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Design by Nature

Creating Layered, Lived-in Spaces Inspired by the Natural World

Photographs by Ngoc Minh Ngo
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Hardcover
$35.00 US
8.3"W x 10.3"H x 1"D   | 35 oz | 12 per carton
On sale Apr 03, 2018 | 232 Pages | 9780399579073
The first design book that translates elements of nature--including flora, water, and wood--into elements of decor for beautiful, lived-in, bohemian interiors, from acclaimed designer and tastemaker Erica Tanov.

Inspired by nature's colors, textures, and patterns, design icon Erica Tanov uses her passion for textiles to create beautiful, timeless interiors that connect us to the natural world. Now, in her first book, Design by Nature, Tanov teaches you how to train your eye to the beauty of the natural world, and then bring the outdoors in—incorporating patterns and motifs from nature, as well as actual organic elements, into simple ideas for everyday decorating and design. 

Design by Nature contains new and imaginative decorating ideas for an organic and bohemian style that mixes and layers rugs, pillows, throws, and drapery, and incorporates unique patterns and fabrics such as shibori, ikat, and jamdani, all stunningly photographed by renowned photographer Ngoc Minh Ngo.   

With topics ranging from embracing imperfection in your home, to seeking out flea markets, to displaying your collections, Design by Nature takes an enduring and intuitive approach to design that transcends fleeting trends and encourages you to find your own personal style, source of creativity, and connection to the natural world. You don't need to travel to distant locales to find beauty; it's all around us, from the crackle of fallen leaves to the jagged bark of a tree.
Remodelista: Required Reading
Garden & Gun: April Book Pick
C Magazine: April Top Shelf Book Pick
San Francisco Magazine: Most Wanted

“Textile designer Erica Tanov’s interiors are as organic and alive as her native California’s woods.”
Martha Stewart Living

“In this highly original study of design and nature, Bay Area clothing designer Tanov describes her artistic process as bringing what Proust called “new eyes” to her familiar California surroundings. The book’s five sections—based on wood, weeds, water, dirt, and decay respectively—show readers how to find decorating inspiration right in their own backyards. Tanov follows her obsession with ferns and “their furry brown fronds and delicate green tendrils” through the creative process as her adulation transforms into fodder for textile designs of clothing, home furnishings, and wallpaper. Later in the book, the author pairs a photograph of a redwood forest floor strewn with pinecones with a picture of a daybed tossed with pillows in earth tones and graphic patterns. This creative juxtaposition, like many others within these pages, is a testament to nature’s hand and Tanov’s eye in creating relaxed, inviting rooms. The book combines personal musings, essays, and artist profiles with 100 full-color photographs by Minh Ngo. It will be treasured by a diverse readership whose tastes run from British cult interior designer Ilsa Crawford to American transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau."
–Publishers Weekly

“Exquisite…For those who love the intricacies, imperfections and ephemerality of the natural world, this book will feel like a familiar, gorgeous friend, and Tanov’s essays are beautifully composed, too.”
BookPage

“I am a city girl. However, this book could persuade even me to bring the outside inside. It takes an authentic free spirit to find inspiration in weeds, shadows, rips, and decay. Erica is a dream weaver and an iconoclast. We are lucky she took the time to reveal her thinking process in the pages of this book.” 
–Tabitha Soren, artist and former MTV News reporter 
 
“Opening up Tanov's book feels like going to the natural hot springs--there is something very cleansing, refreshing, and almost spiritual. But, her book is not only inspiring in a poetic way, it is rich with ideas and takeaways. She's inviting us on a hike through her imagination and it's both compelling and extraordinarily beautiful." 
–Justina Blakeney, designer, founder of the Jungalow, and best-selling author of The New Bohemians
 
“I've been inspired by Erica Tanov's quietly refined visual sensibility since I discovered her work. Design by Nature offers a fascinating look at her creative process and her sources of inspiration, illustrated with beautiful, soulful photography by Ngoc Minh Ngo.” 
–Julie Carlson, founder of Remodelista and author of Remodelista
 
“It is a joy to look through Erica Tanov’s lens; a kindred spirit and steward on the path of amplifying the source of our creativity. Designing and aligning with nature, that higher intelligence, is the essence of balance which begins within each of us.”
–Paulette Cole, cofounder and creative director of ABC Carpet and Home
 
“There is hardly anything I like more than getting that rare glimpse inside the process, not to mention, the very space in which an artist works. Design by Nature shows exactly how Erica works and what she is inspired by. Few artists are this open in sharing their inspirations. I find that only the truly confident ones do it well.” 
–Todd Hido, photographer and artist
 
“Erica is a mix master. As a designer and artist, she picks references from nature and beautifully weaves them into her home, stores, and gorgeous designs. There is a sublime earthy, yet ephemeral combination that is Erica’s special gift to design.  This beautiful book captures that rare combination and gives you a perfect glimpse into the amazing creative mind of this true talent.”
–Christiane Lemieux, founder and creative director of DwellStudio and author of The Finer Things and Undecorate
 
© Ngoc Minh Ngo
ERICA TANOV launched her eponymous label in 1990 after earning a BFA in fashion design from Parsons School of Design. Her collections of clothing and lifestyle goods, sold at her three boutiques in California and her online shop, epitomize relaxed luxury. Her work has been featured in VogueElle Decoration UKUndecorate, and The New Bohemians. Actresses including Maggie Gyllenhaal, Tilda Swinton, and Vera Farmiga have donned Tanov's enduring pieces. View titles by Erica Tanov
Introduction: A Way of Seeing 

***
A writer once described me as an “imperfectionist,” and it rings true. I steer away from anything too perfect or manicured and prefer to create beautiful, relaxed spaces by embracing objects with their imperfections. I’m basically a refined hippie—attracted to the loose, natural, and raw and things in disrepair—yet am also drawn to pieces with a hint of glamour and opulence. I believe in buying high-quality goods although the name of the maker or designer is not important. I buy lasting things that I love. 

Everything I do, from designing clothing or wallpaper to arranging a room, aspires to reflect the effortless beauty of the natural world. My designs are often inspired by simple sights: the trees in my backyard, the fallen leaves and blooming flowers I see on my walks, or a single fern casting its shadow on my porch. I love the flawed beauty inherent in nature. Perfectly imperfect. I want everything I design and make to have that same relaxed sensibility. 

My wish is for you to find inspiration in your own surroundings. It isn’t about traveling far and wide to beautiful landscapes (although that never hurts), but, rather, it’s about discovering beauty right outside your door. It can be something as grand as an old tree with wide-reaching limbs or something as small as a tiny leaf or acorn. You can find inspiration in a weed blowing gracefully on the freeway or the pattern of the craggy bark of an oak tree. You can be moved by the intense ochre colors of lichen growing on a branch or fallen twig or the damp fertile smell after a rain. Everything is source material. 

***

About

The first design book that translates elements of nature--including flora, water, and wood--into elements of decor for beautiful, lived-in, bohemian interiors, from acclaimed designer and tastemaker Erica Tanov.

Inspired by nature's colors, textures, and patterns, design icon Erica Tanov uses her passion for textiles to create beautiful, timeless interiors that connect us to the natural world. Now, in her first book, Design by Nature, Tanov teaches you how to train your eye to the beauty of the natural world, and then bring the outdoors in—incorporating patterns and motifs from nature, as well as actual organic elements, into simple ideas for everyday decorating and design. 

Design by Nature contains new and imaginative decorating ideas for an organic and bohemian style that mixes and layers rugs, pillows, throws, and drapery, and incorporates unique patterns and fabrics such as shibori, ikat, and jamdani, all stunningly photographed by renowned photographer Ngoc Minh Ngo.   

With topics ranging from embracing imperfection in your home, to seeking out flea markets, to displaying your collections, Design by Nature takes an enduring and intuitive approach to design that transcends fleeting trends and encourages you to find your own personal style, source of creativity, and connection to the natural world. You don't need to travel to distant locales to find beauty; it's all around us, from the crackle of fallen leaves to the jagged bark of a tree.

Praise

Remodelista: Required Reading
Garden & Gun: April Book Pick
C Magazine: April Top Shelf Book Pick
San Francisco Magazine: Most Wanted

“Textile designer Erica Tanov’s interiors are as organic and alive as her native California’s woods.”
Martha Stewart Living

“In this highly original study of design and nature, Bay Area clothing designer Tanov describes her artistic process as bringing what Proust called “new eyes” to her familiar California surroundings. The book’s five sections—based on wood, weeds, water, dirt, and decay respectively—show readers how to find decorating inspiration right in their own backyards. Tanov follows her obsession with ferns and “their furry brown fronds and delicate green tendrils” through the creative process as her adulation transforms into fodder for textile designs of clothing, home furnishings, and wallpaper. Later in the book, the author pairs a photograph of a redwood forest floor strewn with pinecones with a picture of a daybed tossed with pillows in earth tones and graphic patterns. This creative juxtaposition, like many others within these pages, is a testament to nature’s hand and Tanov’s eye in creating relaxed, inviting rooms. The book combines personal musings, essays, and artist profiles with 100 full-color photographs by Minh Ngo. It will be treasured by a diverse readership whose tastes run from British cult interior designer Ilsa Crawford to American transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau."
–Publishers Weekly

“Exquisite…For those who love the intricacies, imperfections and ephemerality of the natural world, this book will feel like a familiar, gorgeous friend, and Tanov’s essays are beautifully composed, too.”
BookPage

“I am a city girl. However, this book could persuade even me to bring the outside inside. It takes an authentic free spirit to find inspiration in weeds, shadows, rips, and decay. Erica is a dream weaver and an iconoclast. We are lucky she took the time to reveal her thinking process in the pages of this book.” 
–Tabitha Soren, artist and former MTV News reporter 
 
“Opening up Tanov's book feels like going to the natural hot springs--there is something very cleansing, refreshing, and almost spiritual. But, her book is not only inspiring in a poetic way, it is rich with ideas and takeaways. She's inviting us on a hike through her imagination and it's both compelling and extraordinarily beautiful." 
–Justina Blakeney, designer, founder of the Jungalow, and best-selling author of The New Bohemians
 
“I've been inspired by Erica Tanov's quietly refined visual sensibility since I discovered her work. Design by Nature offers a fascinating look at her creative process and her sources of inspiration, illustrated with beautiful, soulful photography by Ngoc Minh Ngo.” 
–Julie Carlson, founder of Remodelista and author of Remodelista
 
“It is a joy to look through Erica Tanov’s lens; a kindred spirit and steward on the path of amplifying the source of our creativity. Designing and aligning with nature, that higher intelligence, is the essence of balance which begins within each of us.”
–Paulette Cole, cofounder and creative director of ABC Carpet and Home
 
“There is hardly anything I like more than getting that rare glimpse inside the process, not to mention, the very space in which an artist works. Design by Nature shows exactly how Erica works and what she is inspired by. Few artists are this open in sharing their inspirations. I find that only the truly confident ones do it well.” 
–Todd Hido, photographer and artist
 
“Erica is a mix master. As a designer and artist, she picks references from nature and beautifully weaves them into her home, stores, and gorgeous designs. There is a sublime earthy, yet ephemeral combination that is Erica’s special gift to design.  This beautiful book captures that rare combination and gives you a perfect glimpse into the amazing creative mind of this true talent.”
–Christiane Lemieux, founder and creative director of DwellStudio and author of The Finer Things and Undecorate
 

Author

© Ngoc Minh Ngo
ERICA TANOV launched her eponymous label in 1990 after earning a BFA in fashion design from Parsons School of Design. Her collections of clothing and lifestyle goods, sold at her three boutiques in California and her online shop, epitomize relaxed luxury. Her work has been featured in VogueElle Decoration UKUndecorate, and The New Bohemians. Actresses including Maggie Gyllenhaal, Tilda Swinton, and Vera Farmiga have donned Tanov's enduring pieces. View titles by Erica Tanov

Excerpt

Introduction: A Way of Seeing 

***
A writer once described me as an “imperfectionist,” and it rings true. I steer away from anything too perfect or manicured and prefer to create beautiful, relaxed spaces by embracing objects with their imperfections. I’m basically a refined hippie—attracted to the loose, natural, and raw and things in disrepair—yet am also drawn to pieces with a hint of glamour and opulence. I believe in buying high-quality goods although the name of the maker or designer is not important. I buy lasting things that I love. 

Everything I do, from designing clothing or wallpaper to arranging a room, aspires to reflect the effortless beauty of the natural world. My designs are often inspired by simple sights: the trees in my backyard, the fallen leaves and blooming flowers I see on my walks, or a single fern casting its shadow on my porch. I love the flawed beauty inherent in nature. Perfectly imperfect. I want everything I design and make to have that same relaxed sensibility. 

My wish is for you to find inspiration in your own surroundings. It isn’t about traveling far and wide to beautiful landscapes (although that never hurts), but, rather, it’s about discovering beauty right outside your door. It can be something as grand as an old tree with wide-reaching limbs or something as small as a tiny leaf or acorn. You can find inspiration in a weed blowing gracefully on the freeway or the pattern of the craggy bark of an oak tree. You can be moved by the intense ochre colors of lichen growing on a branch or fallen twig or the damp fertile smell after a rain. Everything is source material. 

***