Tiny World Terrariums

My newest Domythic book I can recommend is Tiny World Terrariums.  I got this book from the library, and it's quite inspirational!  As you already know, I'm a sucker for displays behind glass, and the enchantment behind these miniature worlds blows me away.  The variety of mosses create terrain and landscape.  And the book gives you extremely helpful instruction on how to do it. 

Click images to see larger. 

Let them know you know they're there...

I'm a little under the weather today, and am postponing the next Global post. Instead, I thought I'd share a quote I enjoyed from the book I'm reading right now, Faery Tale: One Woman's Search for Enchantment in a Modern World, by Signe Pike.


"Coleen explained that making gestures of friendship is very important in the faery kingdom. Buying something like a faery house, for example, would be a good way to let them know you know they're there. Putting honey out, creating a little space for them in each room, talking to them, buying them shiny things--these were all good ways to open the lines of communication."
-pg 45

I appreciated Signe's way of summing up the commonality between many traditional forms of faerie house welcomes: letting them know you know they are there. If we see this as the overall goal, it becomes much easier to improvise the way we greet the faeries of our homes depending on our circumstances, locations, and what we may have access to.

Signe follows this quote with a delightful chapter (pg 49-61) telling the story of five days she spent in her New York City apartment trying to invite and welcome the faeries into her home. I haven't finished her book yet, but thus far I am finding it quite delightful, and highly recommended.

Extraordinary Interiors

Tonight's recommended read is Extraordinary Interiors: Decorating with Architectural Salvage and Antiques. If you're looking for a book of practical advice on obtaining budget salvage and antiques, this is not it. If, however, you want jaw-gawping, oooh-inducing prettiness, by all means, check it out.

Please note: sometimes with recommended books, I take photos of some of the pages. The photos are taken with flash, and not good quality. But frankly that's somewhat intentional, because you should have to buy the book to see the picture in all it's loveliness.




I thought the below idea was quite creative and at least somewhat reproduceable. The home owner collected antique pool table pockets with ornamental detailing, and turned them into sconces.

The below house was my favorite in the book. It's the epitome of over-the-top, but with so many beautiful details!!

Domythic Book Club

I thought it might be fun to recommend a few books I've found helpful over the years. Sadly there seems to be no single volume out there that encapsulates Domythic style, but these are a few that I feel contain bits and pieces of what I consider to be the goals of the decor style.

Interior Alchemy: Secrets to Expressing Creative Ambiance.
This book was recommended to me by Jen Parrish, a friend whose aesthetic and decorating taste I value very highly. The book starts out with a section explaining how to "hoosh" an interior...a term that seems to be similar to the Queer Eye for the Straight Guy idea of zhooshing up one's appearance, only applied to decor. "A hoosh is an arrangement that works, that has a sense of balance and its own internal coherence..." The book goes on to give several examples of interior styles that successfully "hoosh" a space. Some are a bit ramshackle looking, but almost all the pictures include content that can be used as inspiration. The real gem here, however, is the text. The suggestions are extremely inspirational, explaining how to infuse your house with a sense of history and collection.


Rustic Accents for Your Home: 45 Projects from Vines, Twigs & Branches
This is a book I've picked up at the library where I work. Some of the projects are a little more "country cabin" than my preference (making words with twigs, etc) but a lot of them have great potential for the mythic home too. Plus the book begins with an excellent section explaining in general how to harvest and prepare vines twigs and branches for use in the home.



Country Living A Bit of Velvet and a Dash of Lace.
I've checked this one out from the library multiple times. Magnolia Pearl has a very distinct and signature style, leaning heavily on antique lace and velvet. Sometimes her interiors are a bit too over-the-top for myself personally, but again, I can dissect the images and almost always find inspiration in the components. I love her use of garden statuary in her home, and of course the fabrics are droolworthy.



Nell Hill's Feather Your Nest
(and all other volumes by Mary Carol Garrity) I have to admit, Nell Hill's books are my personal favorite when it comes to interior decor inspiration. She just seems to get the mixture of nature mixed with elegance...acknowledging and tossing aside the rules of decorating when needed...just right. Or at least just the way I like it. I especially love her book on Christmas decor, Nell Hill's Christmas at Home. I've used it for more than just Christmas decor inspiration.




William Morris and the Arts and Crafts Home
I'm just a tad bit biased toward the Arts and Crafts design style, as should not surprise anyone who follows my other blog. This is probably my favorite book on William Morris' style, as it contains both gorgeous pictures of his homes and other Victorian spaces he helped decorate, plus modern examples of people who have designed their interiors inspired by his art.



So now it's your turn...what interior decorating books do you recommend?