Two Enjoyable, Yet Very Different Books: Wanderlust and Classic Style

This past weekend I did something I haven’t done in a while, I curled up with a couple of new books and just vegged for a whole evening. The two books could not have been more different from each other, so it was like whiplash reading as I alternated between the two of them. I’m not sure what that says about me, that I would order and enjoy two such different books. lol

 

Wanderlust by Michelle Nussbaumer

I’ve had Michelle Nussbaumer’s book, Wanderlust, on my “wish-list” for a while. I love travel and love the idea of incorporating a little of the places we’ve been (or long to see) into our homes. That really resonates with me. Actually, it doesn’t even have to be a place you’ve been, it could be a place you yearn to visit or just a beautiful aesthetic or style that you admire.

So, you know how sometimes the cover of a book turns out to be the best part of the book? Have you ever ordered a book because of some stunningly gorgeous room on the cover, only to discover once it arrived that the cover is the only room in the book you like?

This is NOT one of those books. I was happy to discover the cover is very representative of what you find inside. This book is huge, definitely a great one to enjoy and display on a coffee table. It’s filled from cover to cover with beautiful, bold imagery. The interiors are rich and multilayered, definitely a “more is more” style of decorating.

 

I snapped a few pics of some of my favorite spaces from the book. Sorry about the glare, always a bit hard to photograph a picture inside a book and not get the glare.

As you look at the following three photos, see if you can spot the pieces that the homeowners have incorporated from their travels or from around the world.

 

Really we do that on a regular basis, don’t we? When we buy a beautiful blue and white vase for a bookshelf, or a lovely, antique magnifying glass to display on a desk, even if that piece didn’t come from China or some faraway place, we are bringing a bit of the beauty and history of that part of the world into our own home.

 

If you love travel, color, layering in design, a slight taste of the exotic and enjoy surrounding yourself with the things you love, I think you’ll enjoy this book. Wanderlust is available here: Wanderlust. (Check out the 90%, 5 ★ reviews!)

 

Classic Style by Kate Schelter

The other book I enjoyed this weekend was Classic Style by Kate Schelter. I had pre-ordered it after seeing it in a post on Instagram and reading a bit more about it.

A glance at the cover and you would think it’s just about clothes. Classic Style  definitely incorporates that aspect of classic living, but it’s really about all those tried and true, iconic items we use on a regular basis and would feel completely lost without. In the book, Kate makes a point to say that “classic” is not the same as “preppy” although, with the items she mentions, there’s definitely some overlap.

A lot of the emphasis in the book is about pairing down to just those essential pieces/things that we truly love and use regularly. Very different from Wanderlust which celebrates layering and enjoying many loves, not just the essentials.

This book got off to a slow start for me, the “Introduction” is rather lengthy. But once past that part, I really began to enjoy it.

 

I especially love some of the stories Kate shares, like this one where she rescues a beautiful Oscar de la Renta dress from the dumpster behind a charity shop on Cape Cod. She later wears the dress with antique jewelry and Manolo Blahnik heels from Barneys to a fashion show! Apparently, the dumpster was in “pristine” condition, so not your typical dumpster. I loved that story! If the folks at the fashion show only knew where that dress had once been! hee, hee 🙂

 

Kate also includes little “interviews” with others who share a love for classics. Those are fun to read, too! Just a great book for us folks who still love and appreciate classic, well-made, never-goes-out-of-style pieces.

You’ll find the book, Classic Style, available here: Classic Style.

Pssst: I post almost daily to Instagram. Follow Between Naps on the Porch on Instagram here: Between Naps On The Porch.

 

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Comments

  1. Charlotte says

    I love how Blue & White pieces are in each of the rooms. So classic and goes with everything!

    • Charlotte, I think I’m going to add a blue and white vase or piece in my living room I never thought it would work in there, but I’m thinking seriously of trying one in there. They really do go with everything! 🙂

  2. Sound so lije two great books! I’ll have to look into them!

  3. Enjoying two different books at the same time makes it sound like you are well-traveled, open-minded, fun and free-spirited! Did I get that right?! 😉

    • lol That sounds good to me! 🙂 One book is kinda about minimalism and the other is all about layering and “more is more.” That about sums up my personality from one day to the next. lol

  4. THAT CHAIR on the cover of Wanderlust…well…I lust for it….franki

  5. Regality (aka The Quing) says

    Wanderlust looks stunning. Definitely going to get that one!

  6. I can’t believe I have not purchased Wanderlust! I love travel, the exotic, color and layering. I have so many coffee table books and I had said no more, but I have to get this one!

  7. Fun books! I’m so far behind on magazines, let alone books I have stacked, but those sure look tempting! I’ve missed your book reviews!

  8. I love the idea of Classic Style. Will have to order it.

  9. bobbi duncan says

    Just says you have eclectic tastes and are never boring. I love several different styles and wish I had the money to change things around whenever the mood strikes. I have a mix of same period English and French, so some of my loves do get satisfied. Sounds like you had a nice relaxing day, reading on your lovely porch–ahhh, so nice! Hugs!

  10. Thank you for the book recommendations! I’ve been trying to read lately, so I’ll add these to the top of my list. I’m very curious to get to know them!! =)

  11. Juanita in OH says

    You remind me of my mom, she could not go to sleep without reading a book every night. She devoured them and, like you, if it was bad at the beginning she would always read it from cover to cover. I must be inflexible because I can only read one book at a time and I must read every word, lol. I am happy you enjoyed them. TFS

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