Before I tell you more about this book, I should firstly tell you that I was actually part of it’s creation. I worked on it as their freelance picture editor, sourcing all the imagery to accompanying the words, which basically involves a LOT of research, followed by contacting the various photo agencies and photographers to negotiate costs, then finally gathering all the high res files and managing spreadsheets of file names, photo credits, pages numbers etc.
This was my job before I launched 91, at a newspaper, and then something I’ve done for book publishers in a freelance capacity for the last few years. It’s a role that can often get overlooked or undervalued these days, as everyone sees themselves as a photo editor, but it actually involves a lot of understanding of photography and image use – both technically and in terms of rights, as well as understanding how agencies work, not to mention the meticulous organisational skills that are needed. So, it is really nice to work with a publisher such as Laurence King who really value the picture editor on a project like this. It was a joy to work with them, along with stylist and author Joanna Thornhill, and I must say, it looks absolutely beautiful – filled with lovely images of course! 🙂
I wrote a post last year about a new wave of interiors books, and how I’d noticed a shift in the interiors books that were being published. This is another example of that – with it’s smaller size (A5 roughly) and a very different format in terms of the content. The book is in Q&A format – the questions being common design dilemmas which Joanna then provides ideas, suggestions and advice to these problems.
Examples of questions are ‘I live in a new build – how can I add character?’, ‘How do I tackle a north-facing room?’ and ‘What can I do with my unused fireplace?’ Joanna’s responses are practical and useful, while the images provide visual inspiration accompanied by captions that highlight why the space has worked well to combat the problem.
Interspersed throughout the book are spreads highlighting specific topics such as ‘when to invest and when to save’, ‘how to unleash your inner designer’ and ‘essential DIY staples’, where Joanna dives into more detail and shares her years of experience working in the interiors industry.
What’s lovely about this book is that is it easy to dip into now and again with it’s snippets of information and tips, but not only that, it feels accessible. The homes that are pictured feel attainable and real – even my own home is in there, and believe me that is very real and done on a tight budget! It’s the perfect read for anyone who is embarking on decorating their first home or if you are about to makeover a space but just don’t know where to start. It demonstrates that you don’t necessarily need big budgets to create a beautiful home – just a little insight from someone in the know, giving you that nudge to unleash your creativity!
The book published just this week and is priced at £14.99 – Preview further and buy here.
