Island Style

Alicia Rountree's debut book is a refreshing guide for achieving harmony and health in your life, showing readers how to create casual gatherings as well as daily rituals to enhance their well-being. Inspired by the colors and textures of her tropical roots, Alicia Rountree shares her carefree lifestyle in her paradisiacal home in Mauritius--from a picnic on a sandbank to a sunset dinner on the beach and quiet time at home sipping tisanes. Her refreshing entertaining style is shown at her family's beach retreat and colonial stone homes as well as on deserted beaches. Chic tabletops are dressed up with a mix of heirloom and contemporary tableware, palmiers are worked into table decor, and fresh herbs or flowers are tucked in napkin rings fashioned from twine. Throughout Alicia also offers advice to promote wellness in daily life, such as energizing recipes including a lemongrass tonic, avocado toast, and nourishing dal. Vases full of vibrant blooms, such as bird-of-paradise and palm fronds, are used to create a serene decor. For the style-conscious and health-minded, Alicia's outlook is uplifting.

From India Hicks, a beautifully illustrated guide to achieving her famously undone, gloriously bohemian decorating style. Born from British and design royalty, India Hicks has forged a design empire from her family’s enclave in the Bahamas. In India Hicks: Island Style, she invites readers into her world, offering never-before-seen imagery and irresistible behind-the-scenes stories. Beginning with an uproarious reflection on India’s own design odyssey, the heart of the book is an in-depth exploration of her style. Timeless and under-decorated, her rooms combine carefree Caribbean culture with British colonial form and formality. In ten chapters, India walks the reader through the basics of capturing the look: the subtle palette of island life; the miracle of tablescaping; the warm anarchy of a family kitchen; the pleasure of porches; the drama of entertaining; bedrooms as places of self-expression; the "more is more" style of living with collections; the importance of repurposing; and creating spaces of sanctuary. Witty, richly prescriptive, beautifully photographed, this book will enchant readers with a glimpse of decorating in paradise.

Casually refreshing island style has hit the decorating world. Sisal and bamboo carpeting, rattan furnishings, palettes of bright whites and tropical pastels all come accompanied by accents such as carved wooden bowls, netting, and cool motifs. If you want your home to look like a Caribbean or South Pacific haven, open these pages for sun-, sky-, and sea-blessed ideas. Any house will evoke warmer climes when it's dressed in natural earth tones and creamy white linens, with an evocative ceiling fan and a screen reminiscent of shutters.--From publisher description.

With over 350 beautiful photographs and insightful commentary, Island Style reveals the lush, tropical architecture and interior design of Indonesia. A tropical island inspires thoughts of warm breezes, crystal clear water and white beaches stretching as far as the eye can see. But tropical islands are more than just gorgeous beaches, particularly in the vast archipelago of Indonesia, with its diverse peoples, cultures and traditions stretching from Java to Bali and beyond. In Island Style, the inspiration artists and designers have long found in Indonesia comes to life with a new generation of architects and designers as they discover this island paradise. Twenty-five stunning luxury homes inspired by the natural tropical settings of Indonesia are showcased in these pages, setting a new standard for tropical Asian architecture. From private beach bungalows to vacation villas to island hideaways, each of these dream houses expresses a different aspect of Indonesia's unique design heritage. Simple yet exotic, minimalist yet organic, cosmopolitan yet local and sustainable—the common denominator for all of these homes is that they are the stuff of island dreams. Be inspired by these tropical homes as the ultimate in outdoor living and sustainable architecture, fantastically decorated with modern Asian decor. Detailed descriptions of the materials used and design philosophy behind each house means you'll be able to find plenty of practical ideas for furnishing and building your own tropical island dream home anywhere in the world.

Everyone loves a luau! And with the help of Entertaining Island Style, it's easy to host a Hawaiian-themed bash that's both authentic and enjoyable. This playful, insightful guide is a one-stop resource for Island culture, customs, and cooking. Written by Maui native Wanda Adams, it features the low-down on local parties -- what's done, what's not done, what types of food and beverages are served; easy-to-understand descriptions of local food terms; and must-have details such as how to crack a coconut. A wealth of fabulous recipes, all Island favorites, reflect the diverse cultures and flavors of the people of Hawaii. Adams also offers fascinating historical facts on the origins of tropical drinks, along with a bevy of luscious cocktail recipes. Whether prepared for a crowd or a simple weeknight supper, these fresh, exciting recipes make any occasion a sunny one.

"What the heck is my partner thinking?" is a common refrain in romantic relationships, and with good reason. Every person is wired for love differently, with different habits, needs, and reactions to conflict. The good news is that most people's minds work in predictable ways and respond well to security, attachment, and rituals, making it possible to actually neurologically prime the brain for greater love and fewer conflicts. Wired for Love is a complete insider's guide to understanding a partner's brain and promoting love and trust within a romantic relationship. Readers learn ten scientific principles they can use to avoid triggering fear and panic in their partners, manage their partners' emotional reactions when they do become upset, and recognize when the brain's threat response is hindering their ability to act in a loving way. By learning to use simple gestures and words, readers can learn to put out emotional fires and help their partners feel more safe and secure. The no-fault view of conflict in this book encourages readers to move past a ""warring brain"" mentality and toward a more cooperative ""loving brain"" understanding of the relationship. Based in the sound science of neurobiology, attachment theory, and emotion regulation research, this book is essential reading for couples and others interested in understanding the complex dynamics at work behind love and trust in intimate relationships.

Tropical Style showcases thirty-five contemporary Malaysian homes and resorts that feature the use of indigenous cultural forms and cross-cultural influences in new and exciting ways. The elegant and often breathtaking houses, apartments and resorts presented here evoke the essence of the modern tropical architecture, Malaysian style--a combination of indigenous cultural forms, organic building materials, exquisite local craftsmanship and adaptations to the sun-drenched tropical climate. Echoing trends in green architecture, Malaysian homes historically evolved to integrate environmental factors into traditional building techniques and designs that are harmonious with outdoor living. All the spaces included here have been selected for their stunning design, originality of concept and innovative fusion of age-old architectural patterns with a modern aesthetic sense. Minimalist homes in Kuala Lumpur, contemporary courtyard homes, wooden houses in lush garden settings, idyllic beach resorts and luxury homes modeled on traditional Chinese and Malay houses full of Asian decor are illuminated in this book celebrating the fascinating multicultural eclecticism of modern-day Malaysia. With over 350 stunning color photographs, Tropical Style: Contemporary Dream Houses in Malaysia will delight and inspire those who wish to apply these ideas to their own tropical homes, in any global setting.

It's the ultimate escape fantasy: Trade in the rat race for life on a tropical island and all the languid luxury that it evokes. For India Hicks and David Flint Wood, the dream became reality when, after high-profile careers, she as a fashion model, he as an advertising executive, the couple left the city behind for the Bahamas. Five years and three children later, the husband-and-wife team have impeccably restored three houses and one hotel. Fusing traditional European design with Asian, African, and Caribbean influences, the resulting interiors reflect their love of intense color and their keen sense of style, inherited on India's side from her father, the renown interior designer David Hicks, and further enhanced by the family's travels. In "Island Life, the secrets of these sumptuous, unique homes, used as locations for Ralph Lauren, J. Crew, and "Vogue magazine, among others, are revealed in intimate detail. With panoramic color photographs, David Loftus captures not only the eclectic combinations of antiques, flea market finds, and modern furnishings, but also the overall ambiance of the tropics. For those who share David and India's dream, this is where to start planning.