Perfect Imperfect: The Beauty of Accident, Age and Patina

Design and architecture writer McCartney and her Perfect Imperfect collaborators – photographer Sharyn Cairns and stylist Glen Proebstel – once worked together in the early days of Aussie interiors mag Inside Out, but they’ve all travelled a long way since then. For this eclectic, sometimes electric compendium they cover the work and thought processes of artists, architects, craftspeople and collectors from Canberra (that city’s Hotel Hotel is covered here in Living on a long skinny island as we do, New Zealanders can’t help but be obsessed with owning (or dreaming about owning) a house beside the sea. But how to decorate it? For “a celebration of living by the water”, this book has surprisingly few inspirational sweeping vistas of glinting blue oceans. What it does have, though, is a collection of interiors from around the world, all with strong coastal style. And no matter whether you’re in Barbados, Nantucket or Cornwall, that means using seven quixotically offbeat spreads) to Antwerp, Paris, London and New York. The choice of subjects is rooted in the Japanese wabi-sabi aesthetic, which celebrates the transient beauty of the modest, aged and imperfect, even broken and decayed. Also thrown into the inspirational stew are the new century’s hankering for sustainable living, for a sense of place and history. But through these alchemical artists, McCartney and her crew are communicating something more than the idiosyncratic charms of peeling paint and timeworn floorboards. Perfect Imperfect’s heady, slightly chaotic mix of aesthetic themes and creatives looks to new possibilities, even as it acknowledges and values the patina of age. Jan Chilwell is an Auckland writer a few key ingredients: White (for bouncing around that light). Blue, naturally. Shells and old rope. Nauticalthemed knick-knacks, such as oars. Driftwood. The only exception comes at the end of the book, with a dark, heavy, wooden home without power or running water in the middle of a lake in Finland. The sun barely sets in summer, vice versa in winter, and the key structure is the traditional wood-fired sauna, complete with a tub of birch sticks for whacking yourself on the back. Unexpected and intriguing – and definitely something to consider to make your (dream) Kiwi bach stand out from the rest. Cassie Doherty is NZ House & Garden’s sub-editor LA-based stylist, author and TV host Emily Henderson (stylebyemily henderson.com) has a strong commitment to approachable vintage styled homes and thinks perfection is boring. “Let’s get weird,” she says in her bio. Her blog is a bright site filled with a portfolio of beautiful images (a personal favourite is a cute makeover of a cattery), the odd photo of her adorable family and helpful styling tips, such as how to style pillows. A recent enlightening post addressed the process of monetising her blog – what she calls a pioneering industry. And as if that wasn’t enough she also offers design (and e-design) services, answers all your burning questions and mans an online shop selling her quirky finds. Even the comments section is worth a look. Bea Taylor is NZ House & Garden’s staff writer