Mad About The House

A companion to the best-selling book by the founder of a top interiors blog, this easy-to-use dictionary of interior design answers all those hard-to-solve decorating questions. The book begins with the most important questions of all: Who? What? Where? Why? How? And When? The aim is to answer these before you start any decorating scheme to avoid the most common mistakes, save money, and, most importantly, create a home that works for you and the people who live there. Mad About the House: The Practical Stuff is the super-practical guide that allows you to dip in and out so you can solve all your decorating dilemmas. The chapters focus on Walls, Floors, Ceilings, Windows, Doors and Skirtings, Furniture Layout, and Lighting, before finally a roundup of Fixtures and Fittings. In addition to the no-nonsense practical answers, there are checklists and step-by-step guides to key decorating challenges--everything from How to Hang Wallpaper, to Arranging a Gallery Wall and Removing Stains from Carpets and Soft Furnishings.

The book of the UK's No.1 interiors blog, madaboutthehouse.com.Expanding on her award-winning blog, Kate Watson-Smyth shares a wealth of experience in home design to help you make the most of your space, be it a house, apartment or single room.Packed full of ideas and inspiration for every budget, work through your home room by room with Kate’s expert and practical tips and tricks that ensure every corner reaches its maximum potential. As well as her top 10 design hacks, Kate reveals the rules of rug layout, explains how to buy a sofa, and shows you how to get the lighting right in every room. Learn how to decorate your home with style and confidence, select colours that work, make the most of small spaces and create the perfect zones for relaxation, entertaining and work – sometimes all in the same space.Whatever your style, Mad About The House is a must-have for anyone who is interested in interior design and who wants to make their house a home.

Renovation guidebook and planner in one, from the UK’s No.1 interiors blog Interiors expert Kate Watson-Smyth presents the perfect renovation manual and planner to give a second life to homes in need of a change. With more and more people working from home and spending more time in the house, it is more important than ever to have homes that are adaptable and welcoming. Packed with Kate’s sage advice and enthusiasm, chapters are clearly split by room for easier planning, with a focus on sustainability and money-saving tips. Also included are accounts pages to keep track of finances; an address book for useful contacts; checklists for all the essentials in each room; grid pages to draw floorplans; and space to jot down favorite shops, inspiration, and websites. Beautifully packaged with ribbon markers and gold foil page edges, this is a journal to treasure and keep a record of your home's journey. Praise for Mad About the House: “Full of design hacks for every budget.” Metro

Meet Weenie, a food-obsessed wiener dog, and his best friends Frank and Beans in this hilarious early graphic novel for fans of Narwhal and Jelly and The Bad Guys. Weenie loves his human, Bob. He loves his guinea pig friend, Beans, and his cat friend, Frank. He loves naps, adventures and sharing. In fact, Weenie loves pretty much everything (except the mail carrier). But the thing Weenie loves and desires more than anything else in the world is meatloaf. And he'll do anything to get it. Join Weenie, Frank and Beans on a laugh-out-loud meatloaf adventure, complete with a trench coat disguise, a wild meatloaf trap and even a hungry wolf.

Pulitzer Prize Finalist | New York Times Bestseller | A Read with Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick | A New York Times Book Review Notable Book | TIME Magazine's 100 Must-Read Books of the Year Named one of the Best Books of the Year by NPR, The Washington Post; O: The Oprah Magazine, Real Simple, Good Housekeeping, Vogue, Refinery29, and Buzzfeed From Ann Patchett, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Commonwealth, comes a powerful, richly moving story that explores the indelible bond between two siblings, the house of their childhood, and a past that will not let them go. The Dutch House is the story of a paradise lost, a tour de force that digs deeply into questions of inheritance, love and forgiveness, of how we want to see ourselves and of who we really are. At the end of the Second World War, Cyril Conroy combines luck and a single canny investment to begin an enormous real estate empire, propelling his family from poverty to enormous wealth. His first order of business is to buy the Dutch House, a lavish estate in the suburbs outside of Philadelphia. Meant as a surprise for his wife, the house sets in motion the undoing of everyone he loves. The story is told by Cyril’s son Danny, as he and his older sister, the brilliantly acerbic and self-assured Maeve, are exiled from the house where they grew up by their stepmother. The two wealthy siblings are thrown back into the poverty their parents had escaped from and find that all they have to count on is one another. It is this unshakeable bond between them that both saves their lives and thwarts their futures. Set over the course of five decades, The Dutch House is a dark fairy tale about two smart people who cannot overcome their past. Despite every outward sign of success, Danny and Maeve are only truly comfortable when they’re together. Throughout their lives they return to the well-worn story of what they’ve lost with humor and rage. But when at last they’re forced to confront the people who left them behind, the relationship between an indulged brother and his ever-protective sister is finally tested.

“A novelistic mosaic that simultaneously reads like a thriller and like a strange, dreamlike excursion into the subconscious.” —The New York Times Years ago, when House of Leaves was first being passed around, it was nothing more than a badly bundled heap of paper, parts of which would occasionally surface on the Internet. No one could have anticipated the small but devoted following this terrifying story would soon command. Starting with an odd assortment of marginalized youth -- musicians, tattoo artists, programmers, strippers, environmentalists, and adrenaline junkies -- the book eventually made its way into the hands of older generations, who not only found themselves in those strangely arranged pages but also discovered a way back into the lives of their estranged children. Now this astonishing novel is made available in book form, complete with the original colored words, vertical footnotes, and second and third appendices. The story remains unchanged, focusing on a young family that moves into a small home on Ash Tree Lane where they discover something is terribly wrong: their house is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. Of course, neither Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Will Navidson nor his companion Karen Green was prepared to face the consequences of that impossibility, until the day their two little children wandered off and their voices eerily began to return another story -- of creature darkness, of an ever-growing abyss behind a closet door, and of that unholy growl which soon enough would tear through their walls and consume all their dreams.

"[She] writes with a singular wit, charm, and emotional complexity, every word just right, every page brimming with delicious tension." — Emily Henry, #1 New York Times bestselling author of People We Meet on Vacation International bestseller Mhairi McFarlane delivers a sharp, emotional new novel about a woman who calls off her engagement to "the perfect man" and moves in with a charming stranger who makes her question everything about her life, her past, and the secrets she's kept for far too long... Harriet Hatley is the most in-demand wedding photographer in town, but she doesn’t believe in romance, loathes the idea of marriage, and thinks chocolate fountains are an abomination. Which is why, when her long-time partner proposes, she panics. Suddenly Harriet is single… and living down the hall from her ex. She needs a new apartment, like, yesterday. Enter Cal Clarke, a hopeless romantic who just experienced his own wedding-related disaster. Harriet and Cal are like chalk and cheese, but as they go from strangers to roommates to friends, it becomes clear they’re both running from something. When Harriet’s most heavily guarded secret comes to light, her world implodes. And Cal, with his witty humor and gentle advice, is a surprising source of calm at the center of the storm. With her career, friendships, and reputation on the line, Harriet must finally face her past in order to take control of her future. Because if she’s willing to stop playing it safe and risk everything to share her truth, real love and happiness may be waiting on the other side...

'This book is an absolute must-have - add style, organization and a whole sense of calm to your home with their amazing advice.' - Amanda Holden Just two years ago, busy mums Gemma and Charlotte decided to join their fashion and interior heads together to form a unique service to organise homes with some serious style. In their debut book, Style Sisters, they show us how to stylishly rearrange and declutter our homes to reap the incredible visual and emotional benefits. The Style Sisters will take you through your home room by room, showing you how to declutter, organise and style it with ease. Their aim is to make you feel good, equip you with the timeless approach to cutting out the clutter that weighs you down and make room for clarity, space and zen, amidst a non-stop modern life where it's nearly impossible to fit anything in. Packed with Gemma and Charlotte's top tips and tricks, home hacks, timed detox challenges and a sprinkling of their personal hilarious and heart-warming anecdotes from their job, Style Sisters will put you on the path to living a stylish and organised life. 'Style Sisters came into our house, helped make it a home and changed our lives for the better. They are so brilliant at what they do.' - Rochelle Humes 'I am obsessed by everything these girlies do. They have so many space-saving and organizing tips that you just don't think of yourself.' - Vogue Williams

Crammed with fascinating facts, expert advice, and a wealth of essential information, Shades of Grey will guide you through the minefield that is choosing exactly the right shade of gray paint. “Grey is the cooler, chicer cousin of white that we can't help lusting after” Elle Decor There's no doubt about it, gray is the shade of the moment. On-trend restaurants, shops and homes are covered in it. There's not a home improvement TV show that doesn't feature it. However, despite its popularity, it’s not quite as simple as buying a can of gray paint and slapping it on the wall. Make the wrong choice, and a gray room can be be cold and dark, even energy-sapping. Get it right, however, and your home will look inviting, sophisticated, and modern. So how to find the perfect hue? In Shades of Grey, Kate Watson-Smyth explores the current popularity of the shade and consults experts—scientists, paint brands, interior decorators—who reveal their favourite grays (as well as other tricks of the trade). She looks at the huge range of grays on offer and, via a simple process of elimination, will help you track down the shade that works perfectly for you.

Find happiness at home with five guiding principles from cultural phenomenon THE MODERN HOUSE. 'A source of fascination, inspiration and fantasy' Guardian In 2005, childhood friends Matt Gibberd and Albert Hill set out to convince people of the power of good design and its ability to influence our wellbeing. They founded The Modern House - in equal parts an estate agency, a publisher and a lifestyle brand - and went on to inspire a generation to live more thoughtfully and beautifully at home. As The Modern House grew, Matt and Albert came to realise that the most successful homes they encountered - from cleverly conceived studio flats to listed architectural masterpieces - had been designed with attention to the same timeless principles: Space, Light, Materials, Nature and Decoration. In this lavishly illustrated book, Matt tells the stories of these remarkable living spaces and their equally remarkable owners, and demonstrates how the five principles can be applied to your own space in ways both large and small. Revolutionary in its simplicity, and full of elegance, humour and joy, this book will inspire you to find happiness in the place you call home. PRAISE FOR THE MODERN HOUSE: 'One of the best things in the world' GQ 'The Modern House transformed our search for the perfect home' Financial Times 'Nowhere has mastered the art of showing off the most desirable homes for both buyers and casual browsers alike than The Modern House' Vogue