Old & New: Combining Past and Present in Contemporary Homes [Hardcover]

Katherine Sorrell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2002

Forget all the old rules about what furniture goes with what. Old & New encourages you to trust yourself -- if it looks good, don't be afraid to combine a 1950s metal chair with a 19th-century gilded French table. Katherine Sorrell takes you through the home room by room, showing how to combine antique, retro, and modern objects to create spaces that reflect your spirit. Additional highlights on secondhand pieces found at flea markets and swap meets help you train your eye to search out the special pieces from among the throng.
-- Encourages you to personalize your space by combining unique pieces and styles
Inspires with over 250 full-color photos
-- Shows how to combine your own pieces or flea-market finds with the confidence of professional

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Katherine Sorrell is Associate Editor (Features) of Homes & Gardens magazine. She has also written for numerous publications, including The Times, the Sunday times, the Telegraph, the Independent, and Elle Decoration. Her previous books include The Ultimate Home Style Guide, Modern Comfort, and Living Textures. In 1999 she was a selector for the prestigious Chelsea Crafts Fair in London and also the Crafts Council's buyer's Guide to Contemporary British Textiles for the Interior.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Ryland Peters & Small (October 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841723185
• ISBN-13: 978-1841723181
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 9.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #660,566 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Having spent a childhood making things from scraps of fabric, egg boxes and washing up liquid bottles, Katherine has now progressed to collecting craft and writing about interiors and design.
In between she did an English degree, spent four years as a news reporter on a local tabloid and worked as a researcher at the BBC. A stint at Elle Decoration magazine confirmed her youthful enthusiasm for all things to do with making and decorating, and she went on to become Features Editor at Homes & Gardens.
Katherine was commissioned to write her first book, The Ultimate Home Style Guide, in 1997, and since then she has written 15 more, on houses, style, collecting and craft. She is about to start work on her 17th.
In 2002 Katherine moved to Cornwall, where she now lives with her family.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice idea, poor execution, August 27, 2009

By 

D. Swan - See all my reviews

This review is from: Old & New: Combining Past and Present in Contemporary Homes (Paperback)

A small book in length and scale with limited information. Does indeed show antiques juxtaposed with new pieces, but nothing much beyond what you see on the cover. Minimal interiors with interesting mixes of old and new, but just about any two items will look good together in a museum like setting. I was hoping to learn some tricks to combine the two in more "natural" home settings. Disappointing.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A favorite in my collection, March 15, 2011

By 

GGDallas - See all my reviews

This review is from: Old & New: Combining Past and Present in Contemporary Homes (Paperback)

My book (with the earlier edition jacket) is a real gem, and one of the first I purchased when exploring the new, somewhat quirky, clean mix of old/new, high-end and flea market treasures.

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A little gem..., January 25, 2009

By 

Kimberly B. Strohmaier "kimstar" (Coleville, Ca) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Old & New: Combining Past and Present in Contemporary Homes (Paperback)

The book is small in size but a real gem. I really enjoyed this book and I enjoy it's company alongside some of my other favorite books. Highly recommend.