 Just finished Emily Henson's new how-to book, Life Unstyled, which I consumed in great, greedy gulps. Oh, how I loved it. It's the decorating equivalent of a naked face selfie. Sort of. These are still incredibly beautiful homes with great architecture and European style, but to read a line like " just say no to colour-coordinated book stacks" was like therapy after falling down the rabbit hole of Instagram and those perfectly groomed rooms. It's good to remember that houses are lived in. And most people are messy, dammit. A casually placed chunky knit blanket does not make a room lived in.  Image: Debi Treloar for Life Unstyled This scrap of silk, nailed to the wall (nailed for goodness sake!) is kind of louche and aimless in the best way possible. Don't apologize for your headboard-less bed. I don't have a one (and probably never will) because my bedroom is too small and I will never not have a king size bed. It is still a minor point of disagreement between my husband and me - he being of the matching headboard and nightstands persuasion - years after I hung a biggish piece of art over the bed. The book contains an affirming message for collectors: it is A-OK to keep those mason jars of beach stones or wine corks or whatever because if they make you happy you ought to put them on display. I say yes, if you can make it look like this:   Slow decorating, repurposing rather than rebuying, putting creativity before perfection. This books nails it and makes me think, yes, I can (and should!) live peacefully if not perfectly. My favourite interiors book of winter.
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