Design by Nature: Creating Layered, Lived-in Spaces Inspired by the Natural World

(Hardback)

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Description

The first design book that translates elements of nature--flora, water, and wood--into elements of decor for beautiful, lived-in, bohemian interiors, from acclaimed designer and tastemaker Erica Tanov. Inspired by nature's colors, textures, and patterns, design icon Erica Tanov uses her passion for textiles to create beautiful, timeless interiors that connect us to the natural world. Design by Nature incorporates simple motifs from nature into the home, with new and imaginative decorating ideas for an organic and bohemian style that mixes and layers rugs, pillows, throws, and drapery, and incorporates unique patterns and fabrics such as shibori, ikat, and jamdani. Practical design and decorating tips enable you to incorporate patterns and motifs from both ordinary and unexpected landscape elements, as well as develop a keener eye for the beauty that surrounds you every day. With nature as inspiration, along with stunning photos from renowned photographer Ngoc Minh Ngo, Design by Nature offers an enduring and intuitive approach to design that transcends fleeting trends.

Reviews

Remodelista: Required Reading
Garden & Gun: April Book Pick
C Magazine: April Top Shelf Book Pick
San Francisco Magazine: Most Wanted

Textile designer Erica Tanovs interiors are as organic and alive as her native Californias woods.
Martha Stewart Living

In this highly original study of design and nature, Bay Area clothing designer Tanov describes her artistic process as bringing what Proust called new eyes to her familiar California surroundings. The books five sectionsbased on wood, weeds, water, dirt, and decay respectivelyshow readers how to find decorating inspiration right in their own backyards. Tanov follows her obsession with ferns and their furry brown fronds and delicate green tendrils through the creative process as her adulation transforms into fodder for textile designs of clothing, home furnishings, and wallpaper. Later in the book, the author pairs a photograph of a redwood forest floor strewn with pinecones with a picture of a daybed tossed with pillows in earth tones and graphic patterns. This creative juxtaposition, like many others within these pages, is a testament to natures hand and Tanovs eye in creating relaxed, inviting rooms. The book combines personal musings, essays, and artist profiles with 100 full-color photographs by Minh Ngo. It will be treasured by a diverse readership whose tastes run from British cult interior designer Ilsa Crawford to American transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau."
Publishers Weekly

ExquisiteFor those who love the intricacies, imperfections and ephemerality of the natural world, this book will feel like a familiar, gorgeous friend, and Tanovs essays are beautifully composed, too.
BookPage

I am a city girl. However, this book could persuade even me to bring the outside inside. It takes an authentic free spirit to find inspiration in weeds, shadows, rips, and decay.Erica is a dream weaver and an iconoclast. We are lucky she took the time to reveal her thinking process in the pages of this book.
Tabitha Soren, artist and former MTV News reporter

Opening up Tanov's book feels like going to the natural hot springs--there is something very cleansing, refreshing, and almost spiritual. But, her book is not only inspiring in a poetic way, it is rich with ideas and takeaways. She's inviting us on a hike through her imagination and it's both compelling and extraordinarily beautiful."
Justina Blakeney, designer, founder of theJungalow, and best-selling author ofThe New Bohemians

I've been inspired by Erica Tanov's quietly refined visual sensibilitysince I discovered her work.Design by Natureoffers a fascinating look at her creative process and her sources of inspiration, illustrated with beautiful, soulful photography by Ngoc Minh Ngo.
Julie Carlson, founder of Remodelista and author ofRemodelista

It is a joy to look through Erica Tanovs lens; a kindred spirit and steward on the path of amplifying the source of our creativity. Designing and aligning with nature, that higher intelligence, is the essence of balance which begins within each of us.
Paulette Cole, cofounder and creative director of ABC Carpet and Home

There is hardly anything I like more than getting that rare glimpse inside the process, not to mention, the very space in which an artist works.Design by Natureshows exactly how Erica works and what she is inspired by. Few artists are this open in sharing their inspirations. I find that only the truly confident ones do it well.
Todd Hido, photographer and artist

Erica is a mix master. As a designer and artist, she picks references from nature and beautifully weaves them into her home, stores, and gorgeous designs. There is a sublime earthy, yet ephemeral combination that is Ericas special gift to design. This beautiful book captures that rare combination and gives you a perfect glimpse into the amazing creative mind of this true talent.
Christiane Lemieux, founder and creative director of DwellStudio and author ofThe Finer ThingsandUndecorate

Author Bio

ERICA TANOV launched her eponymous label in 1990 after earning a BFA in fashion design from Parsons School of Design. Her collections of clothing and lifestyle goods, sold at her two boutiques in California and her online shop, epitomize relaxed luxury. Her work has been featured in Vogue, Elle Decoration UK, Undecorate (Clarkson Potter), The New Bohemians (Abrams), and the forthcoming White Rooms (Penguin Lantern). Actresses including Maggie Gyllenhaal, Tilda Swinton, and Vera Farming have donned Tanov's enduring pieces. She is currently developing new furniture, wallpaper, and textile collaborations and also has plans to open a Jackson Square boutique in San Francisco and reopen her New York store in Brooklyn.