a solution. As the authors say in their introduction, many of the patterns are archetypal, so deeply rooted in the nature of things that it seemly likely that they will be a part of human nature, and human action, as much in five hundred years as they are today.
Discover inspiration from the most colorful homes in America with this vibrant lookbook and style manual that brings the magic of color into your home—from the author of Living with Pattern Personalizing your color palette may be one of the most important decisions you make in your home. The right combination of hues can set the mood and transform any room from ordinary to magical. Textile designer Rebecca Atwood invites you to take a color journey in this stunning yet practical guide. In Living with Color, you’ll tour beautifully designed homes to see some of the most interesting uses of the rainbow and to gather inspiration for your own spaces. You’ll train your eye to notice how color lives all around you, from the pink light bouncing off a building you see every day to the exact blue of the ocean on your last getaway. You can even learn how to express yourself through your own custom palette with Rebecca’s accessible, illustrated overview of color theory. As you embark on your color hunt and begin to trust your own instincts, Living with Color will embolden you to breathe life into every part of your home.
From the author of The Automatic Diet: “A useful yet fun book that could provide the push you all need to achieve lasting change” (Shape). Ever get the sense that you’re reliving the same events, arguments, and frustrations again and again? Does your relationship, job, or diet always begin full of hope, but, somehow, fail to work out in the end? In Breaking the Pattern, nutrition and public health advocate Dr. Charles Platkin synthesizes years of research in psychology, motivation, success, and achievement into the “The 5 Principles You Need to Remodel Your Life,” helping readers take action in those areas where they feel stuck or doomed to repeat negative experiences. Through a series of self-reflective exercises, Platkin encourages readers to examine their successes and failures, identifying, analyzing, and finally breaking the very patterns that have kept them from realizing their dreams. By incorporating inspirational quotes and stories throughout the book, Platkin creates a positive, healing environment in which even the most self-doubting reader can gain the support and motivation necessary to begin to change his or her life for the better. “[Platkin] breaks down five principles necessary to transform your life . . . And he’s not just spouting theory.” —The Dallas Morning News “Breaking the Pattern blends cozy inspiration with a dose of military rigidity.” —The Denver Post “A road map for anyone who’s failed at New Year’s resolution, or any goal for personal change.” —San Jose Mercury News
Master techniques for using pattern in wide range of design applications including architectural, textiles, print, more. Wealth of technical information. Over 270 design illustrations.
Bursting with beautiful ideas for bringing a signature mid-century look into your own space, as well as practical advice on what will work where, this is an essential guide for any lover of interior design and mid-century style. In this beautifully photographed book, Mark and Keith of Mini Moderns show you how to create a timeless mid-century look in your own home. Known for their striking use of pattern and colour, Mark and Keith's designs are inspired by everything from childhood memories to commentaries on popular culture, and through this lens they explore how different influences and designers have created key mid-century looks. They delve into the cornerstones of mid-century style, from colour and pattern to materials and curation, and share their secrets on how to bring together the things you love to create your own look. They also include inspirational case studies to demonstrate particular looks, from Beatnik Beach House to Scandi Rustic, Seaside Modern to Studio Townhouse.
Planning a sewing getaway? Heidi Staples of sewing blog Fabric Mutt presents everything needed to have a successful trip, including helpful packing and organizing tips. Each section of this fun, colorful book is organized with travel in mind, offering small, medium, and large projects to be achieved while on the perfect sewing retreat: --Daytrips: Small projects include a Bookmobile Sleeve, Road Trip Pillow, Snapshot Needlebook, Sewing Bee Pincushion, and Coffee Shop Coasters --Weekend Retreats: Bigger projects include a Patio Pillow, Beachcomber Pouch, Kitchenette Set, Scout's Honor Pouch, and a Color Book --Summer Vacations: Extended projects include a Big Bear Cabin Quilt and Palm Springs Bag Get ready to have a fabulous sewing retreat!
Featuring interiors by today’s top designers, The Power of Pattern shows how wallpaper and fabric designs can be used to elevate and personalize every room. Both a beautiful interiors book and a resource guide, it features a diversity of interiors and styles, showcasing the patterns themselves in full-page splendor. Best-selling interiors author Susanna Salk turns her focus to patterns, celebrating their versatility and creative possibilities, from a dash of colorful pattern in the entryway to the whimsy of a uniquely upholstered chair in the dining room or a luxuriously textured bedroom curtain. A practical primer on the many motifs available—“Nature”, “Animal”, “Floral”, “Ikat”, “Chinoiserie”, “Stripes”, and “Toile” are some of the chapters—this volume presents myriad versions of each, with inspiring examples of how to decorate with them. Salk also provides tips on how to use pattern in a particular space—for example, stripes create the illusion of a bigger room, and floral patterns look modern and bold (not fussy) when used on a big scale in bright colors. Presenting rooms by design stars such as Alessandra Branca, Miles Redd, Martyn Lawrence Bullard, and Mary McDonald, among others, The Power of Pattern teaches how to mix and match to make a house look effortlessly decorated. And Salk’s encouraging design tips give inspirational ideas and practical tips, opening up a world of decorating creativity.
Scandinavian fashion has long been admired for its stylish, clean-lined, interesting cuts and aesthetic. Breaking the Pattern is the first authentic dressmaking book that showcases the beauty and uniqueness of Scandinavian style. Complete with stunning photography, clear illustrations and instructions this book will show you how to create a coherent capsule wardrobe – complete with a collection of 10 garments that are easy to make, wear, and combine with each other. From the Finnish sewing duo behind the dressmaking fashion label Named, Laura and Saara offer up an enticing selection of tops, dresses, skirt and trousers for the modern seamstress. You will build your skills as you work through the book and with plenty of variations suggested for each garment, there's lots of room for you to add your own personal touches and quirks to each design. Taking you beyond the patterns featured in this book, Breaking the Pattern will inspire you to not only build on your sewing repertoire but to grow in confidence with your own sewing. Patterns come in a range of sizes from US sizes 4 to 16, with concise information of measuring yourself and finding the perfect fit. Full size pattern sheets are included in this neat package, perfect for the contemporary dressmaker.
