- Hardcover: 160 pages
- Publisher: Ryland, Peters & Small Ltd (27 Aug 1996)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 190051804X
- ISBN-13: 978-1900518048
- Product Dimensions: 26.2 x 25.7 x 2.4 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 913,446 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Any book that claims to "[reach] beyond the bounds of interior decoration" should be treated with extreme caution. There is a modern puritanism abroad, a kind of mutant fin-de- siècle Mrs. Beetonism that found its first expression in the platitudes of Delia Smith's How to Cook TV series; even Nigella Lawson, who could once be relied upon to cook up monstrosities unworkable outside an Italian deli in W1, now sees fit to tell us How to Eat simple fare in simple surroundings. Jane Cumberbatch's Pure Syle--an entire lifestyle bible in one book--is an even more naked attempt to reduce our home lives to Shaker-like simplicity.
It is irresistible. Chapters on furniture, objects, food and even sleep show how light, colour, scent, flavour and texture work together to create mood. Stripped of fashionable excess, Cumberbatch's interiors, captured in a matter-of-fact style by photographer Henry Bourne, express a new kind of simplicity that has nothing to do with exclusive, elitist 80s minimalism, and everything to do with cotton rugs, stove-top kettles, utilitarian glass jars, "good bread or new potatoes cooked with fresh mint".
But is it doable? Well yes--with one caveat. The Shakers--that religious sect whose form-follows- function furniture and objects are Cumberbatch's silent but pervasive inspiration--were not only master craftsmen; they also abjured having children. What price uncluttered sensual interiors when your kids are throwing Furbie-fuelled consumer tantrums? There is a huge amount of sound advice and good sense in this book--but for pity's sake don't inflict it on the kids. --Simon Ings
Product Description
An interior design book that reflects the vogue for an uncluttered and balanced look.
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organise and find favourite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
