The home front
Inspirational books to transform your house and garden
Interiors
Create by Emily Henson (Ryland Peters & Small, £25)
Stylist and set designer Emily Henson encourages us to keep sustainability in mind as we transform our homes. So use paint to give walls or furniture a new lease of life, shop second hand, repurpose old and original pieces, and take inspiration from her choice of stylish and creative homes.
The Sustainable Home by Ida Magntorn (Pavilion, £14.99)
Live in a greener home with a clearer conscience with this compact guide to sustainable living, which offers advice on ecoboosting each room. You’ll discover how a “plastic diet” is good for you as well as the environment, learn which plants are most effective at detoxifying, and see how to clean using products that are natural, but still effective.
Masterclass by Abigail Ahern (Pavilion, £30)
Put an individual stamp on your interiors with this guide to creating characterful rooms. Abigail Ahern offers advice on developing each room’s focal point and encourages us to build a room around the right seating – after all, most of us spend two-thirds of each day sitting down – while paying careful attention to lighting, walls and floors. So seek out strategic contrasts and blend diverse influences, but use colour and pattern to create a coherent whole, stealing ideas from the gorgeous homes pictured.
The Art Of Living With White by Chrissie Rucker (Mitchell Beazley, £35)
The White Company founder takes us on a tour of 10 homes that use white and neutral shades to create serene spaces. From the home of sculptor and Whistles founder Lucille Lewin, who lives in a repurposed Victorian school in Marylebone, to the Suffolk barn of fashion designers Elsa Mia Elphick and David Cooper, these homes will inspire anyone who loves tranquil surroundings. Plus Chrissie Rucker highlights key design details to deploy at home.
My Hygge Home by Meik Wiking (Penguin Life, £16.99)
The founder of the world’s first Happiness Research Institute shows us how to make our home a happier place, drawing on the Danish “hygge” concept of cosiness and togetherness. He explores how we can boost wellbeing with a thoughtful approach to space, light, work and even play, whatever our ages, and he writes with insight and warm wit about how small domestic changes can have a meaningful impact.
House London by Ellie and Anna Stathaki (Frances Lincoln, £35)
The iconic Victorian and Edwardian houses found in most London neighbourhoods may look broadly similar from the outside, but the Stathaki sisters take us beyond 50 front doors to reveal the rich variety that lies within. It’s fascinating to see how people put their own stamp on a home, whether restructuring the rear to flood homes with light, creating a cosy vibe with dark shades or detonating an explosion of eyepopping neon colour. From bold decor to imaginative accessories, it’s a treasure trove of inspiration.
The Life Eclectic by Alexander Breeze (Hardie Grant, £30)
Stylist Alexander Breeze has cherry-picked 15 homes from around the world whose owners enjoy a mix-and-match approach to interior design. They embrace clashing colours, prints and textures and relish blending traditional and modern, tasteful and kitsch to build rooms full of intrigue and personality. Among the more audacious ideas are Doug Meyer’s enormous Peptobismol pink room divider sculpture and Ulrik Weck’s “Pile Of Bricks” artwork in Peter Ambly’s living room.
Gardening
What To Sow, Grow And Do by Benjamin Pope (Frances Lincoln, £22)
Believing that every one of us has a gardening seed within us, Benjamin Pope hopes to nurture that seed and coax it into full bloom with his elegant, stylish guide to maximising your outdoor space. It’s divided into four seasons, early and late, while the Plants In Season section shows you which plants can inject your garden with colour whatever the time of year. He takes beginners back to basics, but there’s a wealth of information and inspiration for seasoned gardeners too. A beautiful book to treasure.
The Plant Rescuer by Sarah Gerrard-jones (Bloomsbury, £16.99)
If you’ve ever experienced the guilt of killing yet another houseplant, this book could set you on the path to redemption. Self-taught plant obsessive Sarah Gerrard-jones has been “rescuing unheard and misunderstood plants for years”, singling out binned or damaged greenery from shops. Here, she shows us how to recognise early warning signs to save our plants’ lives and ensure our homes remain leafy. Her enthusiasm is infectious and this stylish book is full of accessible information, suggestions and ideas.
How To Plant A Room by Morgan Doane and Erin Harding (Laurence King, £12.99)
Discover how to “take your greenery goals to the next level” with accessible, beautifully photographed step-by-step projects to transform your home. Learn how to make a mounted wall garden, a shelf display, terrarium, or a plant hanger – or find out how to propagate, growing plant babies for yourself or your loved ones.
Books, £40)
Escape the long, dark winter with this guide to the gardens of sun-dappled Venice. Monty Don takes you off the tourist track to share stories and colour-popping photos of the city’s private and secluded gardens. From compact community herb gardens in the shadow of monastic buildings to elaborate and ambitious palazzo gardens, this evocative, escapist treat is a Venetian holiday in book form.
How I Garden by Adam Frost (BBC Books, £22)
The Gardeners’ World
presenter shares ideas on developing your gardening style, choosing plants and growing flowers, fruit and veg that enhance your life with delicious food and colourful displays. He’s keen on following the lead of the natural world, rather than chasing perfection, and his approach is down-to-earth, practical and accessible.