"Perfect for those who want to let nature in without letting style out"-- Elle Deco

"Stunning... shows what can be done when you go back to essentials"-- The Evening Standard

"A gorgeous source of inspiration"-- Time Out

"Achingly beautiful properties"-- The Daily Mirror

A sculptor's Manhattan loft apartment in a former button factory; a Russian artist's Normandy barn conversion; an Italian jewelry designer's rural Spanish retreat...The distinguished Norwegian photographer Solvi dos Santos has roamed the globe seeking out artists and designers whose domestic interiors are inspired by natural materials and organic forms. In the face of machine-made and otherwise technologically aided art, these artists have embraced nature as their medium.The result is a unique style book that will never go out of fashion.

Anyone dedicated to the use of natural materials will find an indispensable source of inspiration in these living spaces, enhanced by the artists' use of wood or metal, stoneware or fabric. From poetry-inscribed ceramics and trompe l'oeil wall paintings, to furniture and kitchenutensils, the book is a celebration of the fusion of art and daily existence. The interiors are in harmony with today's tastes and preoccupations, yet timeless, as they convey the beauty,sophistication and calm of nature. A rich visual source can be found in a special section dedicated to the materials used by the artists as their media.

These pages make us think again about our own homes and how they can be revitalized, with ideas sparked not only by the photographs, but by Phyllis Richardson's discerning commentaries.Here is a universal style book, drawing its examples from several continents and revealing to the full how infinitely inspiring nature can be.

introduction

aboudramane

an Ivory Coast artist

in Paris

henrik allert

a sculptor's farmhouse

in southern Sweden

christian astuguevieille

the Parisian apartment of the artist

and furniture designer

j. b. blunk

a sculptor's cabin in

northern California

francesca tempora casana

a furniture designer's

Tuscan casa rustica

axel cassel

the artist's Normandy house

and studio

michele oka doner

a sculptor's Manhattan loft apartment

in a former button factory

pierre fuger

a French driftwood sculptor

in Corsica

catherine gouny and juliette marange

trompe I'oeil

art in Normandy

gilles hoang

divine furniture in

a converted cafe building

gabriel kemzo

art and living in a cliffside

fort portugais

blott kerr-wilson

shell art near La Rochelle,

France

yuri kuper

the Russian artist's house and studio

in a Normandy barn conversion

mauro mori

a young furniture designer

creates a streamlined fiat in Milan

rosa nguyen

a Vietnamese ceramicist

in a Victorian flat

nils-udo

making art in nature

in Bavaria, Germany

kerstin olby

a furniture maker in"

the Swedish countryside

elsa peretti

the renowned jewelry designer's

restored Spanish house

ritva puotila

a Finnish paper artist's

log country retreat

ristomatti ratia

a designer at home

on an Estonian island

isabelle roux

ceramic art at the

foot of the Pyrenees

djibril sagma

found objects in

Senegal

moussa sakho

an artist's living space

on Gore Island

jerorme abel seguin

a furniture designer's

house in Indonesia

kay sekimachi and bob stocksdale

works in fibre and wood

in California

rupert spira

ceramic purity in an

English farmhouse

erna stena

a textile artist's home

in Reykjavik, Iceland

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