In detail...

HANS BLOMQUIST

"inspiring ideas for creative interiors"

In my search for inspiration, I ventured into our local Waterstones the other day, and after spending far too long perusing their section of interior books, I found Hans Blomquist's "in detail"....

It is not the sort of book that I was actually looking for (I was hoping to find one about minimalist Scandinavian interiors....something that reflects my own design sensibility)...but never the less it was love at first sight!

And I am so pleased that I decided to get it, maybe just because it doesn't reflect my own style....

It is a truly inspiring book, filled with stunning photography (by Debi Treloar and Hans Blomquist himself )of  Blomquist's beautiful and artfully displayed styling...

Blomquist's distinctive look is rough and raw, and focuses on the details that personalizes a home....far from minimalist, he shows us the world through his own eyes in this book...he reveals to us the beauty of the imperfect, the old and the useless...

The first chapter of the book talks about finding inspiration for interiors in nature....which is a very apt starting point, as his styling almost always contains an element of nature.

From texture to colour , this inspiration is evident throughout his book and from what I know of his work.

"No matter what time of year it is, nature always provides something that will create a beautiful focal point in any room, and bring a little piece of the natural world to your home."

Hans Blomquist

The chapters about texture and textiles again reflects his ability to see beauty in the imperfect, with lots of ingenious and creative ideas that would inspire anyone to personalize the way they present their homes... 

Blomquist's personality doesn't just shine through his styling, but you also get a real sense of him as a person through the descriptive writing: From his memories of childhood to his nostalgic affection for anything old and worn. His chapters about collections and displays was particularly appealing to me, both in a stunningly visual way and in his way of communicating his passion and revealing a little of himself through his words...

"I collect things that I fall in love with - and that might be an old paintbrush, a piece of vintage typography , a glass vase or anything else that catches my eye."

I can thoroughly recommend Blomquist's "in detail" to anyone that loves beautiful styling and stunning photography...It has lots of inspirational ideas for your interiors as well as some great tips on how to create a personal touch in your home using colours, textures and the obscure, from one of the current masters of interior styling!

Recently Hans Blomquist participated in an experiment for the Swedish estate agent X3, where he alongside two other stylists from The creative Swedish agency Agent Bauer, Mikael Beckman and Tina Hellberg all put their spin on the same two bedroom flat, showing how powerful the use of color, decor and styling can be when it comes to transforming the mood in any room...

See the side by sides here

Last note: Lesson learnt: Sometimes getting inspired means not seeking out what you think is your style, but rather looking at how other people see the world, and embracing the differences in our sensibilities!