A unique portrait gallery of top interior designers' favourite rooms, painted by SJ Axelby. Each room portrait is accompanied by a charming and quirky interview with the owner, in which we discover invaluable nuggets of design advice, cocktail choice, life hacks and so much more – all illustrated in watercolour by SJ.
A sumptuously illustrated artist's record of the homes of 89 leading creatives from interior designers to ceramicists and antiques dealers (and florists and chefs).
There is a long tradition of painting rooms to provide a record of grand homes, giving a glimpse into the life and times of previous generations. Today there is a resurgence of interest in our living spaces, but there is no book in the tradition of room portraiture to inspire you. SJ Axelby's Interior Portraits will take you into the unique and colourful homes of 89 leading designers, seen through the artist's eye of Sarah-Jane Axelby, whose work is described by the Financial Times as ‘an unadulterated celebration of decoration in all its visual glory'.
Creating an authentic and characterful scheme is much like the composition of a painting: the shape, form, contrast, colour, pattern and texture all need to work in harmony. This pictorial guide includes not only Sarah-Jane's original watercolours but scrapbook pages annotated with design wisdom from each room's owners, which will enthuse and empower the reader to try new ideas in their own homes. The owners of the rooms featured here make a creative who's who of the international design world, creating mouthwatering compositions bursting with colour and pattern and displaying the true joy of a home that reflects its owner's personality.
This book is a beautiful object, printed on thick cream paper, with coloured edges, handpainted endpapers and a ribbon. It's intended as a scrapbook to dip into and discover something new every time you open it.
The rooms belong to:
Alexandra Tolstoy
Anna Spiro
Ashley Hicks
Ben Pentreath
Henry Holland
Jason Oliver Nixon and John Loecke (Madcap Cottage)
Justina Blakeney
Kit Kemp
Lonika Chande
Matilda Goad
Michelle Nussbaumer
Penny Morrison
Rayman Boozer
Robert Kime
Skye McAlpine
Sophie Conran
Vicky Charles
