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For years, Suss Cousins has been outfitting Hollywood’s hottest stars and costuming Hollywood’s hottest movies with her knitwear designs. But in her latest book, she focuses on knitted designs to outfit her home.
In Home Knits: Luxurious Handknits for Every Room in the Home, Cousins experiments with fibers and textures to create simple, sleek designs for her home. According to Cousins, the book was inspired by her family’s recent move. After buying a beautiful new painting, Cousins and her husband realized that it didn’t fit in their home—so they decided it was time to move on to a new home. Cousins saw it as an opportunity to update her style—and to create new knitted designs to dress a completely different kind of model. And thus, the designs in Home Knits were born. All of the designs are items that Cousins has in her home—in fact, the photo shoot took place there.
The designs in the book remind me of a walk through IKEA (which could have something to do with the fact that the book showed up at my door just days after a recent IKEA excursion). They’re simple and elegant, with clean lines and soft (mostly neutral) colors. The 30 designs are separated into three categories. In the living room, you’ll find pillows and wall hangings and throws. In the dining room and kitchen, you’ll find chair covers and placemats and rugs. And in the bedroom and bath, you’ll find more pillows, a robe, and a stunning bed canopy. While your feelings about the designs in this book will depend on your own personal taste, I love them. Cousins’s clever designs often surprised me. Did I ever think I’d love a knitted lampshade? No. Do I love the knitted lampshades in this book? Yep. I also love the placemats and napkin rings—and the jute coasters, which would make excellent last-minute Christmas gifts.
If you tend to admire Cousins’s knitwear designs, you’ll love her home designs, too. While you may not find yourself rushing out to knit yourself a Swedish bed canopy or a bathrobe, the majority of the patterns in Home Knits are simple, straightforward—and, especially, stylish—designs that you’ll be proud to display in your home.
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