Overview
Minimalist elegance has been a constant theme in interior design for decades. But this manner of living need not mean ascetic white-walled rooms stripped of decoration and accented with rectilinear furniture and hard surfaces. Rather, today's essential interior is defined by sumptuous materials, deep textures, and striking colors. A host of designers and architects around the world have taken the minimalist vocabulary—whether it be that of the Modern progenitors, Japanese essentialists, or the more recent absolutists—and imbued their interiors with innovative twists. No longer content with the search for hard-edged purity (which often conceals extravagant expense), contemporary designers enhance, exaggerate, and extrapolate pared-down minimalism within reasonable budgets. The spaces they create are flexible, livable, and practical, artfully combining the beauty and spirituality of minimalism with an exuberant love of exotic woods and metals, playful or mysterious forms, and a respect for natural light, clean lines, and easy living. Drawing on the best interiors from around the world, created by a wide range of architects, designers, and residents themselves, Practically Minimal focuses on five themes that define the flexible modern lifestyle: living and relaxing, cooking and dining, sleeping, bathing, and outdoor rooms. A final section, Elements, is a rich visual resource of details of the new minimalism, from stairs and storage, to materials and textures, to lighting and plants. 200 color illustrations.Synopsis
Minimalist elegance has been a constant theme in interior design for decades. But this manner of living need not mean ascetic white-walled rooms stripped of decoration and accented with rectilinear furniture and hard surfaces. Rather, today's essential interior is defined by sumptuous materials, deep textures, and striking colors. A host of designers and architects around the world have taken the minimalist vocabulary—whether it be that of the Modern progenitors, Japanese essentialists, or the more recent absolutists—and imbued their interiors with innovative twists. No longer content with the search for hard-edged purity (which often conceals extravagant expense), contemporary designers enhance, exaggerate, and extrapolate pared-down minimalism within reasonable budgets. The spaces they create are flexible, livable, and practical, artfully combining the beauty and spirituality of minimalism with an exuberant love of exotic woods and metals, playful or mysterious forms, and a respect for natural light, clean lines, and easy living. Drawing on the best interiors from around the world, created by a wide range of architects, designers, and residents themselves, Practically Minimal focuses on five themes that define the flexible modern lifestyle: living and relaxing, cooking and dining, sleeping, bathing, and outdoor rooms. A final section, Elements, is a rich visual resource of details of the new minimalism, from stairs and storage, to materials and textures, to lighting and plants. 200 color illustrations.
Library Journal
Toy and Shaw both look at the trend toward the use of natural materials in modern, minimal style domestic interiors. Filled with superb color photographs, Toy's book takes an international look at contemporary minimal style in architect-designed houses that focuses on the use of natural materials as well as an innovative use of glass, light, and color to create a warmer feel. Shaw gives more explanatory information on the use of natural materials in modern interiors that will help even an amateur achieve the look. Beginning with the use of individual elements such as stone, wood, and fabrics, in the second section Shaw shows how these elements can be combined into a design scheme. Shaw provides an international list of resources and Toy an international list of designers and architects. Both are recommended for large interior design collections, Shaw's book would be a good choice for public libraries. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.