Country Living: Floral Interiors: Decorative Inspiration from Nature (Country Living) - Hardcover

Judy Spours; Susy Smith

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1855859408 ISBN 13: 9781855859401

Publisher: Chrysalis Books, 2002

Synopsis

The image of a country garden, with unruly flowers growing where they seed amongst the fruit and vegetables, honeysuckle, roses and wisteria scrambling over walls, has always been in part a reality and in part a decorative myth. What is certain is that the garden has had an enormous influence upon the designs inside the country house, which have developed into a whole style of decoration. This book celebrates the country garden as it appears inside the home, in natural arrangements of garden flowers as the inspiration for fabrics such as chintz and for painted ceramics, in the colours used to decorate walls and furniture and in numerous decorative accessories. Traditional fabrics use naturalistic patterns drawn from the garden, of peonies, roses and tulips, for example; kitchen curtains even depict the produce of the vegetable plot. The cups and saucers and plates in everyday use are brightly painted with the nasturtiums or poppies growing outside; and even furniture is decorated with stylized garden flowers. The country home's most important accessories are gathered straight from the garden - vases full of lilac or blue cornflowers, bowls of ripening fruit or dried pot pourri, smooth pebbles or textured branches used as ornamentation. Country garden style is at home with the natural world, in harmony with its colours, forms and textures, and a decorative reflection of its beauties.

About this title

About the Author

Judy Spours is a writer and editor specializing in interiors, design and decorative arts. She is the author of a number of books, including titles on interior decorating, the design of floors, antiques and twentieth-century ceramics. She has written Country Living Magazine's The Country Home.

Review

Bring the outside in with "Floral Interiors", a glorious book celebrating all that is floral through the decades. From earliest times and in all parts of the world, plants and flowers have been depicted in pictures, on textiles, on ceramics and our passion for them lives on today. Not just a bunch of flowers in a vase but on cushions and wallcoverings, florals make an appearance everywhere. Traditional or contemporary, close inspection of any room will reveal a flower or leaf motif somewhere. On that Victorian bookcase as acanthus leaves, on the tile fire surround, the curtains, wallpaper or book spine. This lavishly illustrated book demonstrates how they can be incorporated into any setting - either overtly or less conspicuously as a complementary detail. Full of ideas to inspire, you will discover how to match cool creams, vibrant terracottas, sultry yellows and calming blues with floral decorations. Mix and match floral fabrics to create an individual statement, display a collection of floral jugs or plates, paint a mural or do some floral needlepoint. Bringing nature into the home is a centuries-old tradition, a way of introducing nature into our rooms and thereby inducing a sense of calm into our busy lives. For lovers of flower arrangements or just all things floral, this lovely book will inspire and be re-read time and time again. - Lucy Watson

About this edition

• Publisher: Chrysalis Books
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 1855859408
• ISBN 13: 9781855859401
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 160