Home & Garden

I am absolutely loving this new book filled with gorgeous ideas for outdoor living spaces. Kameon shows readers how to get the most of their yards, with ideas for great paths, walls, and plants, plus lighting, furniture, and accessories. Her style is modern yet warm and inviting, and I found myself wanting to replicate so many of her beautiful and colorful designs. “To make a garden truly sing, start from the ground up... landscape designer Judy Kameon shows how to make each part of your yard fully and delightfully user-friendly.” —Martha Stewart Living

The idea of living in a treehouse has fascinated me since watching The Swiss Family Robinson as a child. If you can relate, you need to check out this book. Complete with design plans and practical how-to information, this book will inspire you to get building! Even if, like me, you lack the capabilities to build a safe treehouse, this is worthy of coffee table display space, with its beautiful pictures and unique houses.

This is a great guide to the pleasures of community farming and its ties to community building--everything from creating compost to planning a complete urban garden. It’s a great how-to as well as a reflective book. Author Joffe explores biodynamic farming as well as the political implications of the ways we farm and sustain ourselves. A joy to read and absorb, Citizen Farmer is all about what we are passing on to the next generation—the knowledge and the practice of sustainability.

For 20 years, the students of Auburn University’s Rural Studio have designed and built remarkable houses and community buildings for impoverished residents of Alabama’s Hale County, one of the poorest in the nation. When I first read about this program and its philosophy that “everyone deserves access to good design,” it made a big impact on me, so I was thrilled to see this update and celebration. One hundred and fifty projects in, Rural Studio continues the ethos of recycling, reusing, remaking, and delighting in using local materials, while maintaining the belief that architects should become leaders in bringing about environmental and social change.

The fourth book in Koones’ terrific Prefabulous series takes a look at international sustainable home design, exploring a range of design styles and cutting-edge green technologies. Get inspired by awesome examples from Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Canada, the United States, England, Germany, South Africa, and beyond. As the author says, “We can all benefit by sharing technology developed around the world.”

Salvias are some of my favorite plants because they flower prolifically, tend to be easy to grow, come in a variety of colors and sizes, and fit easily into almost any style of garden. Many varieties are drought-tolerant, too, which is certainly at the forefront of California gardeners’ minds. The Plant Lover’s Guide to Salvias, one of the first books in a new series from the excellent Timber Press, features everything you need to know to grow this vibrant and fragrant plant.

When it comes to your home, are you afraid of color? Are the rooms of your house neutral to the point of boring? Personally, it took me a while to embrace color, but now there’s no looking back. Color has the power to not only brighten rooms, but to brighten moods, which Will Taylor showcases so marvelously in his new book. I love his youthful aesthetic—a mix of Dutch midcentury modern and vintage shabby chic—and the way he finds inspiration all around him. Filled with tons of doable, beautiful, and fun ideas, this is a book for everyone.