Off the Shelf Book Review - Bazaar Style Author Selina Lake with words by Joanna Simmons & Photographer Debi Treloar

Summer is heating up and contributing editor Gina Smith and I have some fabulous "must read" book reviews for this summer. The first review is Bazaar Style.

Bazaar Style,2007 Author Selina Lake with words by Joanna Simmons Photographer Debi Treloar ($29.95, 144pages 250 color photographs. ISBN 9781845976262)

I often find myself wandering the aisles of a local antique mall or show with the hopes of finding just the right piece, just the right addition to my home, only to return empty handed due to lack of vision. Bazaar Style gives those who are less fortunate in the design area hope; hope to incorporate the pieces that we treasure with the new items that we find in our every day style.

Interior Stylist Selina Lake makes decorating with vintage finds look easy. Her background in surface pattern design, combined with the writings of Joanna Simmons, allows this dynamic duo to make this an easy to read resource.  That foundation of design and style, coupled with photography by Debi Treloar, also makes it an inspirational feast for your eyes.

Travel with Selina to discover the many different elements of Bazaar Style, including sections on furniture, textiles, lighting, accessories, display and color. For example, the section on Wall Art shows us that art doesn’t have to lie within a frame. The idea of using clothing and fabric give new meaning to wall décor. They show us that Bazaar Style loves to tweak conventional by decorating in unordinary fashions. 

Many of the designs offer a bohemian and ethnic approach, but it’s full of little details and useful tips for things you may find in your very own local flea markets and antique shows.  One of my favorites from the book is a fine china teapot and cup used to display and store jewelry.

I found myself looking at hand-me-down sheets of floral print and a white gifted duvet cover in a whole new light after reading Bazaar Style.  What once was old and not stylish was given new life in my home.  I like the excitement of knowing that the tattered piece of furniture the rather “ordinary” may pass up is waiting for a gentle touch up making it good as new to me.

Bazaar Style offers endless amounts of ideas for things already in your home. They also show you where to go and how to shop for inexpensive touches.  Collectibles and Display, another element in this book, is the core of Bazaar Style. It gives you freedom to open closed doors and unearth hidden collections and gems in your home, in which you would ordinarily keep behind doors.

This book is a must have for anyone who loves to decorate with vintage elements.

Head over to the Vintage Indie book store to purchase this book (sponsored link). Visit the "Reviewed at Vintage Indie" category for books already reviewed by us.

Review by Gabreial Wyatt, Editor