MVL Book Club #1

Undecorate

I fell in love with this image from the book

as many of you did when I showed it on my blog last week. 

written by Christiane Lemieux of 

I had every intention of writing up a review and beginning the MVL Book Club yesterday, Wednesday.

But....that was because I thought this book would be like most decorating books I buy.

I buy them because of the photos and glance through them and toss them aside after a few minutes.

So when I finally had a moment to pick this one up to actually browse...

I was surprised that four hours later I was still engrossed.

I read every bit of it. So that delayed my review.

There are many homes examined in this book and the narrative is very interesting. 

Each home owner tells about how they came upon the design decisions they made or created 

the spaces they inhabit.

That image of the girlie bed with the log wall background is from an actual log house in Nashville.

I never thought I could see myself living in a log house but the way this one is put together, I so could.

It's rustic, it's modern, it's vintage, it's friendly, it's girlie....it's just wonderful.

And a space that is very personal to the homeowners.

Log walls, vintage and modern furniture, modern art plus a little toile. 

A very eclectic mix.

The homeowner built this pink credenza for his little girl's room. Isn't it fab?

This book is all about creating very personal spaces.

It's called "Undecorate" because these homes were not professionally decorated or designed.

But....I do have to say that the people who put these homes together are very artistic and creative.

This book is all about how their homes evolved. How they took things that were important to them 

and included them in their living spaces. They took what they loved and made it work.

As example: one home is a very large urban loft that the owner bought to house 

his collection of six vintage jaguars.

He and is wife live in a large open concept with the jaguars as the centerpiece.

They sleep in a vintage airstream trailer that has been brought inside the building.

They have a vegetable garden on the roof.

Talking about conventional decorating books, Christaine (the author) says -

"Most real people don't hire a decorator and then expect to move into a flawlessly furnished 

house six months later. The most stylish people these days understand this fundamental 

aspect of good living; it's always evolving. 

Great style isn't necessarily a finished product so much as it is an ongoing process."

" Undecorating isn't haphazard style; it's not thought free. It's about being guided by something other 

than the traditional constraints – whether it's your commitment to the environment, or your love of 

polka dots, or the fact that you want to feel like you're in Paris when you live in Peoria."

There are a wide variety of styles of homes shown in this book.

But even if your style is very traditional, there are great ideas you can take from the modern spaces shown in the book too.

This image from the author's own home. 

 So the theme of the book is

"The No-Rules Approach to Interior Design"

It's about doing what feels right to you and not following trends. Incorporating the things you love 

and letting your interior spaces evolve. Spaces that are specific to the way YOU live.

I highly recommend this book. I don't know that I would say that this book is really about Undecorating....

I think it's very much "Decorating" but just doing it in your own way...

not someone elses.

Have you read this book yet? Let me know what you think.