OUTSIDE IN Book

Designer Brian Paquette demonstrates how connecting with nature is essential to creating a home environment that is both meaningful and calming.

“A book rich in interior design images and light on words, highlighting the beauty of integrating nature into the home.” — Library Journal

An honest and introspective essay opens Paquette's second book, reflecting the recent stages of her development as an interior designer. Some projects featured are homes designed from the ground up, others are renovations on various scales, and still others are redesigns of existing interiors for her clients. Each chapter begins with a brief introduction, followed by a gallery-like sequence of images, which the reader is invited to immerse themselves in and interpret according to their own sensibilities.

The twelve chapters include a selection of Paquette's personal photographs taken in nature, scenes that inspired—or are an extension of—his creations. Sometimes, a morning walk on the beach guided a piece's color palette, drawing on the textures and patterns offered by the earth; sometimes, a finished work evoked a sunset for him. He loves this duality, a source of reflection and introspection. Paquette understands that the true value of nature lies in the precise moment and the imprint it leaves on our minds, which may one day resurface in the form of hues, combinations of materials, or visual compositions.

For the reader, this book is an invitation to observe their natural environment more carefully and to translate these sensitive moments into their own living space.