“Planet Home: Conscious Choices for Cleaning and Greening the World You Care About Most,” by Jeffrey Hollender with Alexandra Zissu ($19.99, Clarkson Potter)
The lead author of this green-cleaning reference is one of the people behind Second Generation, a successful green cleaning products manufacturer. Thankfully, this book is far from an ad for his company. Instead, the authors acknowledge what most homeowners wrestle with — convenience versus social responsibility — and then take their reader through a typical house to explain room-by-room how that particular environment can be less toxic. The book includes a handy chart of common, natural ingredients that can be used for cleaning, like baking soda or cornstarch. And they cap it all off with sensible, eco-friendly advice for homeowners, like when to repair appliances instead of replacing them, or how removing shoes near the front door can prevent outdoor pollutants from getting in.
“Print Workshop: Hand-Printing Techniques and Truly Original Projects,” by Christine Schmidt ($19.99, Potter Craft)
Contrary to the assumption that the down economy translated into even less work for starving artists, tough times actually kicked many right-brainers into overdrive by forcing them to develop new products and revenue streams. Author and artist Christine Schmidt is just such an artsy entrepreneur. She transformed her one-woman print shop in San Francisco into Yellow Owl Workshop, a business that produces and distributes cards, prints and accessories through such mainstream retailers as Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie. But just like her business and its website (yellowowlworkshop ), Schmidt’s how-to book is accessible and approachable with easy-to-follow tips and instructions for forging one-of-a-kind prints at home. “This book is for low budgets and high ambition,” reads the jacket. These days, that’s just about everyone. Elana Ashanti Jefferson
“Details: A Stylist’s Secrets to Creating Inspired Interiors,” by Lili Diallo ($40, Clarkson/Potter)
It’s the most common comment design enthusiasts make after walking through a showhouse: My place could never look like this! That polished, put-together look seems to elude even the perfectionists among us. First and foremost, this author is French. So she may already have a leg up in the style department. But she’s also assembled a fetching collection of home portraits to inspire amateur decorators and illuminate tricks of her trade, home styling. “Anything can be an inspiration, from the Day-Glo T-shirt of an angest-ridden teen … to the obscure and gorgeous museum” housed in a small Parisian townhome. Among other things, the reader learns how a screen can alter the dynamics of a room, and how to “curate” our own possessions so they unify rather than clutter.
