SURFSIDE STYLE

By Fifi O’Neill, Cico Books/Bookreps

NZ, $49.99

Most Kiwis don’t need convincing about the joys of living by the coast. This American book celebrates the types of houses found by the sea and their elements in common – they combine practicality with loads of charm and are awash with weathered surfaces in white, sandy tones and sea-blues. The book looks at the quintessential elements of coastal style such as colour, embellishments – think surfboards, shells, sea glass, buoys and driftwood – and furnishings. We visit a number of homes, all American, but the looks easily translate here. They’re dreamy, nurturing, restorative and relaxed sorts of places. As the author points out, it’s as much a state of mind as a reality.