I can’t believe we’re coming to the end of January already! I hope all your goals and New Years resolutions are on track so far! I’ve had a very fast start to the year with a couple of exciting interior projects and collaborations coming up which is great.
One of my goals for 2017 is to read more. I don’t get very much “me time” these days but when I do, I find myself scrolling endlessly through Instagram. Don’t get me wrong it’s a wonderful source of inspiration but I do suffer from internet fatigue after a while. You can’t beat having a tech free hour and curling up with a book. I find it’s good for the soul and much more relaxing. I love all kinds of books, recipe books, interior design and decor books, magazines, or just good old fashioned nitty gritty, girly fiction! I got a couple of new interior and home decor books for Christmas so I thought I’d show you a few of my current faves. Books and magazines are also great for styling around the house, they add depth to spaces and are essential for any tablescaspe so here’s a few of my tips on how to style them.
Coffee Table styling.
Create a stylish coffee table by layering it up and playing around with heights. On mine I have a brass tray which I find really helps to make lots of smaller items like candles and vases look styled rather than just thrown together randomly. A coffee table isn’t complete without a stack of books, style your favourite interior and home decor books in little piles of 2 or 3. Always try to add some flowers (Real or faux). If you’re still not convinced about artificial flowers and plants then hop over to my previous blog post to see why I love them so much. Last but not least don’t forget to add a bit of greenery, I find cacti and succulents are perfect to add texture to your tablescape.
Featured items:
Decorating with style – Abigail Ahern. A must have for anyone thinking of converting to the dark side of interior decor.
In Detail – Hans Blomquist. I think this has to be my ultimate favourite coffee table book, the difference between a house and a home with great styling tips and advice throughout.
Winter Living – Selina Lake. Inspiring and informative, full of ideas to transform your home into a cosy, uplifting and inviting space.
Imperfect Home – Mark & Sally Bailey. Owners of homeware store Bailey’s Home and Garden. Rustic and charming throughout.
Muse candle (used for cactus with faces)
Side tables.
Add a lamp for that all important glow then once again arrange a pile of your favourite interior and home decor books at the side and finish off by adding a couple of small vases or candles on top. I love using apple crates as side tables, they’re super cheap and can also home all those magazines that you don’t want to throw away but haven’t got room for.
Featured items:
Creative display – Geraldine James – This book is perfect to help display your treasured items and create the perfect shelfie.
Chic Boutiquers at home – Ellie Tennant. – A great insight into the lovely mix of homes of the featured shops. There’s also a full chapter on launching your own online shop.
The shopkeepers Home – Caroline Rowland – Take a peek into shopowners homes from all around the globe, also lots of great interior decorating advice.
Shelves/Book cases.
Open shelving adds personality to any room, a top tip I was once given was to paint them the same colour as the walls so they fade away and don’t stand out. That way everything that you place on the shelves will pop out much more. Once again layer items of different heights and texture. Don’t just stand your books and magazines up in a line, this is far too uniformed. Stand some up, lie some flat, have some facing out. Don’t stop there, mess them up a bit by adding quirky objects, plants, flowers, candles etc.. I’ve also added a layer of logs for the fire to the bottom shelf to add extra texture and layers of interest.
Featured items:
Inside Vogue – Alexandra Shulman
Magazine storage.
If you’re anything like me you won’t want to throw away a single edition of Living etc or Elle decor, not to mention other magazines that you pick up along the way! So rather than stowing them away somewhere in a cupboard I like to make a feature out of mine in most rooms, helps fill in those awkward gaps around the room! Lets face it, a room with too many gaps is not good and never going to feel cosy. So find an empty space, pile up some magazines, add a candle, a vase, a succulent or in my case a wooden hand with one finger missing! This hand always seems to get attention at dinner parties, you can guarantee it will be “styled” differently by the time friends leave, hence the severed finger!!!
Do you have any favourite interior and home decor books?
Hope you’ve found these styling tips helpful and don’t forget to subscribe to my blog to get posts straight to your inbox.
Kerry x
Love the blog post, those books look great and perfectly styled by you as always. And, erm, sorry about the hand. I think we may have been involved in the ‘severed finger’ incident…. 🙁
Haha it gets lots of abuse!! Thanks for your lovely comments x