Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A friend with awe-inspiring style just had her stunning, interesting home rejected by an interiors magazine for not being "sophisticated enough". Am I the only one to feel intimidated rather than inspired by publications I once loved? Time for some alternative reading…
Who are these people?
Molly Erdman created Elaine and Gary, "a well-heeled couple living amongst abundantly pillowed chairs, giant abacuses and decorative fruit" after seeing an interiors brochure featuring a plate of figs under a table. "Who lives like this?" she thought. Now her Catalog Living blog (catalogliving.net), poking fun at excessive styling, has spawned a book (Catalog Living at Its Most Absurd).
Take off the gloss
Fuck Your Noguchi Table is a witty Tumblr blog where glossy interiors photography gets sharp captions. Each one begins: "fuck your…" (insert, for example, "terrarium", "vignette of tiny vintage glass bottles", above, or "fireplace full of logs"). If you can't laugh at your own "deconstructed frame cluster", best avoid.
The real deal
Dropping the smirk, Christiane Lemieux's beautiful book Undecorate features 20 homes that reject "stuffy, professionally designed décor".
Flaw show
Out earlier this year, The Perfectly Imperfect Home is by Deborah Needleman, founding editor of the sadly defunct Domino, an American magazine with style but not pretension. Excellently, it has a section called "a bit of ugly" and this for an opening quote: "Any house or room remembered with pleasure has the look of being loved by those who live in it." Hear, hear.
Ugly ducklings
And if you, like me, rather like many of the homes on uglyhousephotos.com (a tough-love blog by an American estate agent) then – hurrah, you're cured!
Find Kate's blog on affordable interiors at yourhomeislovely.com
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments