Creative Display, by Geraldine James, makes a virtue out of clutter. In this inspiring book, objects are imaginatively displayed on every possible surface and every homemaker is an interior stylist. Layered surfaces include artwork, memorabilia and found objects.

Some displays are carefully organized by colour, theme or size and righteously balanced. Other arrangements appear organic and spontaneous, however carefully assembled.

There are displays that feature clever juxtapositions or “unlikely alliances”. On a long table covered by a paint-spattered drop cloth, a collection of expressionist paintings is paired with a loose arrangement of wild flowers.

Books may be the main event or used as props to stage other items.

If you have ever considered cobbling together a house from reclaimed materials, check out Handmade Houses by Richard Olsen. The book is billed the “first comprehensive consideration of the residential design of the back-to-the-land movement.”

It traces the history and origins of the movement and shows houses built by homeowners without architects and well as those designed by the pros.

Fleamarket Chic is another design book that works with vintage furnishings from humble sources integrated into contemporary interiors.

Unlike Homespun Style, which I reviewed last blog, many of the interiors are put together with subtlety and restraint because crafting is not the point of the exercise. Rather, collecting or rehabbing a worthy item that fits well into the decorating scheme is the name of the game.

- Jane

“God is in the details” is an oft-quoted saying attributed Mies van der Rohe, the architect of modern glass, steel and concrete buildings.

Charles Faudree loves details too; however, Faudree’s world is lush and layered. He’s an American interior designer whose traditional decor has been featured in prominent shelter magazines like House Beautiful and Veranda.

In his newest book, Faudree zeroes in on the details that contribute to the lavish look.

Think carefully crafted still life of beautiful objects (or, if you prefer, objets). A collection of bronze dogs sits on a rare upholstery-topped table; real life fur-ball, Cavalier King Charles spaniel, lolls nearby on the sofa.

Draperies are trimmed with tassels; lampshades are edged with braid and baubles. Walls are papered or studded with pretty collections of china and dog portraits. In an entrance hall, an antique French floor clock sets the tone.

If you love traditional interiors filled with lots of lovely things, this book is for you.

“For me, a wall is a beautiful blank canvas. A great big opportunity. I can’t wait to get ‘painting’…Cold minimalism has its place, but not at my place,” says Geraldine James.

In Creative Walls: How to Display and Enjoy Your Treasured Collections, she demonstrates that decorative objects are a boundless universe. And in the hands of a creative thinker, the most curious things can be used to create attractive displays.

On a wall with distressed patina of soft, earthy hues, a stuffed baby crocodile appears to scramble next to a gilt-framed portrait. Animal skulls and horns are arranged on nearby furniture. Bizarre, yet beautiful and decidedly not your ordinary wall decoration.

Not all is edgy. A subtle mural of oversized female figures is painted in white on taupe background for a restful, airy space.

Impressive collages are made from family photos, Vogue magazine covers and road-trip mementos. Art work mixes with PEZ candy dispenser and Andy Warhol cut-out. A posy of teddy bear glass eyes hangs from a hook in a wall composition that includes feathers, bead necklaces and a rusted whistle (among other things).

The goal is a happy marriage of interesting collections with artful arrangement and the very effective approach is the integration of everything on the wall, including the furniture.

Speaking of interesting collections, In Flagrante Collecto (caught in the act of collecting) is the witty title of a book about building collections from just about anything. “From Marilynn Gelfman Karp’s perspective, collecting is a calling, not a choice,” reads the book jacket. Karp says, “Collecting is not about what you collect as much as it is about who you are.”

It has me wondering what my collections say about me? How about artsy person with OCD?

(I am still coming to terms with you-are-what-you-eat.)

*(Hello,hello) Classic hurtin’ song written by Willie Nelson in 1961. Now that I've planted the earworm, find a version to strum in our Sheet Music Index.