Simple Home: Calm Spaces for Comfortable Living

by Mark Bailey, Sally Bailey

The simple home is calm and uncluttered, with each item carefully chosen. Mark and Sally Bailey believe that good design means furniture and decoration that is useful, durable and honest. In the first part of the book, they explore calm Colors, Zen-inspired simplicity, and reclaimed or ethically sourced Materials, while Craft embraces the artisan's skill. Comfort means cozy textiles and warm wood, while tips from the Natural Cleaning chapter will nurture your home. Furniture is often multi-functional, and Curating Your Home looks at arranging your cherished collections. The Baileys then turn to Simple Spaces, showing you how to create welcoming Entrances, versatile Cooking and Eating spaces, Living Rooms with a great mix of personal items and adaptable furniture, soothing Bedrooms and tranquil Bathrooms. Finally they cover furnish Work Rooms with rescued desks and fittings.

Genres: Nonfiction, Design, Interior Design

148 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Mark and Sally Bailey’s style has been evolving for over 25 years in their Herefordshire home and business, Baileys Home & Garden.

Their backgrounds in architecture, interior design and furniture-making have lead to numerous and varied collaborations with the music and fashion industries, retailers, and in product design.

Mark and Sally have worked with Ralph Lauren, Paul Smith, Donna Karan, Liberty, Conran, Takashimaya and Habitat.

see: "Sally Bailey"

Reviews

[Brianne · Rating 1 out of 5]

If by "simple" you mean "constant off-white color schemes with accessories that all carry a tetanus risk" then by all means, I'm sure you'll live calmly surrounded by patina'd scissors from the 30's or whatever your bag is.

Some of the pictures were pretty but the inspo was limited and the writing was so pretentious I quit reading it after about ten pages.

[elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful photographs, but sometimes just a little too monochromatic and monastic.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

What this book is:
* it's about decorating with stuff you love, those gems you've pulled off the curb or dug out of dumpsters, the "good stuff" you can't believe someone threw out just because it was "old."
* it's inspiration
* it shows instead of tells (although there's a healthy amount of informative text)
* it's about dialing things down to an almost monastical level, without sacrificing one lick of quality
* it's about creating a neutral backdrop against which the rest of your colorful life happens

What this book is not:
* step-by-step instructions for decorating your own home
* it's not about "shabby chic" or "country"
* it's not about filling your house with "the right stuff"
* it's not about making your house the center of attention


All that said, it's an amazing, well-photographed book that hits the mark in terms of evoking the sense of open, relaxed & low key space. Paint is left peeling; nicks & scratches are left unfilled; glass is left scratched. This book is all about the imperfect and how it makes us feel. You won't find any wild colors or patterns -- everything is in shades of white, black, and brown -- but you will find this particular look relies heavily on natural light (problematic for the typical American homeowner). The point here isn't to provide blueprints for faithful duplication. It's about applying the principles, which the authors' talk about on nearly every page throughout the book. It's as much a book to read as to look through. Indeed, the authors seem to go out of their way to appear not to dictate to or put pressure on readers to conform to their stated ideal, which is really refreshing.

[Relyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmmm... Not my style. A bit to spare and to sparse.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another beautifully photographed, minimalist, rather rustic design book. Organized by the authors' principles--including calm, craft, recycling, natural cleaning, curating collections--then by rooms/living spaces. No pianos or much of any tech (TVs, screens, computers), even in the workspace section (basically only one laptop near the very end). The organization by rooms takes away a little of my envy but also loses the various owners' personal style sense. The pictures are restful, though . . .

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent book for anyone interested in decorating. The photos are superb and the text is very informative. Dozens of sources are listed if the reader would like to pursue a design idea. I had only one problem: the entire book is designed to be completely monotone. None of the ideas entertain any type of color. The ideas all revolve around beige, white, gray, brown. I understand this is a popular choice, but it is not mine. I enjoy the richness of color and variations. Don't let my opinion sway you, tho. This book is full of rewarding ideas and suggestions.

[Stela Idrizi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked what the book stood for but the pictures were too much. I like the idea of a simple home but the pictures were of a 100% recycled home and most of them looked like a beggar’s hideout. I think that if you incorporate the ideas of the book sparingly and mix modern with reclaimed high quality that is when the home looks beautiful, peaceful and liveable.

[Trish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Non-Fiction; Home Improvement
5 Stars

There were some good concepts presented here, but not workable for most homes. The rooms appeared cold and uninviting to me. Originally 2.5 stars

——- ^ ——

Fast forward to today and my tastes have changed so much. What once fell flat has sparked a renewed sense of calm in these beautifully curated spaces. Age has brought better clarity and vision for me.

5 stars and purchased for my home library.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Idealistic design principles abound here. I would find a way to imply hipsterism, except that I think that sub-genre, lifestyle, whatever else it allegedly encompasses, already gets too much credit for a lot of things in our current consumer culture. As for the interiors themselves, they're of a neutral pallett, without the starkness of modernism or the complete rumpled linen aesthetic we're bombarded with in examples of the rustic look.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am such a sucker for this style. Nothing revolutionary here, just lots of perfect moments captured on film.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful photos of great interior design. I love flipping through the pages. Very inspiring.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a refreshing, simple, and delightful read!