Emily Henson

How to Embrace Imperfection and Create a Home You Love

Life Unstyled

Joanna Simmons

Provides ideas and inspiration for stylish modern rustic designs for the home.

Modern Rustic

Rustic isn’t what it used to be. Gone are the days when rustic style meant fusty dried flower arrangements, antlers over a stone fireplace and acres of tartan. At its heart, the modern rustic look celebrates the fabric of a home, from the roof beams to the brickwork. This style revels in earthy colours and rich textures; in natural materials such as wood and stone; and the ruggedly handsome bones of a building. In this book, stylist Emily Henson and writer Joanna Simmons first lead you through the Elements of the Modern Rustic look. Pure Rustic elegantly blends clean lines with muted shades of grey. Bohemian Rustic mixes texture and pattern with lush colour, while Pop Rustic teams raw wood with pops of neon and tongue-in-cheek artworks. Retro Rustic, meanwhile, brings a relaxed feel, showcasing beaten-up leather armchairs and brick floors. In Details, textiles, furniture, fabric and display are explored, while Living Spaces shows how Modern Rustic style translates beautifully to every room in the house.

We are bombarded by perfect interiors, images that aren’t attainable because they have been styled to the point where they bear no resemblance to reality. These interiors may be stunning, but they aren’t an honest reflection of how we really live. Life Unstyled is about taking inspiration from real homes that are beautiful, creative and inspiring but at the same time a little rough around the edges, with signs of everyday life evident throughout. The first section, ‘Homes Unstyled’, sets out Emily's manifesto for creating a stylish home that is beautiful but lived in. A Home is Never Done advocates allowing your space to evolve gradually so it is an ever-changing expression of your tastes and interests. Work with What You’ve Got suggests ways to make the most of the home you have rather than yearning for unattainable perfection. Signs of Life offers ideas for wrangling papers, clutter and other stuff. Creative Clutter tackles collections and displays, while Break the Rules rejects style diktats and shows how individuality can bring a home to life. The second section, ‘People Live Here’, visits real-life homes that are definitely not perfect yet display incredible style and creativity and reflect their owners’ needs, tastes and style. And throughout the book, quick fixes, DIY makes and ‘ Every Home Should Have...’ boxes offer creative solutions with unique results.

Emily Henson explores the elements that come together to create this eclectic, colourful and contemporary look and draws inspiration from an array of real-life Bohemian Modern homes.

Emily Henson

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