Inside+Out

Happy Weekend, Friends! While you all know I am a huge fan of literature, I also enjoy a good design book every now and then: glossy pages, full bleed images, handsome layouts...YUM! Since I know I've got at least one interior designer for a follower (and because, after all, I spent the last three years earning a graduate degree in the design field), I thought it would be nice to mix it up a little today and talk about one of my favorite design books out there: Inside Outside by Petra Blaisse.

This gorg. book was a birthday present from my oh-so-amazing brother, Brian, in 2007 and continues to be a source of delight and inspiration for me today. In case you're not familiar, Petra Blaisse is a Dutch designer whose talents include textile, landscape, interiors, and exhibition design; one of her firm's most well-known projects in the U.S. is the Seattle Public Library (architect: OMA). She has also created some absolutely fantastic installations using curtains as architecture, challenging the typical rigidity of architecture with more fluid, mutable forms.

But back to the book, which is and of itself a captivating work. At 500+pages, it boasts a true richness of visual and written information: over 50 projects, interviews with Blaisse, process and documentation, and essays by other well-known architects and designers, like Cecil Balmond (who, PS, has also created some lovely books; check out Informal and Element).

One of my favorite aspects in Inside Outside is how text regarding the book itself starts on the cover and runs through ten or so pages of introduction about why a formal introduction shouldn't really be necessary, insisting instead that, "you just fall into the book like we fall into daily life late at night afer work...front Matter that makes words superfulous, images that announce the things to come...this is what lies now in front of you...the weave of things, one thing leading to another." It is this mix of poetry and candor that defines the book, gracefully guiding the reader-viewer through a web of lush images, engaging process diagrams, and articulate essays.

Other captivating details include fluorescent perforated pages in the front and back (which can be torn away and used as tabs) colored book edges to demarcate sections, and an entire codicil filled with project particulars. Every inch of this book is amazing and can serve as a source of inspiration. All in all, whether you are looking for good visuals to flip through while sipping your Starbucks at Barnes+Noble or a truly captivating blend of design ideas and opinions, Inside Outside takes the cake! I'll leave you with a few more images to whet your appetite: