What does ‘Modern' really mean? Very many things, I'm afraid. You can try and convince your fatigued brain that all that lofty design talk such 'form vs function', 'minimalism', and my personal favourite, 'vernacular', is baloney, but alas, it all helps to categorize and make sense of the many faces of modern design. Incidentally, making sense of, and breaking down modern design into clear categories is exactly the agenda of Living Modern: The Sourcebook of Contemporary Interiors, by Richard Powers and Phyllis Richardson (Thames & Hudson, 2010, UK).
The Stats:
368 pgs, 740 colour illustrations
$75, available through Amazon.ca and select bookstores
The Gist:
Every several years or so comes a book that deploys broad but educated strokes to sum up what's going on in contemporary culture. This book does just that for contemporary design. Are you a victim of swaying between rustic, industrial, MidMod and retro, not knowing where one type of modern ends and another beings?
Helping you find and understand the kind of modern that speaks to you is this books greatest virtue. Yes, there is what some may consider lofty language, but the categories help connect the vocab with its references, while you brows by style, architecture, place (city, country, desert, ravine), furniture (iconic, built-in, retro), materials and even ambiance (neutral, colour, white, contrast). Amazing photographs of private residences from all over the globe illustrate each category, revealing a map if you will, of modern design.
You'll like it if:
- You're looking to pinpoint a modern style to help kick-start the decorating of your own home
- You're looking to become better versed in the basics of the modern design spectrum
- You love a gorgeous coffee table book
You may not like it if:
- All modern is the same to you, and you're not into it
- You're more interested in decorating rather than design, including architecture and landscaping
- You prefer the format of magazines to hefty volumes when it comes to indulgences such as design
GIVEAWAY: I have one -- that's right, I am not keeping it! -- copy of Living Modern intimidating the other books on my desk, and it can intimidate the books on your desk if you email me the correct answer to the following question: Name one thing to look for when trying to identify modern design? Email your answers to stylesheetAThgtvDOTca with 'Living Modern' in the subject line. Please see contest rules.
This Giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to Daniel G., from Aurora, ON.
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