thames & hudson – The Interiors Addict

I don’t have kids, but stylist Megan Morton does, and she can often be found creating magical experiences for other people’s little ones at The School too. On this basis (and the fact her last two books were fabulous) I was pretty sure I Heart My Room, a book about children’s bedrooms, would be great fun. And it is.

Kids’ bedrooms can be a series of challenges and charms from precious first drawings to piles of toys and dirty washing. I Heart My Room showcases the charms and presents solutions for the challenges. It’s keeping it real and I love that.

Rather than a collection of immaculate children’s rooms created by interior designers, the pages are filled with spaces which celebrate the young occupants themselves. From whimsical nurseries to expressive teen rooms, you will find clever storage methods and inspiring ideas on how to decorate in a way that is true to your child’s personality. And if you can’t have fun with kids’ rooms, when can you?

Interiors porn: there’s no other description for it

Living Modern: The Sourcebook of Contemporary Interiors is one of the most exciting books to grace my coffee table in a long time. It’s page after page of thrilling, light-filled, beautiful, colourful interiors shot by Richard Powers.

I have a pile of interiors coffee table books almost as tall as me, but this has swiftly become my new favourite. I want to fold over the corner of every other page to remind me to come back and steal a particular idea for my home/future home/a friend’s home. But of course I won’t because I don’t want to ruin this beautiful tome.

Is it normal to be this excited about a book of photographs of people’s homes? For me, yes it is! And they really are stunning photographs (as you’ll see from the selection above). Not to say the words (yes, there is some text) aren’t great too. It’s helpfully divided into themes, each with sub sections. It’s not just a picture book, it has more structure than that. There’s an index and a list of stockists (of limited use to Australian readers but still).

Sourcebook is the perfect name. It’s absolutely packed full of inspiration and ideas, a must-have for interior designers, stylists, renovators and interiors enthusiasts alike. And Australia does feature prominently in the collection of photographs from around the globe. What I perhaps love the most is that the ideas you’ll pick up from this book are easily replicated in your own home without having to spend a fortune or do anything too clever. It’s simply good styling at its best.

Right now I can’t think of a better way to part with $65 so if you’re into interiors too, add this to your coffee table collection now. Available in all good book stores.

Living Modern: The Sourcebook of Contemporary Interiors, is published by Thames & Hudson. Photography by Richard Powers, text by Phyllis Richardson. All photographs from the book reproduced here with permission from Thames & Hudson.