Our top 20 design books gift list
Once again the Sydney Design School team has come up with an inspiring gift list – books that are perfect for the hard to buy for creative in your life. Or perhaps a gift for yourself. Because you know you deserve it!
Still – The Slow Home by Natalie Walton
This newly released book was nominated by two of our Team.
“I love this book because it promotes the ‘slow movement’… living sustainably and buying locally. The imagery is beautiful!” – Amanda Grace
Resident Dog Volume 2 – Incredible Dogs and the International Homes They Live In by Nicole England
“This book combines my 2 loves… it would be even better if it was called ‘Hot Dudes Holding Resident Dogs Volume 2’ – Victoria Aleporos
The original Resident Dog book was also suggested for this list by Dione Fague.
Perfect Imperfect – the beauty of accident, age and patina by Karen McCartney, Sharyn Cairns and Glen Proebstel
“This book encapsulates what I believe to be the next big thing in the design industry. With the moment we are living in we need to reinvent and look into things with a different perspective.” – Dani Mantovani
This is Home – The Art of Simple Living by Natalie Walton
“A book to pick up and put down all summer, beautiful images and lovely sentiments about making your home meaningful.” – Bella Taylor
Hare+Klein Interior by Meryl Hare
“Beautiful lush Australian interiors – graphic colour boards and gorgeous inspo images. I would like Santa to deliver one of their Etched rugs too. Perhaps it could be the wrapping paper for this book.” – Kerry Selby Brown
Designer Maker User – The Design Museum
“This book is essentially the catalogue of the permanent collection at the Design Museum in London. It’s a fascinating and very visual exploration of the evolution of design from the perspective of the key players: designers, manufacturers and end users.” – Jane Eskin
The Secret Lives of Colour by Kassia St Clair
“I hadn’t opened this beautiful book until I joined Roz and her Cert IV evening class looking at the psychology of colour. It’s amazing – beautifully written with easy to absorb chunks of fantastic information.” – Di Strange
City Quitters by Karen Rozenkranz
“This book explores the idea of living a creative life in a non-urban context. Most of us have dreamed about leaving the city behind and City Quitters shows what it actually can look like – from the perspective of 22 stories from 12 different countries.” – Lisa Tilse
Love Colour – Choosing Colours to Live With by Anna Starmer
“I’m all about colour and this is probably my favourite book on the subject at the moment. It’s full of so much useful information, inspiring photos and palettes.” – Sharon Gage
Envisioning Information by Edward Tufte
“These days there is so much information and data going around it’s sometimes overwhelming. This book serves as a great source of inspiration for how you can communicate different types of information to enhance readability and display it in engaging and beautiful ways.” – Vinh Sawada
Rethink : The Way You Live by Amanda Talbot
“Although first published in 2012, this book is possibly even more meaningful now. Beautiful in both design and content, it challenges us to live with mindfulness and sustainability, and to rethink our interior design choices to build a better world.” – Sharon Raco
The Design Book
“Five centuries of the most innovative designs that have shaped our lives.” – Jane Eskin
Living Outside – Reviving the Australian Modernist Garden by Sharon Mackay, Diana Snape, Christopher Frederick Jones
“Now that I’ve designed the interiors of our new house I’m turning my attention to what to do for the outside. This book is the perfect starting point.” – Dione Fague
Cabin Porn: Inspiration for Your Quiet Place Somewhere by Steven Leckart and Zach Klein
“A collection of places that I’d love to live!”- Brett Klyszejko
We Build Drawings by Mikkel Frost, CEBRA Architecture
“This is such an inspiring and engaging book by the principal of a leading Danish architecture firm. Full of watercolour illustrations and sketches, it visually communicates the design thinking process undertaken in over 20 projects.” – Lisa Tilse
Think Like a Designer, Don’t Act Like One by Jeroen van Erp
“I couldn’t write a better description of this book than the publisher has, so here it is: This anthology of design concepts reveals what you can learn from Mad Men’s Don Draper, why the Beatles were not just brilliant as musicians, how a lemon tart can make you world famous and why purple is just always so wrong. Unless you’re Prince or the Pope, that is, but this book is for everyone who isn’t.” – Di Fernandes
Wasted: When Trash Becomes Treasure by Katie Treggiden
“I know I’m going to love seeing the work of these clever designers using waste as their primary resource for manufacturing. Not sure if it will arrive before Christmas, but the wait will be worth it!” – Samantha Over
Atmospheres by Peter Zumthor
“Great for any Peter Zumthor fans of course but also very interesting for anyone interested in architectural theory. It provides a great insight into the mind and process of an acclaimed architect while also being very inspiring leaving you with a lot to ponder and muse over.” – Julia Stockdale
Why Materials Matter by Seetal Solanki
“By examining not just new technologies, but also existing and historical materials, this beautifully designed book looks at how we can shape new meaning and change in social, environmental, economic and political contexts.”- Di Fernandes
How to Save the World for Free by Natalie Fee
“This is such a positive and inspirational book that’s easy to pick up to read a chapter any time you have a few minutes spare. Perfect summer reading.” – Sharon Raco
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