Savvy design professionals know that sustainability is the only way forward in the industry. But beyond that, we’re seeing a greater trend toward lifestyle changes in all facets that support green living and conservation efforts to protect the environment. From best garden practices, to sustainable building and design advice, to greater explorations of our everyday impact on the natural world, these 17 titles are must-reads for Earth Month.
A Garden’s Purpose: Cultivating Our Connection with the Natural World by Felix de Rosen | PA Press
Each chapter in this book is dedicated to a specific idea or element of the garden, from places where gardens grow (i.e., a driveway in San Francisco, a bathtub as a planter) to garden management (why some lawns need watering every few days, and some gardens can go almost a full year without irrigation) to color and texture (i.e., how fine-textured plants like grasses can be used to unify a space), and everything in between. Hundreds of gardens from all corners of the globe are included, photographed in glorious full color.
Garden City: Supergreen Buildings, Urban Skyscapes and the New Planted Space by Anna Yudina | Thames and Hudson
Concrete horizons, urban sprawl, high-density living: never have our cities and their buildings been in greater need of greening. Yet what’s required is more than an occasional vertical garden or living roof. Featuring seventy projects from around the world – some built, some ongoing, some from the future – Garden City looks at the increasingly inventive ways in which architects and designers are incorporating nature into the built environment, transforming the city for the benefit of all.
Searching for Sunshine: Finding Connections with Plants, Parks, and the People Who Love Them by Ishita Jain | PA Press
When Ishita Jain relocated to the visually overwhelming and concrete-filled New York City from New Delhi, India, she found solace in parks and gardens and started thinking about how important these places are to city residents’ sense of peace. In Searching for Sunshine, Jain follows her curiosity and creativity to provide a vibrant compilation of essays, illustrations, and interviews centered around the simple yet compelling theme of why and how plants and green spaces create such meaning for us.
Greenhouses: Cathedrals for Plants by Werner Pawlok | teNeues
Botanical gardens stand for man’s centuries-old fascination with exotic plants. Werner Pawlok has photographically explored special tropical greenhouses within Europe and shows us here his most beautiful images in his usual colorfully expressive manner – from the Palm House in the Botanical Garden in Copenhagen to Kew Gardens in London to the Great Palm House Schönbrunn.
Seasonal Family Almanac: Recipes, Rituals, and Crafts to Embrace the Magic of the Year by Emma Frisch and Jana Blankenship | PA Press
Emma Frisch and Jana Blankenship have a kindred friendship from their shared experiences as mothers, entrepreneurs, and nature lovers. Observing a growing demand from families wanting to reconnect to nature, they created this fun and practical resource. Seasonal Family Almanac gives families the tools to rediscover the soul-stirring magic that comes from living in tune with the seasons.
Why We Garden: The Art, Science, Philosophy, and Joy of Gardening by Claire Masset | Rizzoli
Whether you seek sanctuary in your potting shed, find paradise amongst your patio plants, or enjoy the simply solace of your hands in the soil, there is beauty, peace, and happiness to be found for every gardener in this thoughtful and entertaining collection. Both a hymn to gardening and a call to action, this down-to-earth guide is worth a hundred how-tos.
Urban Oasis: Parks & Projects for a Greener Future by Jessica Jungbauer | teNeues
Urban Oasis revolves around a central core topic in times of climate crisis and ever-growing cities: green projects for a liveable urban future. This unique illustrated book – which combines relevant greening projects and inspiring city park impressions – contains texts by travel and food journalist with a focus on sustainability Jessica Jungbauer.
Garden Style: A Book of Ideas by Heidi Howcroft and Marianne Majerus | Rizzoli
With over 600 images, this comprehensive visual sourcebook showcases inspiring design ideas and solutions for every type of garden style.
Living Wild: New Beginnings in the Great Outdoors by Joanna Maclennan and Oliver Maclennan | Thames and Hudson
The impact of climate change and the pressures of city life – not to mention the life-changing events of the last few years – have left many of us dreaming of a simpler existence that benefits the environment and resets the mind. The lifting of restrictions, including travel, has meant that more of us than ever are re-evaluating how and where we live, eschewing disposable culture in favor of a more meaningful and sustainable way of life.
A Handcrafted Life: Creating a Sustainable Cottage Sanctuary by Tiffany Francis-Baker, Illustrated by Elin Manon | Rizzoli
From savoring the aroma of freshly baked bread and tending a beloved herb patch to enjoying sunlight filtering through hand-sewn curtains, cottagecore is a philosophy as well as an aesthetic that brings together many strands of a sustainable lifestyle: unplugging, slow living, embracing nature, learning new skills, growing food, and much more.
Houses That Can Save the World by Courtenay Smith, Sean Topham | Thames and Hudson
Featuring nineteen home-building and design strategies that are direct, original and often surprisingly simple, this inspirational sourcebook presents a mix of new technology and time-tested vernacular methods that will change the way we think about ‘home’.
Capturing Nature: 150 Years of Nature Printing by Matthew Zucker and Pia Östlund | PA Press
Hailed as the earliest precursor to photography, nature printing is the practice of using impressions from the surface of a natural object such as leaves, flowering plants, ferns, seaweed, snakes, and more to produce an image. Author Matthew Zucker has spent decades curating the most extensive collection of nature prints ever assembled, with more than 13,000 images, now featured in this landmark visual monograph.
Lives of the Great Gardeners by Stephen Anderton | Thames and Hudson
Throughout history great gardeners have risen from all walks of life. Some have been aristocratic amateur gardeners, others professional designers with an international practice. What they all have in common is the ability to take an idea and develop it in a new manner relevant to their times.
Alchemy: The Material World of David Adjaye by Spencer Bailey | Phaidon
David Adjaye is one of the most in-demand architects today, known for his thoughtful interpretation of public spaces. In order to understand him as an architect, you must look at his projects through the lens of material – a crucial consideration in his practice. Organized into five sections – Stone/Concrete, Wood, Metal, Glass, and Rammed Earth – Alchemy reimagines the traditional architect monograph by examining the importance of material in architecture.
Green Namibia by Patricia Parinejad | teNeues
After her visits to Mallorca and the first successful volume of the “Green Series” at teNeues, photographer Patrica Parinejad has now traveled to Namibia and spent time there to capture in impressive photographs the work of a number of environmental projects, sustainability initiatives, green hotels, lodges and camps, conservation and research programs and local producers, farmers and artisans.
Edible: 70 Sustainable Plants That Are Changing How We Eat by Kevin Hobbs, Artur Cisar-Erlach and Katie Kulla | Thames and Hudson
Plants that can thrive under the most challenging of conditions are becoming more important in ensuring food security in our changing climate. This book takes the reader on a visual journey, exploring edible plants from around the world, from the more familiar to the lesser known. Richly illustrated, each plant profile gives fascinating insights into relevant growing conditions and nutritional information, as well as helpful tips for growing, cooking, and eating.
The Greening of America’s Building Codes: Promises and Paradoxes by Aleksandra Jaeschke | PA Press
Environmental disasters and severe weather due to climate change, both triggered by human actions, have had an increasingly direct impact on our homes. But the way in which America builds its homes is part of the problem. This deeply researched history of sustainable design standards in building codes explores how public policy, standard-setting trade associations, and financial incentives influence the ways in which the construction of our homes impacts the environment.
Like what you see? Get it first with a subscription to aspire design and home magazine.