Practically Minimal: Simply Beautiful Solutions for Modern Living - Softcover

Toy, Maggie

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0500283702 ISBN 13: 9780500283707

Publisher: Thames & Hudson, 2003

Synopsis

The new minimalism is not about bare, white-walled rooms, starkly devoid of signs of human life; nor is it about massive expense and austere living. No longer content with the relentless search for hard-edged purity, many of today's designers have adapted the minimalist vocabulary and imbued it with innovativeyet practicaltwists. Presenting the most exciting interiors from around the world, Practically Minimal offers visual inspiration and ideas to anyone attracted to the minimalist ethos. Here are flexible, livable, enjoyable, and functional spaces that artfully combine the beauty and spirituality of minimalism with an exuberant love of exotic woods and metals, varied colors, playful and mysterious forms, and the requisite respect for natural light, clean lines, and easy living. Drawing on interiors created by a wide range of architects, designers, and residents themselves, the book focuses on five themes: living and relaxing, cooking and dining, sleeping, bathing, and outdoor living. A special Elements section is a rich visual resource of details of the new minimalism, from stairs and storage to materials and textures to lighting and planting. Here is a style of living that really does marry form and function: it is comfortable, beautiful, affordable, and practical. 250 color illustrations.

About this title

About the Author

Maggie Toy is the editor of Architectural Design, based in London, and has written extensively on minimalism, interiors, and architecture.

Reviews

Toy, executive editor of Architectural Design magazine, writes that a much more livable version of minimalism has emerged from the 1990s style she describes as "extremely expensive, exactingly detailed," "stark," and marked by the near "absence of human life." In this lavishly illustrated volume, Toy draws examples from international homes to present her view of an updated minimalism: a livable, often colorful style that leaves more room to express the personality and hobbies of a homeowner. In sections devoted to various areas of the home, Toy offers basic, practical ideas aimed at amateur designers working on their own houses: "Start with walls and floors and add elements piece by piece." Toy's charge to seek "tranquility and freedom from conventional distractions" will strike a chord with many readers interested in creating more dynamic, simplified, clutter-free living spaces for themselves, while the beautifully reproduced interiors show a wide range of possibilities and styles. An extended resource section concludes this handsome, informative title for design enthusiasts. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Thames & Hudson
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0500283702
• ISBN 13: 9780500283707
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 192