Monochrome Home

Decorating in black and white is perennially popular and eternally chic. Hilary Robertson demonstrates how, whether used alone or together, these contrasting shades can create dramatic effects at home, from the classic to the eclectic.

Minimalist style interiors are now a familiar and recognizable part of today's visual culture. Top shelter magazines from "Wallpaper and House and Garden" to "Elle Decor" devote monthly features to the latest variation on white or beige, while fashion designers like Calvin Klein and Donna Karan design neutral housewares to match minimalist decor. Cheaper but no less stylish, Crate and Barrel, and Pottery Barn sell their own versions of minimalism, and countless upmarket European designer kitchen and furniture companies entice fashion conscious consumers with advertisements in leading shelter magazines. Building on this trend, Monochrome Home presents designer Kelly Hoppen's innovative and breakthrough new approach to the next step beyond minimalist style interiors-by using dabs of color, texture, and dimension to establish a refined yet warm environment. A winner of Britain's "Oscars" of interior design, the prestigious Andrew Martin Award, she is considered, internationally, a leading interior designer. The hallmark of the Hoppen style: bold, simple pieces of modern furniture mixed with an emphasis on texture and comfort; and counterpointing subtle neutral shades mixed with brighter dots of color to add a luxurious, sensual element to modern minimalist interiors. "Monochrome Home" is a wonderful visual resource full of exquisite and original close-up photographs that detail Hoppen's brilliant editorial eye, combined with her talent for juxtaposing various elements to create dramatic, stunning effects. "Monochrome Home" is a flexible and inspiring resource, suitable for small studios, or larger spaces. It is equally useful for those with small budgets or unlimited funds.For fans of minimalism who want more than anonymous white spaces, Monochrome Home describes in visual detail how to achieve a more personalized and inspired brand of minimalism-full of simplicity, elegance, comfort and style.

Black and white décor is at once dramatic and understated, modern and classic, apparent in the work of iconic designers such as Dorothy Draper and Madeleine Castaing but just as present in design today. And the inspiration is all around us—from nature (a zebra’s stripes, tree trunks rising from drifts of snow) to old Hollywood movies and fashion to black-and-white photography and patterns we encounter in our everyday lives (crossword puzzles and the pages of our favorite novels). In Black and White (and a Bit in Between), acclaimed interior designer Celerie Kemble trades in her signature vivid palette for this iconic aesthetic, highlighting the black and white work of design stars and peers, including Bunny Williams, Thomas O’Brien, Mary McDonald, Victoria Hagan, Mark Hampton, Delphine Krakoff, Brad Ford, Philip Gorrivan, Carrier and Co., and Miles Redd, and welcoming you into more than 100 spaces in every imaginable aesthetic. Woven throughout are her witty observations and expert advice on choosing the best paints and finishes, adding patterns and accessories, building an entire room scheme based on inspiration found in nature, collecting black and white objects, and even choosing the perfect accent colors. With more than 350 gorgeous color photographs, this is a vividly photographed celebration of a timeless scheme, infused with inspirational tips, glimpses into showstopping homes, and proof that a limited palette is anything but.

"Little House on the Prairie" is an autobiographical children's novel by Laura Ingalls Wilder, published in 1935] It was the third novel published in the Little House series, continuing the story of the first, Little House in the Big Woods (1932), but not directly related to the second, Farmer Boy (1933). It chronicles the months the Ingalls spent on the Kansas prairie around the town of Independence.

Maisie Holt. This is her book. It's an old house, one her family plans to stay in for only a short while; but for Hannah Price, secrets soon come creeping out of every corner of Cowleigh Lodge. First there's the old and dusty book of children's fairy tales that belonged to a young girl named Maisie. Hannah learns that the girl died mysteriously at age eleven in this very house nearly 140 years ago. Then, when Hannah draws a portrait of Maisie, things begin to fall apart. The house seems to be reverting to its nineteenth-century form, and Hannah's not sure whether it or Maisie herself is sending her messages. Hannah must solve the mystery of Maisie's death, because if she doesn't help her, Maisie may never leave Hannah alone. . . . Rebecca Wade has created a haunting story that will capture readers' imaginations until the very last page.

Discover classic and contemporary Scandinavian style with specially commissioned photography of homes in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. Discover classic and contemporary Scandinavian style with specially commissioned photography of homes in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. Scandinavia is famous for its distinctive style: homes are pared-back and simple, and form and function are combined to create aesthetically pleasing and practical interiors. Scandinavians are inspired by light, having an abundance of it in summer but so little of it in winter, and house designs tend to maximize the amount of natural light that enters the home, and allow the inhabitants to make the most of outdoor life during the summer. Similarly, nature and the weather are major influences: homes are made warm and cozy for the freezing winter months—not just literally with log burners, but also through incorporating wood and natural materials. Here Niki Brantmark, owner of the interior design blog My Scandinavian Home, presents a wide-ranging collection of these beautiful homes and explores how the Scandinavian lifestyle is reflected in them all. The first chapter, Urban Living, features styles ranging from minimalist to bohemian, and pale palettes to dramatic dark colors. By contrast, the Country Homes tend to have a softer, calmer feel, through color and textiles, in line with a slower pace of life. Finally, the spectacular Rural Retreats include a mountain cabin, beach house, and rustic summer cottage, and demonstrate how having somewhere to escape to is so important to many Scandinavians. This collection of stunning interiors will put Scandi style within every reader’s reach.

The French have a legendary sense of style and this is nowhere more evident than in their interiors. In French Home, dealer in French antiques Josephine Ryan explores the elements that combine to create elegant yet comfortable spaces with a distinctly French feel. She points out the architectural details that enhance the framework of a room, explores the textures and the color palette that flatter various styles of furniture, and shows us options for lighting, mirrors, decorative objects, and paintings. By exploring real homes that deftly synthesize all these elements and more, French Home examines the sophisticated alchemy of an enduringly popular look that can be either lush and complex, or simple and pared-down.

Creativity and culture are inherently linked. Society and culture are part and parcel of creativity's process, outcome, and subjective experience. Equally, creativity does not reside in the individual independent of culture and society.Vlad Petre Glveanu's basic framework includes creators and community, from which new artifacts emerge and existing artifacts are developed. He points to a relationship between self and other, new and old, specific for every creative act. Using this multifaceted system requires that researchers employ ecological research in order to capture the heterogeneity and social dimensions of creativity.Glveanu uses an approach based on cultural psychology to present creativity in lay terms and within everyday settings. He concludes with a unitary cultural framework of creativity interrelating actors, audiences, actions, artifacts, and affordances.