You asked, we listened!
We asked each of our designers in our Sydney studio to choose their holy-grail, can’t-live-without reference books that they personally use for inspiration. Grab a pen, take notes, bookmark the page or etch it into your memory because we have curated the list to end all reference lists.
To make life that little bit sweeter, we have linked each book to their corresponding Amazon page so grabbing a copy for your own library is that much easier!
Kat, Senior Designer
Regards: Aquarelles Botaniques – Vincent Jeannerot
“I always love to have a flick through ‘Regards’ to see all of it’s exquisite detail in it’s paintings, it’s beautiful botanicals and it’s great variety of inspiration. I love it’s contemporary take on traditional watercolour flowers and the way that it is beautifully presented – it even came in it’s own lovely fabric bag!”
Charis, Senior Designer
The Hermès Scarf: History & Mystique – Nadine Coleno (Thames & Hudson)
“I always go to pick up The Hermès Scarf because, I just love Hermès! Also, they can print up to 40 colours and their use of layout with their scarves adds a new dimension of inspiration!”
The Anatomy Of Colour: The Story Of Heritage Paints and Pigments – Patrick Baty (Thames & Hudson)
“The Anatomy Of Colour is one of my favourite go-to books when I’m looking for sophisticated colour palettes. This book has some gorgeous colours with lovely chalky tones as well as beautiful interiors with amazing patterns!”
Sara, Head of Design & Strategy
“I’m a HUGE fan of Flower, simply because it has so many interesting florals and such diverse and striking composition ideas.”
Angela, Designer
Flowers From A Painter’s Garden: The Watercolours of Paul Gell
“As a lover of watercolours, I can’t seem to ever go past Flowers From A Painter’s Garden! It is so inspiring in it’s simplicity and I just love it!”
Rosie, Designer
Sketchbook From Southern France – Sara Midda
“One of my favourite reference books has to be Sara Midda’s Sketchbook From Southern France. I love the techniques of the painting, the style and how she has made everyday things beautiful. It may be a quirky and little read, but it definitely packs a punch when I’m needing some inspiration!”
Jo, Designer
Scarves – Nicky Albrechtsen & Fola Solanke
“I love to have a look through Scarves when I’m in need of some inspiration as it has so many nice compositions. It is hard to create new ideas and layouts, so I love how this is very varied and full of ideas.”
“I really love this book because there is so much inspiration for some really cool T-shirt layouts!”
Becky – Senior Designer
Russian Textiles: Printed Cloth For The Bazaars Of Central Asia – Susan Meller
“I am a big fan of our copy of Russian Textiles. It has fantastic layout ideas and interesting details in each of its motifs.”
Bec, Creative Director
The Temple of Flora – Robert John Thornton
“ I can never get enough of The Temple of Flora! It has a great selection of unusual flowers – not just your everyday peonies and roses. Also, I love how the flowers are all in scenes and how they vary between vintage and botanical flowers.”
Elsie, Designer
The Book Of Palms – Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius
“My favourite book for visual references is The Book Of Palms because it has so many textures. It also shows the cross-sections of plants and has perfect technical drawings.”
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