Book Review: Vintage Remix

Have you guys heard of Kishani Perera? 

If not, she's the author of a new (favorite) book called, Vintage REMIX. She's also a talented Interior Designer- one who worked with model, Molly Sims, whose home is featured on the cover of the book! Kishani is also the founder of the design company, Fuse ID & you'll see her work in magazines like In Style, People Magazine, Better Homes & Garden & more. 

This girl gets around...in a good way of course!  I love this book because it truly mixes modern & vintage, one things I really need to do more of in my own space, I know! But darn, it's not that easy. You really have to be talented (in my opinion) to get it to looks good & not forced. Know what I mean?!? 

Well, Kishani makes it look amazing....

The book also offers a BUNCH of advice on decorating on any budget, which is ideal for those looking to still have money left over. Each chapter is devoted to a single design element making it easier to follow.  

The 224 page book is published by one of my fave publishing houses, Abrams and can be picked up on here. 

This book is a must-have on every coffee table or bookshelf! You can buy your copy here

-images by jen ramos

Book Review: VOGUE, The Covers

When I think Vogue, I think the height of stylish fashion - perfect dresses perfectly staged on perfect models. So when I received Vogue, The Covers from the people at Abrams, it was like getting the best part of over 100 years of Vogue magazine in one shot! Seriously....!

Vogue, The Covers by Dodie Kazanjian is just that - an illustrated photo book of nearly every Vogue cover from 1892 through 2010.  


Covers by famous photogs - Helmut Newton, Bruce Weber, Richard Avedon, Herb Ritts, Annie Leibowitz - they're all here.  Side-by-side it's so easy to see the rise and fall of trends in fashion, style, and photography.  

One of the neatest things is that I actually have some of these very magazines (yes, I admit, I have a few buried in the back of the closet).  

Of course I have the Madonna covers, and the 100th Anniversary issue from 1992 featuring the supermodels in white. Vogue, The Covers has 269 pages with 500 full color photos and illustrations. The $50 book even comes with five frameable prints.

This book is awesome! Get your copy here.

Book Review: Katie Ridder Rooms

Katie Ridder is known for fantastic interiors.  Her trademark approach to mixing antique and modern pieces, strong colors with artful patterns, and a wide array of ethnic styles is a hallmark of elegant interior design.  


She's done interiors in every imaginable place - summer houses, Japanese pavilions, ritzy Manhattan apartments, and of course homes - & she's highly sought internationally for it!

Heather Smith MacIsaac's book "Katie Ridder Rooms" published by Vendome is 235 pages of luscious interiors in rich, full-color photos with lots of narrative, complete with a source guide! 

One of the neat things in this book is a short segment near the end focusing on details - comparing wallpaper patterns, lampshades and upholstery styles. The book is meant to help the reader with ideas & it succeeds with every page.

Ridder's strength is her ability to mix.  While reading through, I noticed her amazing mix of multiple strong colors in a single space, with subtle secondary palettes to balance it.  

In one living room, a rich velvet sofa sectional with Indonesian-influenced end tables, a Turkish pillow-ottoman, and glass floor lamps.  The Editor in Chief of Architectural Digest calls her interiors "confident, artful, elegant."

-all images above by jen ramos

At a loss for ideas? 

Check out "Katie Ridder Rooms" for some great inspiration.  Despite the luxury, her style is accessible and simple - they just take a bit of imagination & drama!


You can get your copy of this awesome book here.

Book Review: Word As Image

Since I mostly review books about interiors and fashion, it's always nice to get something a little different. And since one of my favorite things is typography, "Word as Image" by Ji Lee was a fun break.  Ji Lee is the Creative Director of Facebook. Who knew?!?!

The book runs on a simple challenge: create an image out of a word, using only the letters in the word itself.  One extra rule: only use the graphic elements of the letters without adding outside parts.  What results is a truly innovative art - simple words evolve into lines and shapes where the word itself becomes the illustration of the word. 


In the word ELEVATOR, the V and A become down and up buttons, while the O's in BALLOONS float away off the page. In the word MAGIC - the letter 'I' becomes invisible...that's definitely my favorite one!

The genius of it is the simplicity.  CLOCK is a clock face where the L creates the hands inside the O.
 

There is even hauntingly modern culture - NEW ORLEANS is half "underwater", the M and A in STOCK MARKET are a deep-dip stock line, and BRAZIL is, well, think "thong."
 

If not anything "Word as Image" is inspiring in its creativity and it will definitely make you think.

Which is your favorite Word as Image from the ones you see here??

-images by jen ramos

Book Review: Artistic Interiors

Before leaving to NYC - a contact of mine sent me a book called, "Artistic Interiors' & it's a fantastic book - especially for those of you (like me) who love artwork!   Whenever walking into any home, the first thing I notice is the art (if at all). 

I can't tell you how many times I've been in homes where the art was pretty BLAH....so for me, interesting art is something I really enjoy!

Artistic Interiors by designer & architect Suzanne Lovell is all about designing with Fine Art Collections.
Suzanne is widely respected as an expert on art, textiles & furnishings & is a sought-after lecturer addressing the topics of passionate collecting!


From modern to antique, contemporary to regional, Ms. Lovell tightly illustrates the effectiveness of good selection and placement of art pieces, showing the reader how to match styles to accentuate theme.  It's always amazing how simple changes in the art and framing can transform a room.  


The book has 256 pages of full color photos spanning 13 residential projects. Below I've highlighted some of my favorite pages from the book, which I highly recommend! 

You can purchase your copy here.