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My Tiny Indoor Garden by Lia Leendertz, Book Review

Book Reviews, AllAmanda Russell

If you have no garden and are thinking you are never going to have enough space to have your own or grow your own plants and salads look no further than My Tiny Indoor Garden. House plants are having a moment just now, I use them for styling in so many projects, they are something we can all have and everyone wants to be in on the act. This delightful book by Lia Leendertz with beautiful images by Mark Diacono is packed with space saving indoor gardening ideas. It includes lots of ways to display flowers and plants as well as a wealth of tried and tested growing tips.

Before I go any further I have to declare my interest in this title and tell you I was one of the featured case studies. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty more case studies with very doable projects I want to immerse myself in.

There’s lots of detail on plant maintenance and how to keep them in prime condition from the people growing the plants. There’s a pretty succulent garden in a porch with a useful demonstration on how to take cuttings to increase your plant collection. Cookery writer Deborah Robertson shows us the secret of reinvigorating mint plants to keep them producing flushes of beautifully scented leaves. And who couldn’t linger over a fabulous multicoloured hyacinth jar collection, attractive whether or not they have blubs in them. 

Full of beautiful images and information this book would have shelf space for a long time even if I wasn’t in it. Great as a gift to inspire again and again as well as being a reliable and in depth reference book.

By Lia Leendertz

Published by Pavilion Books

Images Mark Diacono

If you like this book review check out my review of 'Making Winter' by Emma Mitchell

Home For Now by Joanna Thornhill

Book Reviews, AllAmanda Russell

If you are thinking personalizing your space on a very restricted budget is impossible, Home for Now by Joanna Thornhill is the book for you. It spotlights the challenges people are facing in housing, with astronomical house prices many are finding they have to live in temporary accommodation for much longer than expected. And even after managing to get a foot on the housing ladder, with the substantial debts incurred there is little budget left for splashing the cash when making home your own.

 

Home for Now has a wealth of inspirational detail and practical tips to show you how to make the most of the space you live in. The book is divided into chapters that target and analyse the needs of different living spaces with the message, plan and asses your needs before you start buying. As well as the practicalities, the book is packed with creative ideas and visuals to help you make changes reflecting your life and loves, the emphasis being very much on comfortable and stylish.

 

The style of Home for Now is eclectic, it’s about being flexible and taking a fresh look at what you have, can you repurpose or display it? In each chapter there are interiors make projects, refreshingly they are all hands on, using the minimum of skills to achieve stylish transformations of skip rescues, car boot finds and family hand me downs. Our favourite project is a very doable no sew chair, repainted and covered in a wild African print fabric.

 

Home for Now will leave the reader feeling confident about stamping their personality on their space and making home on a very restricted budget. Remember rules are there to be broken and be playful.

Home For Now by Joanna Thornhill, published by CICO Books (£16.99)

Photography by Emma Mitchell and James Gardiner © CICO Books

If you like this book review read my review of Making Winter by Emma Mitchell