Sara Bird

From colour-drenched spaces to micro colour-pops, the hues we choose to live with have a huge impact on our wellbeing. Step inside 12 homes that use colour as a backdrop for everyday life. Colour is a universal language and a channel for creativity and imagination. It taps into our minds, evokes emotions and gets under our skin. In this book, Sara Bird and Dan Duchars share how to be inventive with colour while making soulful and sustainable choices. In the first section, Colour Chemistry, they begin with the colour wheel and explore tonal, complementary and contrasting schemes as well as how to choose the right finish, whether a flat matt, glossy glaze or dappled sheen. They also explore the psychology of colour and consider ways to highlight stand-out features. In part two, Colour for the Soul, the authors visit 12 real homes: evocative, original spaces with palettes that nod to individuality. Naturally pigmented materials bring charisma through chroma in all kinds of interiors. Arranged in four chapters (Natural, Minimalist, Maximalist and Accents), these case studies show how to add heart and soul with sustainable choices and eco-friendly ideas. Be inspired to bring new ideas to your home and create a positive place that enhances your life.

Retreats, hideaways, escape spaces - call them what you will, such havens offer us a personal, private and peaceful place to nest, nurture and take time out. These spaces offer the chance to create a completely unique interior. Be it a simple garden room, a homely shepherd's hut, a yoga-lover's cabin, a fishing lodge or summer house, a treehouse, a circus wagon, a purpose-designed garden smart pod or even a canal boat, the glorious retreats showcased here will provide inspiration for creating your very own place for escape or somewhere to enjoy favourite activities. Author Sara Bird reveals the essential elements of a soulful hideaway, from building materials to decorative details, and then explores 14 remarkable retreats in three chapters: Close to Home, On the Water and In the Wild. These are spaces designed for rest, relaxation, play and daydreaming either alone or en famille, as well as for their effects on our mental and physical wellbeing.