A Place Called Home by Jason Grant · Plus GIVEAWAY!

A Place Called Home by Jason Grant, with photos by James Geer, published by Hardie Grant.  Photo - Brooke Holm.

A Place Called Home by Jason Grant, with photos by James Geer, published by Hardie Grant.  Photo - Brooke Holm.

A Place Called Home by Jason Grant, with photos by James Geer, published by Hardie Grant.  Photo - Brooke Holm.

A Place Called Home by Jason Grant, with photos by James Geer, published by Hardie Grant.  Photo - Brooke Holm.

FINALLY, Mr Jason Grant's book is here.  I say finally, because Jason has been, understandably, very excited about this project, and he's been talking about it quite a lot over the past year or so, so there's certainly been a high level of anticipation for its release.  Well, you'll be pleased to know the wait is finally over -  A Place Called Home hits Australian bookshops today! As you guys all probably know, Jason is a prolific Sydney-based stylist who contributes to lots of excellent Australian interiors titles, such as Real Living (where he previously held the role of style director), Vogue Living, Belle and Inside Out.  A Place Called Home, published by Hardie Grant, is his first book. A Place Called Home is a dense scrapbook of inspiring imagery and eclectic spaces.  It's a cheerful, summery tome with an unmistakably 'Australian' aesthetic - taking cues from Jason's love of Sydney's beaches, lazy summer road trips, eating with friends and the great outdoors. The book brings together a collection of beautiful photographs by James Geer, documenting many of Jason's favourite Australian homes, shops and spaces, and threaded together with handy tips and anecdotes from Jason throughout.  The vibe is definitely on celebrating relaxed, real spaces with personality - because as Jason says, 'I'm not a fan of over styled homes - I think a home should feel lived in'. We asked Jason a few questions about the making of the book, here's what he had to say -

Congrats on your first book Mr Jason Grant!  How did the book deal with Hardie Grant come about, and how long has 'A Place Called Home' been in development?

I worked for a long time on the idea, and it seemed the timing was right - I presented the book to Hardie Grant and they loved the idea, and let me create the book with a fabulous team, including book designer Kirby Armstrong and photographer James Geer. Hardie Grant have been amazing to work with and very supportive publishers, really as they said 'we cant make the book we can only make it happen'. They had complete faith in me and I am so proud of the book we have created. I can't wait to make another!

What can we expect to find in the book? Is there any particular aspect you're most proud of?

I'm proud that the book feels really Australian and really relaxed. Every page feels like me, and the end product looks exactly as I dreamed, right down to how the book is printed, the fonts we choose, the paper stock, and especially the bright yellow spine. I hope the inspiring images and ideas give people the confidence to find their own style too. It was also great to share a lot of my favourite sources in the book's directory.

How did you balance sourcing content for your book and content for the the various magazines you work for?  How did you decide what shoots/houses you would exclusively keep for the book?

It was a tricky balance. I guess more and more as a stylist working for magazines I think about what appears on page and what style of home reflects my own personal style. I had a clear vision for what I wanted for the book, a lot of the homes we shot wouldn't work as a full magazine spreads where you need to shoot every room of the house - for the book we focused more on capturing moments - there are a number of houses that are not in the book that I would have loved to include, but I wanted the content of the book to feel fresh. I'm lucky to have found inspiring homes with inspiring owners (many of them friends!), the houses are real, and places that you want to be in. Thanks to the folks at Hardie Grant, we have 10 copies of Jason's new book to giveaway to 10 lucky TDF readers!  To be in the running, simply leave a comment on today’s post before 10.00pm this Friday April 5th 2013.  (You have 5 days to enter).  10 winners will be drawn at random and contacted by email next week. A Place Called Home by Jason Grant is available in all good bookshops Australia wide from today, it's priced at $45.00.

A Place Called Home by Jason Grant, with photos by James Geer, published by Hardie Grant.  Photo - Brooke Holm.

A Place Called Home by Jason Grant, with photos by James Geer, published by Hardie Grant.  Photo - Brooke Holm.

A Place Called Home by Jason Grant, with photos by James Geer, published by Hardie Grant.  Photo - Brooke Holm.