Perfect Imperfect: The Beauty Of Accident, Age And Patina

by Karen McCartney

Perfect Imperfect takes as its founding principle the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi, advocating the beauty to be found in imperfection, impermanence and the authentic. Importantly this is done without losing sight of the benefits of living in the 21st century, where designers are merging digital technology with the handmade to produce items that combine the best of both worlds. This beautiful, inspirational book, with thought-provoking text by Karen McCartney and stunning visuals by Sharyn Cairns and Glen Proebstel, is a celebration of accident, curation, collection, hesitation, collaboration, reuse, reimagining and true originality. It explores an established aesthetic in a new way, as illustrated by the homes and studios of international and Australian creatives. It embraces current design objects alongside well-worn ones, and features interior settings that mix comfort, design and an off-beat beauty.

Genres: Design, Interior Design

288 pages, Hardcover

Published April 11, 2017

About the author

Karen McCartney has a wealth of experience in the areas of design, art and architecture. From an Honours degree in the History of Art & English from University College London, and her first job on British magazine Art Monthly, Karen has written for British Elle Decoration and The World of Interiors. Here in Australia she edited Marie Claire Lifestyle and was founding editor of interiors magazine Inside Out where she held the position for 10 years. During her time at News Corp Australia highlights include the successful relaunch of Country Style and the development and launch of the body&soul website. In 2012 she led News Corporation Australia's push for greater content relevant to women. Karen is now editorial director of online retailer Temple & Webster. She has published two successful architecture books on iconic Australian houses, and has curated an exhibition on the subject for Sydney Living Museums.

Reviews

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful book that includes a range of perspectives on the beauty of wabi-sabi like imperfections.

[Rosa Frei · Rating 5 out of 5]

The concept of the perfect imperfection is probably most cherished and appreciated in Japan. Concepts like Wabi-Sabi, the beauty of the irregular, imperfect, incomplete, and impermanent, or kintsugi, the aesthetic of mended objects, show that the worn, natural, aged objects only through use and time develop real beauty. These concepts become now more and more fashionable in the world of design in the West.

In her book PERFECT IMPERFECT, the author Karen McCartney, explores these concepts by introducing the reader to numerous creatives who in their field of design, art, or architecture embrace the playfulness of the accidents, reimagining the common, reuse the well-known, and create unique objects that invite the viewer to discover a different world.

The book is enhanced by beautiful photographs by Sharyn Cairns and Glen Proebstel.

A stunning, brilliant book that inspires and motivates to step out of the well-know into the world of the aesthetic imperfect.