Kit Kemp: Every Room Tells a Story

“I’m more frightened of beige than any other colour in the spectrum,” says interior designer Kit Kemp, rather disingenuously, perhaps. Among design professionals, trashing beige seems to be more about putting an aesthetic stake in the sand rather than actually banishing that inoffensive and useful neutral. But Kemp, co-owner with husband Tim of a group of luxury hotels in London and NYC, is certainly all about bold. This beautifully photographed and produced book is a deftly orchestrated riot of colour and pattern, as displayed in rooms and reception spaces throughout their small but perfectly formed empire. She’s also modishly interested in “telling the story” of her various design collaborators, including Mimi of Biarritz, who “looks like a little sparrow” and sugar (albeit unrefined) either. Just as well, because cooking vegan is complicated enough. Her egg replacements are simple, gloopy concoctions made with either ground flaxseeds or chia seeds. In fact, all her recipes are pretty simple and practical. You could start with a Walnut Cacao Smoothie for breakfast, graze on Sunflower Seed Pâté, tuck into Pistachio & Broccoli Pilaf for lunch, then enjoy hearty Spaghetti & Quinoa “Meatballs” for dinner and perhaps a lick of Lucuma Ice Cream for later. Certainly wouldn’t be a boring way to eat. All recipes come with a nutritional breakdown. Sally Butters is NZ House & Garden’s food editor The first thing you notice upon visiting Joy Cho’s eponymous blog (ohjoy.blogs. com) is the exuberant use of colour. Oh Joy! started life as a graphic design studio and now includes product lines, how-to lifestyle videos as well as a daily blog, celebrating bright and bold design, decor, fashion and even food (the rainbowstriped, fruity frozen ice cubes are my favourite and would go down a treat at parties). I love her colourful round-ups of decor items (a recent post featured 10 quirky cushions, including one that looked like a poached egg) and practical decorating tips, such as repurposing old vessels as vases. Andrea Warmington creates shell and mosaic-encrusted wonders, the South African-based creators of her fabulously chunky mud-bead chandeliers, one-off fabric-makers and embroiderers, favourite painters and many more. Their work gives her vibrant interiors an edge of individuality that almost lifts them right out of the commercial realm. Though where else would the budget run to them? Jan Chilwell is a NZ House & Garden sub-editor