BOOK OF THE WEEK
Does anyone have a person or persons very close to you that always gives you dreadful Xmas presents!
Well, I certainly do and unfortunately I had more than one person who regularly gave me out-of-left-field and what I would term “indifferent” presents. Those things you buy when you can’t be bothered thinking about it.
I would think to myself, “Surely they know I love books, I have a house full of them!” Just buy me a book on art, architecture, interiors, textiles, history and you’ve got me forever – sorted in the best possible way! But no, I still got picture frames, place mats and candles.
In the end I said to my nearest and dearest, “Can you just tell so-and-so to give me a book voucher from one of these book shops.” Problem solved, cheap for the purchaser and loved by the purchasee.
Anyway here are six books I would love to receive.
The one entitled L’art de la Simplicite dovetails with a philosophy that I have developed over the last few years of “less is more”.
One of the ideas is downsizing which I am a big fan of, we need to recycle within the home much more because the planet cannot sustain consumption on the level currently experienced. Heads up: H & M fashion chain, is sitting on 4.3 billion tons of unsold inventory – frightening statistics and they are one of many!
![mid century architecture](https://liberaleclectic.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/MILLER-modified.jpg)
Miller’s Mid-Century Modern: Judith Miller
From the ‘soft modernism’ of Scandinavian furniture to the sleek, clean lines of the lighting created by the Castiglioni brothers in Italy, Judith Miller’s MID-CENTURY MODERN reveals the glory of one of the most exciting periods of design history: the late 1940s to the 1970s.
The book explores the most desirable interiors, furniture, ceramics, glass, metalware and textiles of this hugely popular period.
French House Chic: Jane Webster
Latest book from Jane Webster – best-selling author of At My French Table and French Ties. Includes intimate imagery of never-before-seen French homes.
For home decorators aspiring to that je ne sais quoi of French interior style, there can be a fine line between chic and just plain shabby.
The trouble, Jane Webster believes, is that people are buying into a cliche when they decorate to a theme like French provincial.
Style, she says, doesn’t translate with a few French words on cushions and kitchen canisters shipped by the pallet from China or homewares collections festooned with fleur de lis.
![book of the week](https://liberaleclectic.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/FRENCH-CHIC-modified.jpg)
![belle](https://liberaleclectic.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/BELLE-modified.jpg)
Belle Beautiful Australian Homes: Belle
Belle Beautiful Australian Homes howcases more than 40 outstanding residences designed by Australia’s leading architects and interior designers.
The first hardcover publication from the team behind Belle, Australia’s leading premium interior design magazine, features Australia’s finest architecture and interior design talents and our foremost photographers and writers.
From Toorak to Geelong and Mosman to Palm Beach, and many places in between, you’ll find plenty to inspire in this comprehensive ode to the best of Australian design.
Birdscaping Australian Gardens: George Adams
Wake up to the beautiful sound of birdsong every day.
From acacias to eucalypts, and from honeyeaters to kookaburras, this essential guide will help transform any garden across Australia into an avian paradise.
Featuring plant and bird directories illustrated with superb colour photographs and line drawings, as well as comprehensive planting tables and expert advice, this book has all you need to create a refuge for birds – and so preserve Australia’s amazing natural heritage and biodiversity.
‘This book is a masterpiece – a must-have tool in every gardener’s wheelbarrow.’ Costa Georgiadis, ABC’s Gardening Australia
![garden and bird matches](https://liberaleclectic.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/BIRDSCAPE-modified.jpg)
![homes that focus on lifestyle](https://liberaleclectic.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/SIMPLE-modified.jpg)
L’art de la Simplicite (The English Edition): Dominique Loreau & Louise Lalaurie
If simplicity is an art, then Dominique Loreau is a master.
Having lived in Japan for many years and inspired by oriental philosophy, Dominique Loreau discovered the beauty of a life well lived through the art of simplicity. Her lifestyle rests on the principle of ‘less is more’…
Simplify your home, empty your wardrobe, abandon compulsive purchases…take care of your body and mind. From the art of feeling well in your home to the art of feeling well in your body, this compelling and elegant book will transform your life..One full of real pleasure,clarity and satisfaction.
D. Porthault: The Art of Luxury Linens: Brian D Coleman & Amy Astley
Welcome to a world…where French-made luxury linens enrich the home through design, color, and quality. Inspired French luxury for the home.
Tour traditional and old-world styles…Bedrooms, many with canopy beds and playful wallpaper exhibit sheets, coverlets, pillows…in gorgeous printed florals. Tables set with cloths, placemats, and napkins feature hand-embroidered, custom designs inspired by nature.
Take a peek inside private upper class homes that reveal why D. Porthault has been the favored French luxury brand for linens and other fabrics for nearly one hundred years.
With 300 colour photographs
![historic french linen](https://liberaleclectic.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/linens-modified.jpg)
Featured image: Secret Design Studio
This website contains affiliate links. If you purchase products via the links or banners on this site, I will earn a small commission. This costs you nothing, and helps me to run my website to help and share content with others.