Tag: new books

Bespoke, Raw & Sensory: new interior design books

Tess

Amidst the mayhem of the holiday season, find solace in your home by implementing small yet impactful changes to your interiors. From simple updates in fabrics or upholstery, to complex floor-to-ceiling statement wallpapering projects, there’s a balance of trends and timeless tricks in these new interior design books to satisfy any and all of your home-improvement urges. Whether you fancy living like a Parisian designer, or have the urge to create a naturally wild escape in your living room, find your perfect balance between style and design in these interiors offerings, to freshen up your home this summer.

Inside : at home with great designers / Freund, Joan Barzilay
“The homes of interior designers are the places where all the knowledge and decorating expertise they have perfected can be seen in their fullest expression. Inside: At Home with Great Designers is a private tour of the homes of sixty of the most talented and accomplished creatives working in the design world today. This revelatory book allows us unique insight into how and where designers live and showcases an inspiring and aspirational kaleidoscope of homes around the world.” (Catalogue)

Steven Volpe : rooms / Volpe, Steven
“The first book on the work of Steven Volpe, a designer acclaimed for his grand-scale, bespoke interiors and his impeccable craftsmanship. Volpe is king of blurring the line between art and furnishings, to create truly unique and flawless designs.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

 

 

Americana soul : homes designed with love, comfort, and intention / Caldwell, Luke
“Caldwell shares his secrets for creating timeless and organic spaces that are warm, inviting, livable, and beautiful. Organized by design style—Timber and Love, Natural and Organic, and Classic and Cozy—this book is filled with photography that showcases the bones and flow of the spaces as well as the details that make them unique.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

More more more : making Maximalism work in your home and life / Llewelyn-Bowen, Laurence
“This book will allow you to break free of the chains of twentieth-century modernist orthodoxy. With a promise of bright, densely curated rooms where personal treasures, heirlooms, family photos, and travel trinkets can all live free and loved under a maximalist sun!” (Adapted from Catalogue) 

 

Raw interiors : in the mood of Wabi-Sabi style
“Japanese minimalism stands at the core of Wabi Sabi, both a world view and aesthetic based on the acceptance of transience and imperfection. In recent years this has fueled the desire for raw interiors, modern spaces that soothe the soul with their beautiful simplicity and eclectic decor. This book features international projects that exemplify this modern approach to Wabi Sabi, featuring some of the most influential architects and interior designers in the world.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

The sensory home : an inspiring guide to mindful decorating / Jameson, Pippa
“Embrace mindful decorating and create a comfortable home that is kind to your senses and improves your wellbeing. Layout, colour, texture, scent, lighting and more can be used to create a calming or stimulating environment, including for neurodiverse individuals. This book offers hints and tips as well as long-term solutions to bring your vision of a warm, inviting and harmonious home to life.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Parisian by design : interiors by David Jimenez / Saeks, Diane Dorrans
“Interior designer David Jimenez has lived and worked in Paris for years, where he’s celebrated for his beautifully livable interiors. In these pages, Jimenez imparts ideas and inspiration for how we can design our own space for comfort and style, layer with textures and colors, and artfully arrange collections of art, collectibles, and books. A dream for Francophiles or anyone looking to artfully decorate their home, wherever they live.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Books do furnish a room : display, organize, store / Geddes-Brown, Leslie
“A collection of books affords not only access to endless pleasure and knowledge, but also, when skillfully deployed around the home, the opportunity to create a multitude of decorative impressions, whether classically formal, strikingly colourful or apparently artless. In this beautifully illustrated guide there’s inspirational and practical ideas that will inspire all bibliophiles to get the best from their beloved books.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Nature style : cultivating wellbeing at home with plants / Langan, Alana
“A practical guide to styling the home for health and harmony, using nature as a blueprint. With advice on styling houseplants as well as pro-tips on decor and materials. For those who seek to create a natural home, where houseplants are heroes.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Designing for the future: New books in Architecture

Tess

A clear trend across the new releases is a call for ecologically sensitive design practices, for both our residential and industrial spaces of the future. From the structural materials to labour and internal design choices, a common theme emerging from within the world of architectural design is the need for all aspects of society to embrace greener building practices.

Highlighted on multiple ‘Best of 2022’ lists is ‘Making Space: a history of New Zealand women in Architecture‘. Wellington historian Elizabeth Cox’s book has been praised for it’s comprehensive championing of female architects, and rightly so. It is a beautifully compiled, in-depth celebration of the significant contributions that Aotearoa’s female architects have made to their industry, many of whom had been overlooked in their time, or since relegated to the history books. Cox’s compilation shines a much needed light on the industry and celebrates the true diversity behind our architectural spaces.

Dive into these visually stunning, cutting-edge new books that envision the ways in which our homes, offices and public spaces can look better and function smarter, all while making the world feel good too.

Making space : a history of New Zealand women in architecture
“Brilliant, hardworking and creative, women architects have made many significant contributions to the built environment, creativity and community of Aotearoa New Zealand. This groundbreaking book spans over a century, telling the story of women making space for themselves in a male-dominated profession while designing architectural, landscape and urban spaces.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

 

Architecture : from prehistory to climate emergency / Calder, Barnabas
“The buildings we live in, from the humblest pre-historic huts to today’s skyscrapers, reveal our priorities and ambitions, our family structures and power structures. In this ground-breaking history of world architecture, Calder takes us on a dazzling tour of some of the most astonishing buildings of the past fifteen thousand years. Calder argues if we are to avoid catastrophic climate change then now, more than ever, we need beautiful but also intelligent architecture, and to retrofit – not demolish – the buildings we already have. (Adapted from Catalogue)

 

Living in the forest : contemporary houses in the woods
“Take a walk through the forest in this dynamic survey of contemporary forest homes. Each architect-designed house, whether demonstrating innovative ecological design or shoring against the elements, explores a different facet of woodland living across a huge range of countries worldwide. Connecting us to nature through their affinity with trees, each home in this collection powerfully demonstrates the importance of green living.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Eco-cities : new healthy architecture
“The projects presented in this book are magnificent recent examples of how architecture can create attractive residential buildings aware of their social function, promoting interaction between users and the harmonious relationship of the community with its natural and urban environment. Showing a great sensitivity towards issues such as sustainability, eco efficiency, or the integration and conservation of historical and industrial heritage.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Never too small : reimagining small space living / Beath, Joel
“What does the future of urban living look like? Never Too Small explores this question through the lens of five small-footprint design principles and a showcase of 30 apartments and houses form around the world, all smaller than 50 square meters. Full of inspiration we can each apply to our own homes, this is a book that proves living better doesn’t have to mean living larger.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

 

Eco-houses : sustainability & quality of life
“Sustainable design integrates consideration of resource and energy efficiency, healthy buildings and materials, ecologically and socially sensitive land-use, and an aesthetic sensitivity that inspire and affirms. In order to face these challenges, innovative and varied building strategies have been developed to contribute to the achievement of environmentally friendly homes that are alive and “breathe.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

 

Bring the World to your Kitchen

Rachel

Here are some of the latest cook books released this month. They are themed on flavours and recipes from around the world for you to try.  One night you could be in Jamaica and the next night you could be in Greece; the options are endless.  Take your cooking to a different part of the world and try something new.

The nutmeg trail : recipes and stories along the ancient spice routes / Ford, Eleanor
“In this richly illustrated volume, Eleanor Ford uses recipes as maps as she takes readers on a culinary journey that weaves through history and around the world. She explores both the flavour profiles and the spread of spices. This unparalleled volume provides 80 flavourful recipes for entrées, appetizers, sides dishes, and more, enabling you to make a divine garlic clove vegetable curry, jasmine tea-smoked chicken, as well as staple spice pastes and mixtures to have on-hand. The result will enable you to stock up and to have a home kitchen rich in international flavour and fragrance.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

West winds : recipes, history and tales from Jamaica / Phillips, Riaz
“A beautiful cookbook that celebrates the nuance in Caribbean cooking, focussing specifically on Jamaica, in over 100 recipes. Delve into West Winds– the most-talked-about cookbook of 2022 and a joyous celebration of Jamaican food culture. With 100 traditional and delicious dishes that draw on Riaz’s memories, West Winds is so much more than a showcase of Jamaican cooking, it is also rooted in the exploration of the island’s heritage and culture.  Take a trip to Jamaica with West Winds”–Publisher’s description.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Lebanese cuisine : the authentic cookbook / Kazan, Samira
“Filled with an abundance of recipes that use healthy, fresh ingredients, this complete collection of Lebanese meals is derived from meetings with top chefs in Lebanon who serve up the best this cuisine has to offer.” (Catalogue)

 

 

Persiana everyday / Ghayour, Sabrina
“The all-new collection of more than 100 crowd-pleasing recipes for everyday eating from the author of the award-winning, Sunday Times bestselling cookbook Persiana. Designed to ensure maximum flavour with the greatest of ease – including no-cook, quick-prep, quick-cook and one-pot dishes, Persiana Everyday is full of generous, inviting and delicious recipes to cook again and again for family and friends”–Publisher’s description.” (Catalogue)

 

Simply more Greek : foods from the garden, the sea and the bakery / Bardis, Ruth
“Simply More Greek is the third book on Greek cookery written and photographed by international award-winning author Ruth Bardis. This book is an extension to her previous books featuring a collection of other traditional foods, not commonly found in cookbooks that are meat free; a must have for pescatarians and vegetarians or those wanting to expand on their common Greek repertoire. Ruth’s food inspiration, vibrant photography, design skills and personality shines through every page.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Pierogi : over 50 recipes to create perfect Polish dumplings / Zak, Zuza
“The bible of Polish dumplings, Pierogi is the essential cookbook for learning about this popular food. In North, South, East, West and Central we delve deep into the regions of Poland, along with the dumplings, traditions and stories that define them. In the Modern, Vegan, Festive, Creative and Gluten-free chapters, we find a fun take on dumplings for a contemporary audience. With beautiful location photography, thoughts on the history and development of pierogi, and tips and tricks for perfecting them, Pierogi is a deep-dive into this compelling and culturally significant food”–Publisher’s description.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

A curious absence of chickens : a journal of life, food and recipes from Puglia / Grigson, Sophie
“After her children grew up and left home, Sophie Grigson found herself living alone. About to turn 60, she took the decision to sell or give away most of her belongings, to pack up her car and to drive to Puglia on her own to start a new life. In a part of Italy where she didn’t know anyone, having last visited the region 40 years ago, this narrative book of food writing, stories and recipes brings to life the region, its food and the local characters that she meets along the way. This is a book about courage, hope, new horizons and, above all, delicious food.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Dine in Palestine : an authentic taste of Palestine in 60 recipes from my family to your table / Odeh, Heifa
“Re-create traditional, flavourful Palestinian meals at home with this comprehensive collection of Middle Eastern recipes. From familiar favourites like Dawali (Stuffed Grape Leaves with Beef), Shawarma and Baklawa, to more complex meals like Musakhan, Palestine’s national dish, Heifa Odeh has carefully adapted her family recipes with streamlined techniques, making it easier than ever to enjoy a taste of Palestine.” (Catalogue)

Positively blooming: New Springtime gardening reads

Tess

Take full advantage of the longer, warmer and sunnier Spring days we are currently enjoying by maximising your outdoor time. Gardening provides a vast array of positive health effects including gentle exercise, intellectual stimulation and therapeutic benefits, whilst also encouraging better rest and relaxation. Enjoy these newly released green-fingered reads, that include gorgeous photographic explorations of famous gardens around the globe, a DIY insect and birdhouse guide, and the story of an extinct plant that was recently re-grown from a 2,000 year old saved seed. There’s bloomingly good backyard inspiration to be discovered! 

Wild gardens : inspired by nature / Mahon, Stephanie
“A celebration of a beloved and unique garden style. The wild garden’s abundant, informal style, a mosaic of wildflowers and shrubs, is a haven that encourages wildlife to live and flourish. This book explores everything from wildflower meadows to woodland gardens and includes gems of practical advice on bringing elements into your own garden, including key techniques for rewilding.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

With nature : garden design by Fiona Brockhoff / Brockhoff, Fiona
“In this beautifully photographed book, Fiona Brockhoff takes us through her gardens in Australia – some never before seen – with tips, design guidance and inspiration to help you create your own sustainable, naturalistic and wholistic gardens. From small-space inner-city gardens to coastal and rural properties, Fiona Brockhoff’s name has become synonymous with environmentally sustainable garden design in Australia.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Gardens of the world : a celebration of the world’s most amazing gardens
“Explore the world’s most stunning gardens and gain expert knowledge that you can use in your own green space. Illustrated with inspiring photography and full of fascinating insights from expert gardeners. From the intricately planned and carefully curated to surrealist jungle dreamlands, these gardens prove that green-fingered ingenuity comes in many forms and thrives in even the most unlikely of locations.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Amazing gardens of the world : spectacular classic & contemporary gardens / Hambly, Vivienne
“Featuring the gardens of the Palace of Versailles, Beatrix Potter’s garden in the Lake District, Monet’s garden in France, and the Tivoli Gardens in Rome. This book celebrates of all types of gardens around the globe and the fascinating stories behind them.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Handmade houses and feeders for birds, bees, and butterflies : 35 havens for wildlife in your garden / McKee-Orsini, Michele
“These handmade birdhouses and feeders, bee hotels, and butterfly and ladybug homes will bring welcome visitors to your backyard.  Featuring an array of beautiful havens to build to attract more wildlife into your backyard. This book takes you through the basic woodworking and decorating skills you will need, with step-by-step project instructions, clear artwork, and stunning photography to inspire you to build your own backyard havens.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Food self-sufficiency : basic permaculture techniques for vegetable gardening, keeping chickens, raising bees, and more / Elger, Robert
“In this fully illustrated book, you’ll learn to create an autonomous, diversified, and sustainable backyard garden and to cultivate and maintain it following the main principles of permaculture. This book will inspire and guide you to move towards greater food autonomy, where you can grow grains, keep chickens, and add beehives to your garden.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

The age of seeds : how plants hack time and why our future depends on it / McMillan-Webster, Fiona
“When a 2000-year-old extinct date palm seed was discovered, no one expected it to still be alive. But it sprouted a healthy young date palm. That seeds produced millennia ago could still be viable today suggests seeds are capable of extreme lifespans. Yet many seeds, including those crucial to our everyday lives, don’t live very long at all. In The Age of Seeds Fiona McMillan-Webster tells the astonishing story of seed longevity, the crucial role they play in our everyday lives, and what that might mean for our future.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Drawn to it: new art books

Thomas

Here we have all you need to develop your existing drawing practise or get started with some basics.  Sketching scenes, animals and anatomy is the bread and butter of most artists; we’ve made these picks to offer a little bit for anyone planning on picking up a pencil or paintbrush.

Archetypes / Halstead, Diana
“In the 1990s Diana Halstead broke with the formal abstract paintings she had been exhibiting in the preceding years, and in a rush of work created a remarkable series of drawings, a selection of which are contained in this book. Halstead used an unusual technique in the works. Looking at them, we seem to see an artist entering a trance state, becoming fused, confused, with animals. Men and women have beaks. Heads crumble and regrow.  Mullet leap from fleshy hips. The distinctions between the human and the non-human dissolve. Nature reclaims us.”–Introduction by Scott Hamilton.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Anatomy for the artist : a complete guide to drawing the human body / Crouch, Jennifer
“An understanding of anatomy is essential to being able to draw the human body, whether at rest or in movement. With more than 200 beautiful illustrations, Anatomy for the Artist is a comprehensive guide to drawing the human body with skill and sensitivity. Fully annotated with step-by-step explanations that will help you to create accurate images with ease, it is the perfect reference for the beginner or the more experienced artist looking to improve their technique.” — From back cover.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

I paint what I want to see / Guston, Philip
“How does a painter see the world? Philip Guston, one of the most significant artists of the twentieth century, spoke about art with unparalleled candour and commitment. Touching on work from across his career as well as that of his fellow artists and Renaissance heroes, this selection of his writings, talks and interviews draws together some of his most incisive reflections on iconography and abstraction, metaphysics and mysticism, and, above all, the nature of painting and drawing.” — Publisher’s website.” (Catalogue)

How to draw 100 animals : from basic shapes to amazing drawings in super-easy steps / Hodge, Susie
“Discover 100 wonderful and majestic creatures to draw! There are no written instructions to follow – just basic shapes and pencil strokes. Even if you’ve never drawn anything before, you will be amazed at how quickly you will achieve incredibly impressive drawings. Every project also shows two finished examples of the animal – one shaded with pencil and the other with colour. This is the perfect book for budding artists yearning to draw their favourite animals.  (Adapted from Catalogue)

Cats : draw over 50 fabulous felines in 10 easy steps / Lecouffe, Justine
“If you want to draw cats but don’t know where to start, this is the book for you! 10 Step Drawing: Cats will help you turn simple shapes into beautiful cat drawings in just ten steps. Each drawing starts with easy, geometric shapes and simple guide lines, and the cats are drawn in a variety of poses that typify the particular breed. Each drawing includes a helpful colour palette so readers can easily find the right colours to finish their drawing. There are even instructions for adding simple details to give each creature its own personality.” (Catalogue)

Dogs : draw over 50 delightful dogs in 10 easy steps / Lecouffe, Justine
“If you want to draw dogs but don’t know where to start, this is the book for you! 10 Step Drawing: Dogs will help you turn simple shapes into beautiful dog drawings in just ten steps. Each drawing starts with easy, geometric shapes and simple guide lines, and the dogs are drawn in a variety of poses that typify the particular breed. Each drawing includes a helpful colour palette so readers can easily find the right colours to finish their drawing. There are even instructions for adding simple details to give each creature its own personality.” (Catalogue)

Sketching for the absolute beginner / Cronin, Peter
“Sketching is more than just drawing quickly. It is training your eye and hand to work together, to respond immediately and naturally to the scene before you. If you have ever wanted to sketch, but lacked the confidence to start, this is the book for you. Artist Peter Cronin teaches you how to sketch through simple step-by-step exercises and larger projects, all in a friendly and relaxed manner. Learn to sketch with a range of media, from graphite pencil to charcoal, pen and wash and more, all the while building the skills you need to tackle more complex and rewarding artworks.” (Catalogue)

Talented brushstrokes: New painting books

Tess

Spanning from early Renaissance in the Netherlands to American Modernism, ‘The Final Painting’ examines the world’s most adored paintings to uncover the mark they left, as their artist’s final contribution to the world. Jump from the end of famous artists’ careers back to the beginning, with the colourful memoir of rouge Parisian art dealer Berthe Weill (‘Pow! Right in the eye!’), who represented the likes of Picasso, Matisse and Modigliani when they were still unknowns. There’s also a first-hand account of the British Surrealists and a new survey on the iconic oeuvre of Frida Kahlo.

Closer to home, we celebrate two of Aotearoa’s contemporary greats, in Robin White’s career survey, and Val Raymond’s paintings from her famed exhibition ‘Taupōnui-a-Tia – A Celebration of Feather and Fibre’. Enjoy these enticing new painting books that combine art history and personal narrative to critically deconstruct the famed masterpieces that have shaped the art world.

The final painting : the last works of the great masters / Rynck, Patrick de
“The Final Painting collects fresh insights into 30 of the world’s greatest painters and their last works in a highly readable book, beginning with Jan van Eyck and ending with Pablo Picasso. Including Bellini, Titian, Caravaggio, El Greco, Rubens, Artemisia Gentileschi, Cézanne, Klimt, Renoir, Modigliani, Munch, Mondrian, Kahlo and Hopper.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Pow! Right in the eye! : thirty years behind the scenes of modern French painting / Weill, Berthe
“This is the colourful memoir of the brilliant, eccentric Parisian art dealer Berthe Weill, who championed many of the emerging masters of modern art with her uncanny eye for talent. In this, she was radical and pioneering; making the first sales in Paris for Picasso and Matisse, and giving Modigliani the only solo show in his lifetime. Weill also promoted the work of women artists, and her memoir details her struggles against sexism and anti-Semitism in the Parisian art world. (Adapted from  Catalogue)

Robin White : something is happening here / Farrar, Sarah
“An assessment of Robin White’s remarkable 50 years as an artist, including fresh perspectives by 24 writers and interviewees from Australia, the Pacific and Aotearoa New Zealand. Celebrating her status as one of our most important artists, this book includes more than 150 artworks, from early watercolour and drawings through to the exquisite recent collaborations with Pasifika artists, as well as photographs from throughout Robin White’s career.”(Adapted from Catalogue)

Modern : genius, madness, and one tumultuous decade that changed art forever / Hook, Philip
“An exploration of the revolutionary birth of Modern art in the tumultuous decade brought to a shattering close by WWI. Modern covers colour and Fauvism, Expressionism and angst, Primitivism, sex and sublimation, Anarchism, self alienation, suicides, death, Abstraction, the Blaue Reiter, Futurism, academicism and conservative taste, until the finale of August 1914- when art and regular life, suspended.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

The British surrealists / Morris, Desmond
“Feted for their idiosyncratic and imaginative works, the British surrealists marked a pivotal moment in the history of modern art. Artist Desmond Morris draws on memories and experiences to present the intriguing life stories and complex love lives of this wild and curious set of artists. Morris brings foibles and frailties to the fore in this vivid, witty account, taking us back in time, to a generation that allowed its creative unconscious to drive their passions in both art and life.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Frida Kahlo : the masterworks / Tajonar, Héctor
“A rich overview of the fascinating life and career of internationally renowned Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, featuring the artist’s complex and diverse paintings, a series of thoughtful essays about her oeuvre, and a detailed illustrated chronology. As a woman artist who confronted many taboo subjects–and herself–head-on, Kahlo produced groundbreaking work that shifted the terrain of the art world.” (Adapted from Catalogue)

Heritage paintings : Taupōnui-a-Tia, New Zealand / Raymond, Val
“Val Raymond was best known for her portraiture and Central North Island landscapes. Inventing new watercolour techniques led to her artistic transformation during the 1990s – painting exquisite abstract expressions that combine unusually different aspects of New Zealand heritage: landscape and legend: birdlife, history and environment ; natural history, Maori art and culture.” (Adapted from Catalogue)