Pretty Pastel Style

Pastels are enjoying an exciting comeback. Forget the sugary pinks of little girls’ bedrooms, today, pastels pack plenty of personality. The best of the bunch have a rich intensity or a subtle sophistication, keeping them the cool side of sweet. They allow you to fill your home with colour, without splashing statement brights around, and they bring a warmth and softness to a room. In Pretty Pastel Style, stylist Selina Lake shows you how to use this truly versatile colour palette to create beautiful spaces that are feminine without being girlie; colour-rich without being garish. The book first walks you through the Elements of the look. Modern Pastels are contrasted with pops of stronger shades and sharpened with statement furniture. Vintage Pastels plunder the past, taking from it smoky pinks, faded greens and elegant patterns. Retro Pastels cheerfully channel the ice-cream shades of the Fifties on candy stripes, polka dots and cute floral prints, while Simple Pastels work with off-whites for an elegantly minimal take on pretty pastel style. Next, Details looks at everything from furniture and lighting, to display and decoration, with inspiring ideas on how to piece the style together. Finally, head to the Spaces section of the book to see beautiful rooms that have used pastels with super-stylish effect.

Pastels are enjoying a comeback and this time round they’re associated with feelings of comfort, wellbeing and calm. When used well, pastels have a rich intensity or a subtle sophistication, keeping them on the cool side of sweet. They allow us to fill a home with subtle colour, making us feel cozy and safe. In Pretty Pastel Style, Selina Lake shows how to use pastels to create spaces that are sophisticated, quirky and color-rich without being garish. To start, she looks at different ways of decorating with this versatile palette by dividing it into four styles. There’s Modern Pastels, which are are contrasted with pops of stronger color and sharpened with statement furniture, while Vintage Pastels are nostalgic and elegant. Handmade Pastels highlights creative touches and simple crafting ideas that showcase pastels in candy stripes, polka dots, and floral prints, while Simple Pastels work with neutrals and off-whites for an elegantly minimal look. Next, the Details section looks at everything from furniture and lighting to display and decoration, with inspiring ideas on how to put the style together. Finally, the Spaces section of the book showcases a series of beautiful rooms that use pastels with stylish effect.

As artists, we have choices. There are very few rules that apply across the board. We can create highly realistic paintings, or perhaps more expressive paintings, or paintings that have very little basis in reality, including those that are totally non-representational. We can record color as we see it or as we’d like it to be. As pastel artists, we have even more choices. We can use a wide variety of pastels, strokes, surfaces, and techniques to create many different looks. The choices we make form the framework of our individual style, our signature as artists. Any subscriber to The Pastel Journal realizes how varied the medium of pastel can be. For the experienced artist, these articles are stimulating, offering possible ways to experiment with alternative approaches. For the beginner, the panoply of choices can be overwhelming. Painting is primarily an intuitive process. But intuition is gained through study and experience. Part of my impetus in writing this book has been to create a more structured approach to help those fairly new to the medium understand its many possibilities. The book is aimed at all levels of pastel artists. Beginners will find a wealth of helpful information and intermediate artists will gain insight into how to take their work to another level and develop a style. Many advanced artists teach pastel; the organization of ideas and the exercises included should be of assistance. I offer a variety of suggested approaches and sometimes make up terminology to describe my experiences with the medium. The instructions in the book are based on my preferences and the guidance that I offer my students. The diversity of styles and techniques evident in the paintings of contributing artists should make it clear, however, that there are many ways to successfully work in pastel. Having acknowledged the many possibilities, I want to note a few musts. Representational paintings must be well-drawn. Poor drawing skills cannot be overcome with lovely color or great technique. Likewise, paintings must have strong compositions, regardless of whether they are realistic, abstracted, or non-representational. Values must be properly interpreted to produce strong compositions and to use pastel to its full effect. And finally, pastel paintings must sing! Whether the applications are light and airy, or rich and painterly, it should be clear that the artist is in control of the medium and is using it to produce his or her desired look. For years I have resisted suggestions that I write a book. As a landscape painter, I knew that there were more authoritative books already available. And the growing popularity of pastel has led to so many resources, including online blogs, a biennial convention, and the wonderful Pastel Journal, mentioned above. What could I add to this? My personal training in pastel has been from weeklong landscape workshops with some of the leading pastel painters in the country. As a teacher in a community college, I am not teaching a particular style nor focusing on specific subject matter. Some of my students work with the landscape, but others do portraits or figurative work, while others prefer still life, or work abstractly. In dealing with this mixture, I’ve realized that there are different ways to approach one’s use of color, and this formed my first idea for creating a book. Furthermore, as a teacher, I’ve spent time experimenting with different surfaces, pastel brands, and techniques in order to make suggestions to students to help them find the look they want to achieve. I do not teach students to paint the way I do, but instead, try to share my experience and help them develop their own individual style.

If you love elegant furniture and soft colors, and you’d rather fill your home with flowers and candlelight than cutting-edge technology, then you’ll adore Romantic Style. In this beguiling book, stylist Selina Lake and interiors writer Sara Norrman show you real homes, beautifully decorated with an eye for the elegant. Warm whites and creams, vintage furniture, lace and embroidery, dainty glassware and decorative china all feature, and while you will find ornate mirrors and antique French armchairs, less is very often more. Romantic Style can be restrained, with just a couple of pieces taking centre stage against a neutral backdrop. This makes it a surprisingly easy look to reproduce. Once you have a feel for the chief components of the style, you can roll it out in any room, adapting it with your own treasured pieces and favorite colors. The book begins by exploring Romantic Inspirations—Vintage Romantic, Simple Romantic, Elegant Romantic and Modern Romantic—four very different facets of the romantic look. Next, Romantic Styling outlines the key ingredients of any romantic scheme, with advice about colors, flowers and fabrics as well as displaying your treasures and lighting. The third section, Romantic Rooms, takes a room-by-room tour of the home, with explanations of how to recreate such a scheme yourself. Romantic Style isn’t a look dictated by passing trends or the latest styles or materials. At its heart lies a desire to create elegant and peaceful interiors that function well, but also uplift and comfort us. Using a mix of contemporary, antique, and flea-market finds, Romantic Style gives any home an serene and gently feminine feel.

Rustic isn't what it used to be. Gone are the days when rustic style meant fusty dried flower arrangements, antlers over a stone fireplace and acres of tartan. At its heart, the modern rustic look celebrates the fabric of a home, from the roof beams to the brickwork. This style revels in earthy colours and rich textures; in natural materials such as wood and stone; and the ruggedly handsome bones of a building. In this book, stylist Emily Henson and writer Joanna Simmons first lead you through the Elements of the Modern Rustic look. Pure Rustic elegantly blends clean lines with muted shades of grey. Bohemian Rustic mixes texture and pattern with lush colour, while Pop Rustic teams raw wood with pops of neon and tongue-in-cheek artworks. Retro Rustic, meanwhile, brings a relaxed feel, showcasing beaten-up leather armchairs and brick floors. In Details, textiles, furniture, fabric and display are explored, while Living Spaces shows how Modern Rustic style translates beautifully to every room in the house.

Discover the limitless possibilities of pastels with this beginner’s guide to creating modern, lively, and colorful pastel artwork. Artist and teacher Rebecca de Mendoça offers beginners a complete course in using pastels. Step-by-step exercises and longer projects help you to build the essential skills you need to paint a range of subjects, including landscapes, still life, portraits, and animals. Vital drawing techniques are explained and demonstrated, along with easy-to-follow explanations of color theory, composition, and the pastels themselves. This volume includes techniques for using both hard and soft pastels, eight skill-building projects, and a wealth of finished artwork to provide ideas and inspiration.

In Shed Style, Selina Lake reveals how even the smallest garden can be home to an outdoor retreat. From the traditional gardener's potting shed to a writer's cabin to an artist's studio, Selina explores sheds, cabins, huts, greenhouses, pods and all manner of garden structures, providing ample inspiration for anyone dreaming of their own garden hideaway. She reveals how any existing shed, cabin or outbuilding can become a versatile work or social space rather than just somewhere to store the lawnmower. If you are short of space indoors, as so many of us are nowadays, a garden office, creative space, 'she shed' or work pod can provide a perfect solution. A greenhouse or potting shed will appeal to keen gardeners, while a cosy shepherd's hut, perhaps with a bijou wood-burning stove, can work as guest accommodation. In Shed Style, Selina reveals how to create the shed of your dreams, presenting hundreds of fresh ideas for decorating and styling both the interior and exterior as well as suggestions for lighting, fabrics, furniture and other accessories. Shed Style is perfect for anyone who wants to make the most of their outdoor space.

If flat-pack furniture or expensive designer pieces aren’t your thing, and you’d rather make your own cushion cover than buy it, then Homespun Style is for you. If flat-pack furniture or expensive designer pieces aren’t your thing, and you’d rather make your own cushion cover than buy it, then Homespun Style is for you. The Homespun look is about supporting artists and craftspeople, hunting down one-of-a-kind gems made by people with talent and passion. Fans of Homespun Style are no stranger to a flea market, online auction, or second-hand store either, always on the lookout for unusual furniture and quirky accessories. Interiors stylist Selina Lake and writer Joanna Simmons show how this homely, crafty look has been given a modern twist with cheerful colors, tactile fabrics, and bold combinations. The book begins with the Ingredients of the look, from the basics of modern craft today to how to make color and pattern work. It focuses on ingenious ways to recycle and reuse, from transforming furniture with a lick of paint to finding new uses for everyday items. The Details section looks at textiles, furniture and display, and the second half of the book, Spaces, reveals how the style works beautifully in Living Spaces, Cooking & Eating Spaces, Bedrooms & Bathrooms, Children’s Rooms, Craft & Work Rooms, and Outside. Homespun Style reflects our growing passion for all things crafted, stitched, knitted, and painted. Selina Lake visits homes packed with personality and interest, full of homemade pieces, restored junk-store finds, and one-off treasures.