Holiday At Home: Book Review & Interview With Mr. Jason Grant

Social media have a magic power - not only do I get loads of inspiration from the social web, I also happen to meet the most creative and cool people from literally all around the world, even from the completely other side of our spinning planet. That is how I virtually met Mr. Jason Grant, one of Australia's most renowned interior stylist, colour expert and author. I have eagerly followed his career on social media and loved his first book 'A Place Called Home' and it was my interior design blogger duty to get my claws on his second book 'Holiday At Home'. Mission accomplished, I have that colourful and super inspiring book on my coffee table!

This book is something like a self-fulfilling prophecy. Its title reveals what's packed on almost 300 pages - a beacon of colours, holiday inspiration and relaxed decorating ideas. With Sydney-based Mr. Jason Grant you can be sure to get a big dose of sunshine and relaxed Aussie feeling into your own home - just grab this book, trust me, you will love it! His impeccable style and taste is the red thread through this visual masterpiece - beautifully shot by photographer Lauren Bamford and published by Hardie Grant Books.

I used the opportunity to reach out to Jason on social media and asked him a few questions as I was majorly inspired by his latest book and I wanted to know his secret. Let's see what he told us:

Jason, congrats to your second book 'Holiday at Home'. Do we need to live in Australia with lots of sunshine and a pool in the backyard to experience holiday at home?

Jason: Definitely not. You can create this feeling anywhere, perhaps let me know where, I might come visit, I have the travel bug! I'm lucky to call Bondi home and that's my inspiration.

What can the reader expect from your new book?

Jason: Uplifting decorating inspiration.

What inspired you to write a book about a holiday feel at home?

Jason: The home and holidays are my two favourite things, what better than combining the two! Holidays are all about relaxing and I am a big fan of a relaxed style of decorating for the home. Your home should be your very own sanctuary.

Give us one quick tip how to create a relaxed holiday feeling at home.

Jason: Relaxed style means decorating with things you love with no need to over style it.

How important is the home for the dweller's happiness?

Jason: Your home should make you happy - decorating is fun or should be and your home should reflect your personality, it should be filled with things that make you smile. Your very own happy place if you want so.

Last but not least: What's your favorite corner in your home?

Jason: Hm, so many corners to choose from! We have a little spot in our lounge room that probably has a little too many things in it but it's filled with things we love, a little collection of objects and usually fresh flowers.

Thanks for the interview, Jason!

If you love to travel and bring back inspiration from your holidays and if you love decorating, this book will make you very happy! You can order it HERE or HERE and create your own 'Holiday at Home' feeling! Happy weekend!

Photography by Lauren Bamford courtesy of Hardie Grant Books

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Styling & Decorating A Small Apartment - Part 1

Size does not matter. Not when it comes to styling a home at least. For the past seven years I have been living in a small rooftop apartment with a mere 32 square meters. Thus I am often asked about how to style and decorate a small apartment. Well, I am not a trained interior designer nor stylist, so my idea of styling a home is a very hands-on approach. Go with the feeling, play around, apply a trial-and-error approach, give it some time and tweak around. A home is never finished - it grows and lives with you.

My overall mantra for styling a small apartment is 'one in - one out'. It is a hard one, but it is the only way to avoid too much clutter. Sometimes I fail my own mantra - for example when it comes to vintage ceramics or cushions (may I be forgiven), but I try to let go of things that I do not love entirely. I want to buy a new chair? Fine, then I need to get rid of another one at home. Am I ready to do that? Question mark! But I think that is the only way I managed to sail in the waters of interior design blogging without ending up with a zillion things in my small apartment (suffocated under a pile of stylish throw cushions if you want so).

When I pick furniture for my apartment, I try to find stylish and functional furniture with lots of storage space - think of beds with storage space underneath, think of chest of drawers (I have all my DVDs and BluRays in those drawers), think of shelves and using your walls for storage and go for stools instead of more chairs. When not in use, pile your books and magazines on them and top it off with a nice houseplant. Easy, right? Extra tip: Use large mirrors to visually expand your home - I have two mirrors opposed to each other and they make the room look wider and brighter. 

Don't be afraid to display what you love - I love my vintage ceramics so I keep them on my sideboard but I change the arrangement and placing from time to time. Keep them grouped together - it makes a stronger impact and keeps your small interior cleaner. 

Of course my life would be much easier if I were a minimalistic all-white kind of guy. But hey, I love my knickknacks too much to let go. But loving home decor does not mean living in chaotic clutter - not even in a small apartment. For the German speaking/reading among you, I blogged about styling a small apartment on Roombeez too. 

Next week I will share the second part of my 'Styling A Small Apartment' story. 

Happy Thursday!

Photography by Igor Josifovic

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