About Gabrielle Johnson
When shopping finally becomes an Olympic event, editor Gabrielle Johnson is pretty sure she’ll take home the gold medal for Canada – after inquiring about the availability of other colours (lilac? chartreuse?) and politely requesting a discount. Every week, she shares a glimpse into what’s on her style radar.
I’ve always been an avid reader. My mother still likes to talk about the number of library books I used to plow through every week as a child, and while I may have moved on from The Baby-Sitters Club and other such highbrow works of literature, I still spend my days devouring words. When I’m looking for décor inspiration, I turn to design websites, blogs, magazines, and of course, gorgeously glossy coffee table books. Here are five of my favourites design tomes:
 |
Being a total Anglophile, I’m obviously a little biased, but Chloe Grimshaw’s New London Style really is a fantastically inspiring book. The author gives readers an intimate glimpse inside over two dozen of London’s most stylish homes, including those of model Erin O’Connor and designer Matthew Williamson.
|
 |
Domino: The Book of Decorating should be required reading for anyone with even a passing interest in home décor. As helpful and fun to read as the now sadly defunct magazine, Domino is full of useful tips and essential information on everything from discovering your personal design style to choosing the right colours, furniture and fabrics for your space.
|
 |
Regular readers of this blog probably know by now that I’m a huge fan of colour, but I don’t have anything on interior designer Kelly Wearstler, who never met a vibrant shade she didn’t like. Cue Hue, Wearstler’s glamourous homage to the brightest, boldest colours in modern décor. Chromophobes, you’ve been warned.
|
 |
I’ve long been captivated by the style of Yves Saint Laurent — not only his legendary fashions, but also his interior designs, particularly his stunning retreat in Marrakech. The Private World of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé provides a peek inside the eight homes the designer shared with his former lover and business partner. If you're a YSL fan, or simply believe in the "more is more" school of decorating, this book is for you.
|
 |
Interior stylist Selina Lake’s distinctive, eclectically romantic sense of design is perfectly captured in the colourful pages of Bazaar Style. Travellers and vintage aficionados alike will appreciate Lake’s tips for creating an environment that’s unique and personal, using mainly flea-market finds and exotic souvenirs. I can’t wait to check out her second book, Romantic Style, which comes out this week.
|
It’s been four months now since I joined the sweetspot.ca team as editor of SweetHome, and I can hardly believe how quickly time has flown by. In my first blog post, I mentioned that design and décor are never static – and that happens to hold true for a lot of other things in life, too. Case in point: as of next week, you can find me at SweetLife, where I’m thrilled to be taking over the reins. Check back here every Tuesday to get to know Bonnie Mo, SweetHome’s new editor!