Bookmarks

Your other favourite reads.

Your other favourite reads.

A Room of Her Own by Robyn Lea (Thames & Hudson, $70)

Twenty extraordinary women and their remarkable homes animate the pages of this feast-for-the-eyes tome, and if at first it succeeds in making you feel like you could never reach such interiordesign heights at your decidedly more humble abode, look again. Living their best lives in eight different countries, these formidable, trailblazing gals are obviously loaded, but you don’t have to be

— amid the intriguing stories and opulence profiled here are lots of doable décor ideas to discover. Use their creativity as a springboard for more affordable home-based bravery that inspires you to decorate with a carefree abandon that reflects your values and desires. Why not paint a wall a winsome pink if you want to, stand a tree-like branch beside your bed for the beauty of it, or take a chance on chintz if that’s your thing? Going extra with your styling echoes the amplification of women’s voices worldwide and is another way in which ladies and gents can step out of the ordinary and follow our dreams. As California-born, Milan-dwelling fashion, jewellery and homeware designer JJ Martin says, “You absolutely must create a fertile environment for yourself for the creativity to flow.”

ABOVE Wallpaper goals in the home of design curator Alice Stori Liechtenstein, who lives in a 12th-century castle but prefers to mix old and new for interest. BELOW LEFT Fashion designer Marta Ferri urges her clients to forget about what other people think. BELOW RIGHT Artist Lisbeth McCoy has overcome childhood grief to rise to the height of her power. For her, moving furniture around is a form of meditation.