Reveal: The Book: Mad About The House

Well it’s here. Actually that’s not true, it’s at the printers but I can today, exclusively, reveal, the cover and you can, today, PRE-ORDER IF IT YOU WANT. OK I’ll stop shouting. You don’t have to. Well not until you’ve finished finding out a little more about from this post if you like.

So where to start? Well it’s out on 22 March 2018 and if that feels like a long time away, think of it from my point of view – I finished writing it in July. It’s a long process this book writing.

What’s it about? Well the subtitle is How To Decorate Your Home With Style or, as I have been calling it – the book of the blog ( link just in case you want to pre-order already). Which is where we come to you. Before anything else I want to say thank you to all of you for reading and commenting and helping the blog to become what it is today. Without you, the blog would not exist and there would be no book. So it’s for you.

Now what else can I tell you? Well, I have talked about how to choose the right colours for your home, how to use Pinterest – a frenemy if ever there was one – and a little bit about the psychology of colour. Then we tour round the house room by room helping you to ask the right questions to find the right style and look for you and giving guidance on lighting, layout and making the most of every single corner of your home.

Despite my photographing it there, this is not intended as a coffee table book. It isn’t full of glossy photographs but instead there are illustrations. The reasons for this are twofold: firstly I think photographs can date a book. It may be true that we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover but we all know we do. And I didn’t want people to look at the pictures and feel that they weren’t their style and that therefore the book wasn’t for them. Also photographs date so fast. Who would buy a book now that was full of pale shabby chic interiors?  I hope the illustrations will last for years without dating the book. And yes this is a mock up copy before you comment on the, er, shabby chicness of the cover, which is a stronger shade than these pictures show.

Also never mind the pictures. I’m all about the words. So often those gorgeous books full of photographs arrive and we gaze at the images and ignore the words. Well the words in this are important. This book is all about the words. Information, inspiration and chat – all the words. You can dip in and out as you fancy but I hope you will read those words from time to time. They will last forever and apply to every home whatever its size whether you live in a detached country villa or an urban studio.

I’m also thrilled to show you the book’s cover endorsements. From the editor at large of Elle Decoration, Michelle Ogundehin, to Professor Green, a long time fan of the blog and the expert that is Kelly Hoppen. You can read their words in the pictures.

As a final point and on a more sombre note. Every time I go to my local tube station, I see more and more homeless people gathered there.  Last Christmas I decided to sponsor a room at Centrepoint for £12 a month as I have become increasingly conscious of the fact that I write about beautiful things for the home when so many people don’t even have a home. Earlier this year I asked my agent if it would be possible to donate a £1 from every book sold to a homeless charity. She laughed, in a slightly hollow fashion, and said my royalties wouldn’t amount to much more than that.

And so I have written in the acknowledgements at the end and I say here now. If you buy the book, and perhaps if you like it, I would be so grateful if you would consider making a donation (of whatever size) to help a homeless person somewhere. You don’t have to of course but I wanted to mention it.

Now, run, don’t walk, to the ordering page and buy the book. Ah go on go on go go on….