Assemblage The art of the room

"Even small things can make an extraordinary impact" on a space, according to this stylish debut coffee-table book. Photographer McGrath teams up with journalist Reid to interview the artists, craftspeople, and designers behind distinctive decorations in striking Australian homes. For instance, the authors describe how architect Kathryn Robson offset the imposing limestone bricks of the "Stone Soul House" with soft interior details by such designers as Daniel Barbera, who recounts modeling the front door's custom bronze door pull after rocks he spotted on the beach. Examining how architects pay tribute to a house's history while updating it for the present, the authors detail how Matt Gibson revamped an 1869 Victorian home by removing a dilapidated chimney, widening the dining room entrance, and using vintage furniture to preserve the period feel. Elsewhere, McGrath and Reid discuss how lighting designer Samantha McKenzie's fixtures absorb and diffuse sound waves in her modernist home, and how a chair designed by Masayuki Nagare, defined by "its lack of conventional lines and play of light and shadow," complements lopsided sculptures elsewhere in the room. By taking a magnifying glass to individual decorative elements, McGrath and Reid offer a robust accounting of how discrete pieces work in tandem to create appealing, unified interiors. Unique and insightful, this has much to offer. (Feb.)