Best Design Books

February 2, 2013

Kaffe Fassett was born in San Francisco in 1937. When he was 19, Kaffe won a scholarship to the Museum of Fine Arts School in Boston, but left after 3 months to paint in London. He settled in England in 1964. Kaffe ventured into the world of colourful yarn on a visit to a Scottish wool mill with fashion designer Bill Gibb. Inspired by the colours in the landscape, Kaffe was thrilled to find the same colours in yarns. He bought 20 colours of Shetland wool and some knitting needles, and on the train back to London a fellow passenger taught him how to knit. His first design appeared as a full page spread in Vogue Knitting magazine. Missoni and Bill Gibb commissioned Kaffe’s early commercial collections, and his one-of-a-kind designs have been collected by Barbra Streisand, Lauren Bacall, John Schlesinger, Ali McGraw, Irene Worth, Shirley Maclaine, Helen Frankenthaler, Alan Bergman and H.RH Princess Michael of Kent. In 1988 Kaffe became the first living textile artists to have a one man show at the Victoria & Albert Museum. The exhibition attracted such crowds that the Museum doubled attendance figures during the run. A large part of Kaffe’s output is now…

Sweet Designs by Amy Atlas

February 1, 2013

Bake it, Craft it, Style it Amy Atlas, home baker, crafter and party planner decided to show to her fans how to create fabulous sweets tables perfect for any event. The Sweet Designer, who has been successful with her blog, decided to move to the paper all of her secrets and present her public with new, original and easy-to-do recipes. The book includes 15 chapters, more than 100 recipes and over 75 easy and affordable projects to make every event that more special. In each chapter Amy features an amazing dessert table that reflects themes that Amy`s clients, who include Brooke Shields, Kelly Ripa, Gayle King and Martha Stewart Weddings, most often request: a favorite color, a design, passion, holiday or flavor. The writer shows hers readers how they can use one item or mix and match items from different tables. Sweet Designs is a lot more than just a book about desserts, is the prove that sugar can be something special and that design is present in every aspect of life.

Barbra Streisand’s Passion for Design

January 18, 2013

For nearly five decades Barbra Streisand has been one of the singular figures in American entertainment. From the cabaret to the Broadway stage, from television and film stardom to her acclaimed work as a director, from the recording studio to the concert hall, she has demonstrated that the extraordinary voice that launched her career was only one of her remarkable gifts. Now, in her first book, Barbra Streisand reveals another aspect of her talent: the taste and style that have inspired her beautiful homes and collections. Barbra explores and details her lifelong love of design while taking the reader on an extensive tour of her home in California and all the decorating and renovating that went into making it her dream home. And far, far away from her humble beginnings in New York as a child. A culmination and reflection of Streisand’s love of American architecture and design between the eighteenth and twentieth centuries, the book contains many of her own photographs of the rooms she has decorated, the furniture and art she has collected, and the ravishing gardens she has planted on her land on the California coast. In addition to glimpses of her homes, Barbra shares memories of…

The Queen Palette Project

January 13, 2013

To celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s 60 colourful years on the British throne, Pantone and Leo Burnett London have teamed up to launch a limited edition colour guide as a tribute to the Queen’s fashion-forward colour statements. For over 60 years, Her Majesty has opted for a full spectrum of perfectly colour coordinated ensembles, from the Primrose Yellow she wore at Will and Kate’s wedding in April 2011 to the tasteful Lilac Snow outfit she wore last year during a visit to Northumberland. To mark the , this bespoke, limited-edition, numbered colour guide is designed to capture and commemorate some of the Queen’s most memorable colour choices since her coronation – featuring PANTONE® Colour references and citing the date and location that determined her outfit colour choice. A special presentation box was made for the book to be presented to Her Majesty. Justin Tindall, executive creative director at Leo Burnett London, said, “When you see footage, or read commentary of Queen Elizabeth on her official engagements, at a Royal Wedding or even watching her horse race at the Derby, there is always mention of what she’s wearing. It has been an ever-present subtext to the 60-year reign of our Monarch. The…