The Natural Home

The first of two excellent books from Blomquist.......many beautiful environments, but a shame they all seem to be owned by World Class Bobo's who have purchased it all from Paris antique stores and flea markets. This vibe gets old rather quickly, as many places are ''quaint little 200 year old houses on back alleys in Amsterdam, that were ''picked up'' by people with invisible means of support. As a garden designer and stylist recently priced out of the San Francisco Bay Area, this lifestyle seems particularly unrealistic. I have recently moved to a tiny town in rural Kansas where a mere mortal can afford to have this same beauty, but sourced from the bottom up, rather than purchased from the top down. The most incredible environments I have ever seen were boat squatter communities in the harbor of Hong Kong before it ''changed hands'' in the late 1990's..........these would not be one bit out of place in this book, [just smaller] but were created by virtually penniless people with huge imaginations whose entire life is involved with FINDING the amazing materials their homes are made from........but then that would change the entire angle of these books to something more akin to the places in Lloyd Kahn's amazing series of books........REGARDLESS.......Blomquist has excellent style, and many fine environments appear in both of his books.........

This book is SO gorgeous I just can't leave it alone! I love the muted, artistic interiors that the author has assembled. As a person very sensitive to color and visual stimulation I am drawn to the peaceful, quiet rooms he has included. I love his descriptions and his aesthetic. I love how many of the homes have a pared down look and yet are so warm and inviting, and all show such interesting textures. The workshop he shows is very intriguing as well. I would just love to crawl inside this world he has created, and I find myself noticing some of the things I have done in my own home that are similar and am inspired by many of his ideas to do more, to be braver.This is my FAVORITE book on home decor that I have ever owned, and I hope to see more from this author in the future!

I like relaxing and looking at people's homes. These are full of old collections and convey a style the opposite of polish. I like this book for relaxing and paging through this interesting places. The author enjoys an aesthetic that shows wear and natural elements. My favorite of the 3 books I have of his.

I saw Hans' other book "In Detail" at a local gift shop about a year ago, and it was so exquisitely beautiful that I had to buy it for my mother who loves to create her own decorations out of this and that, using a lot of natural items. I just went to visit her recently and saw the book on her table and sat pouring over it and just loved the ideas I got from it, as much as I did when I saw it in the shop. So I was so excited to look for other books by the same author and to purchase one for myself. I ordered this book, it just arrived and immediately upon opening it I saw that it was not anywhere near as much to my liking.It's hard to really describe what it is about it that I don't like, and even what's different between the two books. I simply flipped through it quickly looking at the pictures and just was not even drawn in to spend time with it. I decided to return. :-(I appreciate how he discusses using color, texture, plants etc to create the "natural" home, but much of the book showcases homes he has chosen as reflecting this natural home style, and while they're all lovely, a lot of the pics didn't really seem to capture a lot that I couldn't come up with on my own anyway. This book just doesn't really seem to offer anything new, even if it is very nicely done and the photography is lovely. The homes he chose also are all either super old French homes that were once farms, factories, or some other nearly-impossible-to-score-abode, so while they set a nice framework for a natural feel, it would be impossible to replicate that in a common modern home. In light of this, it's ever more important that the displays shown within it bring something new to the table that we could use for our own modern homes to give the same feel. This is where I was just left wanting something more, and more interesting.I still love Hans' work, I signed up for his instagram and pinterest pages so I could follow his work. The fact that I don't happen to like this book doesn't speak to his talent or amazing artistry in his arrangements and photography. I just think his book "in detail" shows more interesting arrangements. Just personal taste.

I was inspired by this book when I first saw it at a gallery. Because Amazon offered it at a lower price, I ordered it from there. I love natural colors and textures, and this book is right up my alley! This book somehow provides a serene feeling to get back to nature and I'm blessed to add it to my library!

I like to browse thru this book when I need inspiration to get my house in order again. beautiful examples of simplicity and a wonderful use of gray.

This is one amazingly beautiful book. I love it. The pictures are earthy and luscious. The color pallet is truly stunning. I was hoping that the author had more books available but sadly, this seems to be his only one. Bare essentials and great design. Everything is well loved and cherished. Everything is appreciated for what it is. Everything is respected for it's natural elegance and history. This is definitely a dreamy and delicious book. A book to be savored and looked through again and again and again. Don't miss it.

This is the aesthetic I was looking for - it really made me relax about trying to get things "just right", and realize a lot more happens if you let things be themselves. I'm using it for ideas about using some antiques that I have to display in the Nursery where I work - it will be a very useful guide.

Beautiful book, inspiring if you love a very rustic neutral look. Lovely as a coffee table book as well. Arrived quickly and in very good condition.

... Des idées, des palettes subtiles, des objets de charme, la patine du temps. Tout à fait plaisant à feuilleter, encore et encore,... je l'ai acheté deux fois, impossible de le garder, mes proches me l'ont "dérobé" à chaque fois!

Absolutely had to write a thank you review and I never write reviews which says a lot that I wanted to. The book came in perfect new condition and packaged well. Delivered today and I’ve taken a quick look, so much inspiration to great interior designs and didn’t know that the director is one of the best in the industry from the likes of his background story at the back.Couldn’t ask for more, definitely worth so much more than it’s retail price. Thank you very much and will recommend others.

Volume bello, ottima qualità di stampa, bel formato.Anche questo libro è arrivato subito...ed è stato letto immediatamente! :-)Si trova solo in lingua originale, non è un gran male ho rispolverato il mio inglese, ma tanti non lo compreranno per questo ed è un peccato. Case particolarissime, fotografate in tutto il loro 'decadente' splendore, un trionfo di grigi, lino e legno.Insomma se vi aspettate la casa modello AD, questo libro non fa per voi, qui si esaltano le imperfezioni dei muri, gli arredi restaurati dagli stessi proprietari con un risultato di grande personalità, niente luccichi di marmi e specchi, solo lussuose ombre e luce naturale.Difetti? Personalmente ...nessuno!

This is another gorgeous coffee table book I recently added to my collection. Hans Blomquist is a stylist who started out working for IKEA in Sweden where he then ended up art directing their catalogue. He now lives in Paris and you can see in his book lots of fabulous flea market finds worked into natural interiors. Like in a cook book the author first describes all the natural ingredients that make a perfect natural home: plants and foliage, colour, display, texture and fabrics. Then you will find lots of examples how you can create a natural inspired space using your ingredients. When I first flicked through the pages I was instantly reminded of Sibella Court's book Etc. So if you love antiques, quirky flea market finds and natural inspired interiors this book is definitely for you! It is also a great present. Read on my blog: [...]