gathering spriggs

Good Reads Never Fade

Do you have favorite books lining your shelves that you enjoy keeping around for good company? Curling up in a chair with one of these dear friends is a perfect way to spend the afternoon in winter. Over the weekend I perused the shelves of a local used bookstore and found these two treasures (for less than $2). Flipping through their fragrant pages, I stopped at the copyright page with astonishment to find these books were published ten years ago! Fascinated by this strange attraction (I rarely can stand to look at decorating books more than 2 old), I began musing over what makes a good design book have staying power through trends and fads.  Well, for me, in this case,its Atlanta Bartlett  one of my current design icons, and Ryland Peters & Small the publisher of both these books:  The Comforts of Home and Floral House. 

Its compelling that each book is filled with light, pastel hues, white washed flooring which seem to put these ahead of their time. Or maybe its my fascination with simple, modern romance and touches of feminine florals that feeds my attraction for these timeless treasures. 

What is your take? Can you read past issues of magazines or design books past their prime? What is your attraction to good reads that never fade? 

images: heather spriggs thompson for gathering spriggs

Paumes

Have you ever awoken from a dream of a wonderfully magical place and then felt the ache that follows when reality hits? That has been my pattern this week and I thought the ache would continue haunting me until I opened my email inbox and found a request from the Japanese publisher, Paumes to share with you their latest project, Belgium Family Style. I was so enamored by the beauty of its pages that I have been searching their website for more beauty, the airy light filled rooms inspired by European summers. Although I don't read Japanese or French I managed to find my way around on my quest and discovered other books, a shop and blog. Hope you enjoy this mini online vacation too! (And if anyone can read Japanese I would love to learn more.)

images:paumes

Book Review : At Home With Country

 

 

 

 

 

Dear friends. Today I have a momentous occasion to share with you... My first book review from one of my favorite style setters, Christina Strutt of London's Cabbages & Roses. Include with that a beautiful introduction from THE Tricia Foley (whose own home is featured in the book) and I am in English Country heaven! At Home with Country is a formidable publication that has stirred my heart, memories of yesteryear and my love for all things peacefully romantic. But it is the spirit of Strutt's Cabbages & Roses and its quiet whispers of domesticity in uncertain times that causes it to rise above your ordinary decorating book. In Christina's own words: "Cabbages & Roses has stood its ground for the ten years it has been alive. We have gently grown and expanded, whispering rather than shouting, quietly infiltrating lives and homes throughout the world in the nicest possible way."

In doing so, Christina has traveled the globe in search of homes to share which she has treated with this delicate design philosophy.  These beautifully adorned places however wouldn't be represented properly without the dreamy images of Edina van der Wyck. From the American East Coast to British Country homes (even a houseboat) to a New York loft or a Dutch Farming community Strutt's style graces these homes with "quiet infiltration".

One of my personal favorites was her own home at Brook Cottage with its bespoke touches and the evidence of a real, lived in quality. Strutt makes no qualms sharing with us the everyday usability of her own home and how she transforms it from dog friendly everyday to dinner party formal.  These lovely peeks into the homes of real people with down to earth hospitality are what establish this publication as a superlative read.  And this open door policy throughout its pages create an invitation for readers of all style sensibilities with tips on incorporating bits of country into many possible scenarios, so you too can be At Home with Country. 

At Home with Country by Christina Strutt. CICO Books, $29.95; www.cicobooks.com

Photo Credit: Edina van der Wyck