Simplicity at Home is a style, decor, and philosophy book by Yumiko Sekine. Due out 9th Feb 2021 from Chronicle Books, it's 224 pages and will be available in hardcover format.
This is a graphically beautiful and restfully appealing book. The abundantly photographed interiors and decor shots are very well curated and simple as well as elegant and minimalist. The linens and table settings especially are very well done. There is a lot of emphasis on natural fibres (mostly linen) and clean lines combined with monochrome (mostly undyed linen with a few touches of blue/indigo).
Photos and interiors are arranged by season - Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring. These are thematic chapters (not really suggestions for decorating by season). The author makes a number of good points about choosing belongings wisely and making conscious choices about what appeals to us, what we keep around us, and what we dispose of (and why). There's quite a lot of Japanese minimalist philosophy and anti-consumerism throughout the book which will be welcome for some and uncomfortably close to a profoundly guilt-inducing truth for many others (me, it's me).
Without going full-on Marie Kondo - nearly all of us are surrounded by too much stuff. Curating our belongings is a good idea. I read these books and agree philosophically - but still wind up surrounded by yarn/studio cabinets so full of yarn and fabrics that they are constantly threatening to explode.
Anyhow, this book is wonderfully illustrated and beautifully curated. I would heartily recommend it to readers who enjoy interior design, organization, home interiors, and the like. Much of the content is slanted to the FogLinenWork brand aesthetic, but there is enough general information included to make it a worthwhile read for lovers of the genre and the eastern minimalist design style.
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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