Design by Nature

Remodelista: Required Reading
Garden & Gun: April Book Pick
C Magazine: April Top Shelf Book Pick
San Francisco Magazine: Most Wanted

“Textile designer Erica Tanov’s interiors are as organic and alive as her native California’s woods.”
–Martha Stewart Living

“In this highly original study of design and nature, Bay Area clothing designer Tanov describes her artistic process as bringing what Proust called “new eyes” to her familiar California surroundings. The book’s five sections—based on wood, weeds, water, dirt, and decay respectively—show readers how to find decorating inspiration right in their own backyards. Tanov follows her obsession with ferns and “their furry brown fronds and delicate green tendrils” through the creative process as her adulation transforms into fodder for textile designs of clothing, home furnishings, and wallpaper. Later in the book, the author pairs a photograph of a redwood forest floor strewn with pinecones with a picture of a daybed tossed with pillows in earth tones and graphic patterns. This creative juxtaposition, like many others within these pages, is a testament to nature’s hand and Tanov’s eye in creating relaxed, inviting rooms. The book combines personal musings, essays, and artist profiles with 100 full-color photographs by Minh Ngo. It will be treasured by a diverse readership whose tastes run from British cult interior designer Ilsa Crawford to American transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau.”
–Publishers Weekly

“Exquisite…For those who love the intricacies, imperfections and ephemerality of the natural world, this book will feel like a familiar, gorgeous friend, and Tanov’s essays are beautifully composed, too.”
–BookPage

“I am a city girl. However, this book could persuade even me to bring the outside inside. It takes an authentic free spirit to find inspiration in weeds, shadows, rips, and decay. Erica is a dream weaver and an iconoclast. We are lucky she took the time to reveal her thinking process in the pages of this book.” 
–Tabitha Soren, artist and former MTV News reporter 
 
“Opening up Tanov’s book feels like going to the natural hot springs–there is something very cleansing, refreshing, and almost spiritual. But, her book is not only inspiring in a poetic way, it is rich with ideas and takeaways. She’s inviting us on a hike through her imagination and it’s both compelling and extraordinarily beautiful.” 
–Justina Blakeney, designer, founder of the Jungalow, and best-selling author of The New Bohemians
 
“I’ve been inspired by Erica Tanov’s quietly refined visual sensibility since I discovered her work. Design by Nature offers a fascinating look at her creative process and her sources of inspiration, illustrated with beautiful, soulful photography by Ngoc Minh Ngo.” 
–Julie Carlson, founder of Remodelista and author of Remodelista
 
“It is a joy to look through Erica Tanov’s lens; a kindred spirit and steward on the path of amplifying the source of our creativity. Designing and aligning with nature, that higher intelligence, is the essence of balance which begins within each of us.”
–Paulette Cole, cofounder and creative director of ABC Carpet and Home
 
“There is hardly anything I like more than getting that rare glimpse inside the process, not to mention, the very space in which an artist works. Design by Nature shows exactly how Erica works and what she is inspired by. Few artists are this open in sharing their inspirations. I find that only the truly confident ones do it well.” 
–Todd Hido, photographer and artist
 
“Erica is a mix master. As a designer and artist, she picks references from nature and beautifully weaves them into her home, stores, and gorgeous designs. There is a sublime earthy, yet ephemeral combination that is Erica’s special gift to design.  This beautiful book captures that rare combination and gives you a perfect glimpse into the amazing creative mind of this true talent.”
–Christiane Lemieux, founder and creative director of DwellStudio and author of The Finer Things and Undecorate