Inside an art gallery, it is easy to forget that the paintings there are the end products of a process involving not only creative inspiration, but also plenty of physical and logistical details. It is these "cruder," more mundane aspects of a painter's daily routine that motivated Brooklyn artist Joe Fig to embark almost ten years ago on a highly unorthodox, multilayered exploration of the working life of the professional artist. Determined to ground his research in the physical world, Fig began constructing a series of diorama-like miniature reproductions of the studios of modern art's most legendary painters, such as Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning. A desire for firsthand references led Fig to approach contemporary artists for access to their studios. Armed with a camera and a self-made "Artist's Questionnaire," Fig began a journey through the workspaces of some of today's most exciting contemporary artists.
We are bombarded by perfect interiors, images that aren't attainable because they have been styled to the point where they bear no resemblance to reality. These interiors may be stunning, but they aren't an honest reflection of how we really live. Life Unstyled is about taking inspiration from real homes that are beautiful, creative and inspiring but at the same time a little rough around the edges, with signs of everyday life evident throughout. The first section, 'Homes Unstyled', sets out Emily's manifesto for creating a stylish home that is beautiful but lived in. A Home is Never Done advocates allowing your space to evolve gradually so it is an ever-changing expression of your tastes and interests. Work with What You've Got suggests ways to make the most of the home you have rather than yearning for unattainable perfection. Signs of Life offers ideas for wrangling papers, clutter and other stuff. Creative Clutter tackles collections and displays, while Break the Rules rejects style diktats and shows how individuality can bring a home to life. The second section, 'People Live Here', visits real-life homes that are definitely not perfect yet display incredible style and creativity and reflect their owners' needs, tastes and style. And throughout the book, quick fixes, DIY makes and ' Every Home Should Have...' boxes offer creative solutions with unique results.
This debut book from acclaimed Los Angeles lifestyle brand Poketo proves creativity can be sparked anywhere. From a colorful desk in a tiny closet to expansive homes, Creative Spaces explores the lives, homes, and studios of 23 artistic entrepreneurs, authors, and designers through a collection of inspired interiors from across the country that brings art into the everyday. With stunning photography, intimate profiles, and unexpected takeaways, the book showcases an eclectic mix of creatives, including artist Adam J. Kurtz, ceramicist Helen Levi, and DJ Chris Manak, among others. Fusing lifestyle with interior design, this peek into the spaces and lives of creative professionals will motivate dreamers and thinkers to become doers and makers.
Artists in Residence explores the homes of 17 legendary and contemporary artists. Readers can peek inside Georgia O'Keeffe's adobe courtyards, stroll through Henri Matisse's vibrant aviary, and peruse Jean-Michel Basquiat's collection of over 1,000 videotapes. A house or an apartment is not simply a place to eat and sleep for these artists; they transform quotidian spaces into dynamic reflections of their individual artistic preoccupations. • Offers a fascinating and inspiring blend of art history, interior design, and travel • Invites readers to peer behind the closed doors of top artists from around the world • Richly illustrated throughout Through vivid text and image, Artists in Residence explores how each artist's living space relates to their individual and distinct artist practice. Readers gain a deeper appreciation of their favorite artists' work, and perhaps discover a new favorite visual along the way. • This petite jacketed hardcover book makes a wonderful gift for artists and art fans everywhere.
Fascinating collectors open their homes to reveal the weird and wonderful world of natural objects. From the nineteenth century’s cabinets of curiosity to today’s interest in sustainable de´cor, obsessive collectors of natural objects have long filled their homes with their finds—everything from fossils and feathers to seeds and dried flowers. This book offers a glimpse inside twenty homes of the most interesting and creative contemporary collectors, revealing the stories behind their collections and how they celebrate their love of nature in their everyday spaces. People have always collected mementos from the natural world: amateur and professional naturalists of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, foragers, beachcombers, and taxidermists today. A new generation of naturalists are using their collections to craft creative careers and decorate their homes with their finds. From a German manor filled with antique taxidermy to the Paris apartment of a sculptor working with feathers and an Italian beachside retreat that showcases foraged shells and pebbles, this book provides a wealth of inspiration for celebrating the beauty of the world around us. Full of practical tips on everything from curating a shelf of objects to intricately decorating walls and surfaces with ecological finds, this volume offers plenty of ideas readers can apply in their own homes. With our ever-increasing interest in finding new ways to reconnect with nature and sustainability, this is inspirational reading for all those who want to bring the outdoors in.
The first book from acclaimed Australian interior designer Tamsin Johnson, known for her fresh interiors that evoke luxurious ease and coastal elegance. Tamsin Johnson’s international high-end residential projects reflect her signature ability to combine pieces from across decades and continents in ways that feel understated and natural. This knack for appearing effortless brings the ultimate level of sophistication to her work. Johnson favors elements of surprise and a sense of play in her designs, as evident in contrasts of scale, the bold use of art, and the sculptural nature of the furniture she selects or commissions. Her spaces celebrate comfort, character, and user-friendly design, and this philosophy is tangible in her showroom, where a veneration of European heritage is balanced with characteristics of modern coastal Australia. Under Johnson’s artful eye, traditional pieces become unexpectedly lighter, and a sense of luxurious ease pervades. In a trade which requires an eye for historical value, the objects Johnson sources and collects to accent her interiors have contemporary appeal—everything feels relevant and persuasive, as if even the most formal of objects could sit comfortably by your bedside. Johnson gracefully shares her ideas, images, and stories to illustrate these principles for readers, resulting in a book that is both a rich visual resource and design reference.
A celebration of the innovative, artisanal, and sustainable living exemplified by contemporary Dutch interiors. With a carefully curated collection of interiors, including historic canal houses, restored farms, and green homes, belonging to interior designers, product designers, architects, and artists, this book showcases creative and resourceful living. These properties have been created or renovated and brought into the twenty-first century with typical Dutch style and sensibility—environmentally friendly, imaginative uses of space filled with color and charm and never to be taken too seriously. Each home in the book reflects the personality and spirit of the people who inhabit it. From furniture designer Valentin Loellman’s handcrafted interiors in a traditional worker’s cottage on the Maas river to fiber artist Claudy Jongstra’s farmhouse in Friesland where indigo dye plants grow in the biodynamic garden, Coming Home illustrates fun ideas and easy ways to incorporate individual style into your surroundings. Whether it’s the traditional “lowlands” aesthetic of combining old and new, faded and inviting, into a casual chic or a quirky reinvention of a space that reveals a touch of eccentricity, this book illustrates why the Netherlands is truly loved by so many and can be an inspiration to us all.
A stunning collection of homes and studios of 15 extraordinary artists, from painter Georgia O’Keeffe’s Abiquiú home and sculptor Isamu Noguchi’s Japanese retreat to new discoveries such as Gordon Onslow Ford’s California haven. Noted photographer Leslie Williamson’s latest book presents the homes and studios from a group of renowned artists, ranging from Barbara Hepworth to Joan Miró. Documented in her inimitable atmospheric style, the images capture how these artists lived and worked. Williamson’s images reveal not only these artists’ creative process as viewed through their studios, but also shows how they manifested their creativity in the stylish interiors and the personal touches in the spaces they called home. The spaces featured range from Vanessa Bell’s proto–shabby chic home Charleston in southern England to Andrew Wyeth’s Yankee-chic farmhouse in Pennsylvania. Taken together, Still Lives is a must-have document to inspire and illuminate for art lovers, interiors enthusiasts, and the cultured reader.
Meet the creative women who are living life on their own terms, and the unique living spaces they have designed and inhabit in this lavishly produced volume. Creative practitioners, philosophers, and rebels, the women chronicled in this volume refuse to compartmentalize or neglect any of their talents or interests. Instead, their lives are a canvas for their artistry. We see it in their homes and studios, on their tables, and in their wardrobes. Equal parts biography and interior design study, A Room of Her Own features twenty extraordinary women and takes us on a private tour across the world into their personal and professional domains. Among them are painters, sculptors, writers, chefs, designers, jewelers, curators, makers, and directors. While each woman has navigated a unique path, they are united in their refusal to play by the rules of others. Taking in the likes of the grand, sweeping halls of a castle in the Austrian countryside, a convent-like property in Mexico, and a cozy home on the banks of the Hudson, this book celebrates the homes, philosophies, design aesthetics, and practices of these inspiring multihyphenates.