Design your home in a contemporary way – Vintage Home by Judith Miller

My usual Sunday morning is often reading through many books with Jasper, all of which have the subject matter of cars, trucks, trains or animals. I love it, but sometimes it’s just nice to have some me time with my nose in a book. So it was with utter delight that I had this most wonderful book to browse through this morning.

I often dream of having our home a certain way, and how I yearn to have some more of my style injected in to it; as always most other things determine that most of my actual ideas aren’t possible, not practical or convenient. I think like everyone, we all have some wild ideas that are beyond our means. But one can still dream.

I often compromise and instead of having spectacular designer furniture and décor, I find alternatives.

Vintage Home by Judith Miller is a book stuffed with the wonders of contemporary designs, running through the last century. Filled with beautiful photography and pages of interesting reading, this book has me in awe.

Judith Miller is an antiques expert, and has brought this collection together to give an insight in to some of the well known and not so well known retro and contemporary designs of the last hundred years. Some practical, some just outright bizarre.

The book starts with an introduction of what “vintage” is and how we use it in our homes. Judith describes different styles, and talks about particular designers, such as Charles and Ray Eames, Eero Aarnio and Philippe Starck. The reading is interesting and you don’t have to have a massive knowledge of the subject to find yourself engrossed.

Eero Aarnio’s iconic Ball chair

Philippe Starck’s Juicy Salif juicer

With an index at the start, you can jump to a particular style, or era. There is also a directory of designers and makers. The photographs are stunning, with pieces laid out in rooms, showing different aspects of styles. There is an easy to use valuation index that is helpful for knowing just exactly how much you may need to save up for.

Alvar Aalto chair

What is nice about the ideas in the book is that there are no rules when it comes to designing your home. Styles can compliment each other and enhance a room. Above is a mixture of art-deco, classical-deco and post modern.

Looking through the book reminds me of a TV programme I watch sometimes, with a man called Drew Pritchard, an antiques expert who travels the country looking for hidden gems. He looks for furniture and items that don’t always stand out until he restores them. Many of the pieces in the book remind me of the things he finds and gets so excited about.

Lounge chair and ottoman designed by Charles and Ray Eames 1956

I recognised this exact chair from having seen it on Drew’s programme.

What I find exciting about the subject in the book is that you can travel through time and see the changes and see how classic designs have stood the test of time. I find beauty in some of the pieces, as if they are art in themselves, which I think is particularly wonderful.

Once you open the pages, it’s hard not to look on in awe, and as you turn each page you find something just as exciting as the previous.

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona chairs.

Plywood daybed by Marcel Breuer 1925

Le Corbusier chaise longue (post WWII)

There is a section about glassware:

Murano (Italian) and Blenko (North America) 1920’s

As you work through the book, and time, colour becomes evident, and some of the classic late ’50’s-60’s designs stand out.

Heart chair by Panton 1959

When I saw this installation art piece by Verner Panton 1970, I simply wanted to get in there. Love it.

Verner Panton 1970

As designs enter the later part of the 19th century modern concepts create wonderful example of using materials to create what can only be described as works of art.

Proust chair with Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec bookcase 1978

Hand-bent wire Corallo chair 2004

Arman table 1987

Ron Arad’s chair 1986

Judith Miller’s Vintage Home book is filled with inspiration, insight and wonder. Truly fabulous.

FUSS FREE LIVING RATINGS

Appearance 10/10 An utterly enthralling book with wonderful photography that you’ll want to pick up and read.

Convenience 10/10 Interesting and easy to look through, with helpful sections on different ear’s, directory and index.

Value 10/10 Vintage Home RRP £30, which is worth it for this high quality hardback book. The photography is stunning, the pages are lovely to handle and overall the book is worth every penny. Published by Jacqui Small LLP

Thank you to Quarto publishing group for sending me the book to review. All options are our own and we were not required to write a positive review.