Book Review: Conran on Color

Conran on Colour by Terrence Conran

Published by Conran Octopus

 

 

Terrence Conran is a master of design. His knowledge of color and shape has made him one of the world's most dynamic designers and retailers. We all know that handling color takes a certain confidence and skill, even the absence of color still makes us aware of how powerful color is. Certainly the most affordable of any design changes, and one of the most potent is changing color, but how do we do that in a way that makes sense, fits the space, and keeps us satiated with our choice? Well, if you've been wondering - look no further, you'll find the answers in Conran on Colour.

 

Terrence Conran found Habitat, a chain of home goods stores in Europe that brought modern design to the general public for the first time. Habitat sells everything from customizable furniture to lighting and throw pillows, and has thrived for over 50-years, changing the way that most Europeans have seen their home, and what they can do within it, forever. He brought his expertise state side in 2013 when he partnered with US retailer JCPenney to design an exclusive range of furniture and lighting, along with small accessories for the home.

 

Knighted for his services to design in 1983, Terrence still continues to master color, and shape design, and has been provost of the Royal College of Art in London. When you have an opportunity to read, and learn from the foremost authority on color, why would you not buy Conran on Colour for your design library? Let's take a peek inside:

 

 

 Photo Credit: Time Inc UK Content; Conran on Colour

 

The photos in the book illustrate the the science of color, and how colors can work together to build a space that is beautiful and harmonious. From wall color to accent fabrics and decor.

 

 Photo Credit: Time Inc UK Content; Conran on Colour

 Photo Credit: Michael Paul/Living Inside; Conran on Colour

 Photo Credit: David Garcia; Conran on Colour

 

Conran on Colour also dives into texture and subtlety in neutral spaces, which are so popular right now, and can be difficult to get right!

 

 Photo Credit: Pascal Francois; Conran on Colour

 Photo Credit: Bertrand Limbour/House of Pictures (Owners/Design: Natasha and Henri Charles Hermans, Polyedre); Conran on Colour

 

 Photo Credit: Tommy Durath/House of Pictures (Styling: Anna Ornberg/House of Pictures);

Conran on Colour

 

A wonderful resource book on color and the science behind why they work together the way they do, Conran on Colour is a book you'll definitely not regret adding to your design library. Filled with beautiful rooms to illustrate how color works, where to use color, when to use color, and how to filter color and texture throughout a room, the book operates as an instructional tool for designers and decorators, but is beautiful enough to live like a coffee table book! Take a further look, and buy your copy via the amazon link below:  





Book Review: Patternity - A New Way of Seeing

Patternity: A New Way of Seeing: The Inspiration Power of Pattern

 by Anne Murray and Grace Winteringham

Published by Conran Octopus 2015

 

Pattern is everywhere we go and in everything we do. Of course, as design minded people we know that pattern exists in everything in the home, from fabric to wallpaper to carpet; but there are millions of patterns we fail to see, or likely pay no attention to. PATTERNITY, a comprehensive archive of pattern compiled by Anne Murray and Grace Winteringham is a habit-forming website you'll need to know if you don't already, and their book Patternity: A New Way of Seeing: The Inspiration Power of Pattern will become as wonderful a resource! The book considers pattern in three parts:

• Curiosity - pattern inspiration and awareness
• Collaboration - pattern innovation and championing cross-disciplinary collaboration
• Connectivity - pattern exploration, interconnectivity and scale, from micro to macro

Their site, and their new book, is more than just a carefully collected vault of beautiful images, showcasing pattern. It's a sort of social study in pattern - in life - and what we see and don't see, what we experience without truly grasping, and how we are all connected to our environment and each other through pattern we experience equally, every minute of our day.

 

The book is an anthology of vivid and stunning photos. Truly a coffee table book by design while maintaining a text book integrity with valuable and skillful introductions and explanations by the authors. A few of my favorite images, and their pattern explanation:

 

Car Park Crosses, PATTERNITY, Hong Kong

 

Triangle

The rarest of all naturally occurring shapes, it has influenced our environment in a myriad of subtle ways, from dress and skirt shapes to church spires and even rocket components.

 

Bending Bin, PATTERNITY, Croatia

 

Square

A disruption of lucidity, instantly recognizable, deeply pacifying. No where is the square more clearly employed as a symbol of modern civilization than in a town square: a public space that was created for political mediation and social interaction.

 

Lane Lines, Rory van Millingen, fashion: Kiko Kostadinov

 

Stripes

The stripe serves to add character and identity, simple and unique, binary.

 

The book goes into great intellectual detail about shape, texture, and design - asking for thoughtful consideration of the balance and interconnectivity of pattern in our environments. If you're a reader (and I'm sure many of you are - hence this blog) and you're also a lover of design - you'll definitely want to put Patternity: A New Way of Seeing: The Inspiration Power of Pattern on your Must Have list.

 

With the education you'll receive of how pattern works, how it's perceived and how we meander through pattern to create looks that are covetable - you'll be able to look at your home, your wardrobe, and your environment in a whole new way!  Grab your copy via the Amazon link below.



Book Review: Absolutely Beautiful Things

Absolutely Beautiful Things: A Bright and Colourful Live by Anna Spiro

Published By Conran / Octopus Publishing

Distributed by Hachette Book Group

 

Many of you are familiar with the beautiful Australian blog, Absolutely Beautiful Things, written by Brisbane interior designer Anna Spiro. You are then likely also familiar with her book Absolutely Beautiful Things: A Bright and Colourful Live. However, if you are not, or if you have not had a chance to add this book to your collection of inspiring interior design publications, you're truly missing out!

 

The book, with its bold and colorful cover, painted by Pip Boydell, is inspiring from the moment you pick it up! Filled with beautiful homes, chock full of the "more is more" aesthetic that Spiro pulls off effortlessly, Absolutely Beautiful Things is a beautiful collection of inspiring images and worthwhile advice that you can use to create a new look in any room of your home, likely with objects you already have! Who doesn't like that!?

 

Yes, Anna has a very beautiful, very deliberate look that is mixed and layered with beautiful things that are unique and special. Pattern upon pattern, color galore, old mixed with new, quirky with conservative. Her spaces are perfectly imperfect, and the book is a special mix of lavish photos that detail how with the right touch, you can make your house a home.

 

  

Along with dazzling photographs of rooms Anna has created, she shares many of her secrets from a life in decorating, gives practical details on how to work with pattern and color, and provides a room-by-room guide to furniture choices. Without further ado, let's get to some of the photos from the book, shall we?

 

 

 

 

Gorgeous, right? It's very definitely one of the BEST books I have in my library when it comes to inspiration for staging and vignettes, and the pattern pairing and art display are beyond compare. With 224 pages of inspiration at your finger tips, I urge you to grab this one for yourself and a friend! You won't regret it! The book can be purchased on Amazon via the link below.