DAZZLING DESIGN
by Amanda Nisbet
Stewart, Tabori and Chang 224 pages, $57.50
Interior designer Amanda Nisbet lets readers inside some of her favourite rooms - and inside her thought processes - in her new book, Dazzling Design.
Nisbet, known for her vibrant approach to decorating, shares photos of rooms she's designed for clients, show houses and her own family. She also deconstructs her design choices, explaining her use of such elements as colour, texture, light and contrast.
The hardcover guide is intended to help the reader better understand how the parts add up to a visually appealing whole and inspire them to bring a bit of Nisbet's energy to their own rooms.
The Book of Gardening Projects for Kids: 101 Ways to Get Kids Outside, Dirty, and Having Fun by Whitney Cohen and John Fisher Timber Press 256 pages, $23.95
Whitney Cohen and John Fisher look at gardens as playgrounds with a purpose.
Garden education directors at Life Lab, a California nonprofit that offers farm-and gardenbased programs, they're experts at getting kids engaged in gardening. They've compiled their ideas into The Book of Gardening Projects for Kids: 101 Ways to Get Kids Outside, Dirty, and Having Fun.
Cohen and Fisher urge parents to make their gardens places where kids feel free to play and explore as well as work. They offer ideas designed to be affordable and achievable for busy parents, from such simple activities as making mud pies to more complex tasks such as building an owl house.
In the softcover, they also offer pointers for designing family-friendly gardens, involving kids in the work of growing and encouraging them to eat the fruits of their labours.
