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New Zealand Home & Building, October-November 1998

new and inspiring reads for design lovers

page 49

new and inspiring reads for design lovers

Sensual Living
Conran Octopus $59.95

Photographer and stylist Claire Lloyd presents her interpretation of sensual living though the exquisite pages of this book. Sensual Living explores the way the senses function, how they interrelate and how they affect our moods and emotions. "The pleasure to be derived from our homes is dependent on all our senses," writes Ros Byam Shaw, in the accompanying text. Lloyd's seductive images call to mind the smell, taste, sound and feel of familiar objects - "the skim of slippery silk", "the hot hug of knitted wool" - while Shaw's evocative text explains how our senses react to different stimuli. Much of Sensual Living is devoted to 'the sixth sense', where the visual clues of previous chapters are illustrated in 'feel-good' room settings. As Shaw writes, at home we need to strip away trivial influences of fashion and marketing in order to "feel what we like". (Distributed by Reed Publishing.)

Dream Interiors
Arco $105

A source of inspiration for anyone seeking interior design ideas, Dream Interiors showcases current decorating trends from throughout the world. More than 100 projects are featured, ranging from streamlined urban interiors to those verging on the traditional. The accompanying text is brief, to allow the superb photographs star billing, though this is at the expense of details such as where the interiors are located, the clients they were designed for and who was responsible for their decoration. Instead, the text concentrates on discussing elements such as light, colour, use of space and the materials used in each design. More of a coffee-table reference book than a 'read', Dream Interiors is a companion to Dream Houses, a collection of homes by contemporary architects and designers, illustrated with large format photographs, plans and sketches. (Distributed by Bookwise.)

page 50

A Century of Design
Design Pioneers of the 20th Century

Mitchell Beazley $120

The 20th century has been the century of the designer with mass production ensuring that good design is available and affordable to millions. Arne Jacobsen and Eero Saarinen chairs, Philippe Starck lamps, and Michael Graves' Alessi kettles are among the creations that have become icons of 20th century style. A Century of Design explores the most important design movements of the last 100 years through profiles of influential designers. Each profile features a designer's major works, outlines sources of inspiration and explains how his or her work has, in turn, influenced other designers. From Mackintosh to Mariscal, the Wiener Werkstätte to frogdesign, A Century of Design is a comprehensive and well-illustrated reference that will appeal to design students and style enthusiasts alike. Professor Penny Sparke, of the Royal College of Art in London, has written widely on the history of design and her lively style makes this both an authoritative and accessible resource. (Distributed by Reed Consumer Books.)

Pure Style Outside
Ryland Peters & Small $49.95.

Jane Cumberbatch has stepped outdoors with her latest title, Pure Style Outside, which follows the same enticing format as her best-selling Pure Style. This is not a gardening book packed with daunting Latin names, impossible planting schemes, trendy plant varieties and grand ideas for garden furniture, says Cumberbatch. Rather it's about making the best of your outside space, whether it's a balcony, a vegetable patch or a back yard. Cumberbatch's down-to-earth approach to decoration is based on the timeless appeal of natural materials and objects that are functional as well as aesthetically pleasing. Here she offers resourceful solutions for making outside areas as colourful, textural, sensual, and pleasing to be in as any room in the home. This is a book to delve into again and again for inspiration. (Distributed by Reed Consumer Books.)

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