Home and Garden Recent Picks

This issue - Dec 2007 / Jan 2008

The title-underlined links will take you directly to our catalogue.
Some featured items are linked via a book cover to enable you to read more reviews.

Vacation homes : and perfect weekend hideaways by Karen Howes.
"This stunningly illustrated book features 40 vacation homes from around the world, reflecting a range of cultures, and reveals the extraordinary variety of places people go to get away from it all. While some of the properties are highly sophisticated, others are shabby chic or echo the local vernacular, their individuality a testament to each owner's sense of style. From a luxury spa in the wilds of the Colorado Mountains to a stone cottage in the Yorkshire Moors, and from an iron-roofed cabin in the African bush to farmhouse in Provence, this book features every type of vacation home imaginable. There is also a useful directory providing contact details of the featured designers and information on the houses that are available to rent. This book will appeal as much to the armchair traveller as to those wishing to do up their home-away-from home in the sun." (Book Cover)

Simple style : fresh looks for a pure, natural home by Lindsay Porter.
"Today many of the qualities we find visually pleasing are the ones that work to create a beautiful tranquil home environment while taking into account the requirements of real people. This book is a guide to creating this simple, natural look in every area of the house, offering step-by-step features on refurbishing old surface, customising furniture, making the most of soft furnishings and adding the final details. Reclaim pieces of lace and linen for beautiful bedding; rub colour into shutters to recreate the feeling of the seaside, or collect driftwood for simple bathroom shelving. A comprehensive section looking at colour and texture suggests ways of drawing inspiration from natural elements and introducing them into the home. With its fresh, uncomplicated design ideas that cab be achieved inexpensively but effectively, and with no need for specialist knowledge, Simple Style is a practical, visual guide to creating contemporary, but timeless interiors." (Cover)

Bathroom ideas that work : creative design solutions for your home by Scott Gibson.
"The bathroom you have always dreamed of starts here! Over 350 ideas covering a range of bathroom styles and sizes plus top-notch design advice combine to create this source book. Inside you'll learn to make smart choices about what you really want in your bathroom, plus options for how to combine everything to create a bathroom that works for you. Special features include: the essentials, comparison charts that provide the most important information you need to make smart buying decisions. Design galleries: showcase even more options for everything to countertops and sinks to showers, tubs and lighting. Putting it all together: case studies that show you dozens of bathrooms that work in a range of sizes, styles and budgets. (Book cover)

Gardening when it counts : growing food in hard times, Steve Solomon.
"The Decline of Cheap Oil and the threat of harder times to come is prompting people to grow more food themselves. But currently popular intensive vegetable gardening methods depend on cheap oil, requiring high inputs of water, fertility and organic matter. Prior to the 1970s, home food growing used more land because wider plant spacing reduces the need for irrigation and requires lower levels of soil fertility to be productive - and well-spaced plants can be weeded rapidly and conveniently with hand tools while standing upright. But these efficient systems have been largely forgotten. Gardening When It Counts helps readers rediscover these traditional low-input gardening methods in their quest to produce healthy and affordable food. Helpfully illustrated, it covers a host of material including: vegetables ranked by how difficult they are to grow, Root systems as the key to gardening mastery, Seeds, spacing and irrigation, Home made organic fertilizer that really works, How to choose, use and sharpen hand tools, Compost making, root-cellaring and irrigation, Chemical-free handling of insects and diseases, Designed for readers with no experience, yet an eye-opener for even the seasoned gardener, Gardening When It Counts returns the backyard food garden to centre stage for uncertain times ahead." (Book cover)

Foliage for the contemporary New Zealand garden by Julian Matthews.
"As life becomes busier and gardeners look for more permanence in their landscaping, foliage plants have come into their own. In this authoritative overview of 114 of the best foliage plants for a range of climates and regions, renowned garden writer Julian Matthews uses stunning photographs to illustrate their inherent beauty and distinctive qualities. With full care and cultivation advice and handsome layout, this book is an indispensable gardeners' and landscapers' aid." (Book cover)

Designed life. Apartments by Kelley Cheng, Narelle Yabuka
"In dense Asian metropolises such as Hong Kong and Singapore, apartment dwelling has for decades been an integral part of urban life. Elsewhere in the region, such as in large Australian cities, a noticeable lifestyle shift is under way, seeing a boom in construction of inner-city apartment blocks, and the recycling of historic (and often industrial) structures into residential building. Indeed, all over the Asia Pacific region, there are many fine examples of thoughtful and stylish apartment interior design. Collected here are some of the most intriguing examples, which, despite their varied locations, all share a common characteristic the provision of an inner realm where unique design tactics have been specifically tailored to personal lifestyles. Explore these zones of unbridled self-expression, and snatch a peek at some well-designed lives." (Library catalogue)

The perfect kitchen by Alexandra Parsons.
"For the perfect country kitchen, go to the experts at "Country Living": with their smart advice and beautiful color photos, they can help make your dream room take shape. Whether you're designing a brand-new kitchen, remodeling an old one, or sprucing up selected areas, see how to achieve a balance of comfort, efficiency, and good looks. Even the most old-fashioned farmhouse kitchen can be modernized with under-floor heating, state-of-the-art ventilation and refrigeration, and industrial-grade efficiency. All the information on planning is wonderfully organized, with details on work sequence, ventilation, countertops, cabinets, walls, floor, appliances, food storage, and more. Tempting pictures showcase different design styles, from Shaker to Retro to Rustic, and offer ideas for making the kitchen the heart and hub of the home." (Library catalogue)

Kitchen ideas that work : creative design solutions for your home by Beth Veillette.
"Over 400 ideas covering a range of kitchen styles and sizes plus top-notch design advice combine to create the only kitchen design sourcebook you'll ever need. Inside you'll learn how to make smart choices about what you really want in your kitchen plus options for how to combine everything to create a kitchen that works for you." (Book Jacket)

A slice of organic life by Sheherazade Goldsmith.
"Do you dream of growing your own vegetables, making jam form freshly picked fruit, or keeping a couple of chickens? Are you and your family longing for a cleaner, greener more wholesome life? Whatever the size of your garden - even if you live in the city - this book is packed with brilliant ideas and simple solutions that set you on the path to a more organic ands sustainable lifestyle. A slice of organic life has projects for everyone." (Book Jacket)

Urban pads : hip living in the city by Kelley Cheng.

Tea for the tui : fun recipes to entice birds to your garden by Rosemary Tully.
"Birds add life movement and colour to any kiwi garden, and this beautiful book of nearly forty nutritious recipes provides the ideal way of tempting them to pay a visit but also ensuring they stay healthy all year round, particularly during winter. Using everyday ingredients from the pantry such as seeds, breads and fruits and vegetables, the recipes are inexpensive, easy and fun to make, making them an ideal pastime for all the family. From Bird bread pudding to Blueberry butter balls, there is something in Tea for the Tui for a wide range of native and introduced birds. There's also a list of contact details and websites if you are keen to find out more about caring for garden wildlife in New Zealand." (Book Cover)

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