Life and Work: Malene Birger's Life in Pictures Hardcover – September 15, 2010

This book is worth every penny! It`s a great coffee table book and I`ve enjoyed looking at it again and again since I purchased it a month ago. Malene Birger`s photos need no explanation. The best thing about this book is that the style of the rooms doesn't have to reflect your own aesthetic for you to be able to appreciate them. I always come away with new resources and inspiring ideas for future projects and I hope you do too!

I love love love this book, the photos are life size but throughout the book you do not feel as if you din't get enough, also the photographs are feminine-masculine rather than being just masculine, aka the decor itself is feminine with a masculine touch! And what an amazing life........

I bought the book for my birthday. Veeeeery pricey and not worth it. It IS made well and has beautiful pictures, but it's really enough flipping through it once or twice. It is not informative or particularly inspiring... at least for me (an interior designer). Most of the images are on the internet. Disappointed.

It's a little odd to begin a book review by expressing total outrage at its price-tag, but this coffee table tome is possibly the most expensive non-rare, non-textbook, literary purchase I have ever, ever made - and honestly, I still feel slightly sickened by my self-indulgence in buying it.Let's be clear here: even at HALF the recommended retail price, you'd be justified in accusing the publisher of usury. At its full £70.00 price (yes, dear reader, SEVENTY ENGLISH POUNDS, you have not misread), we should all be clamouring for a public prosecution, for never before have I seen a more blatant case of DAYLIGHT ROBBERY.It took a full three weeks of wrestling with my conscience, and a few sneaky real life previews of the book at Waterstone's, before I caved and bought my own copy at Amazon's discounted (but very definitely still not bargain) price. So, given I'd already checked out the full contents of 'Malene Birger: Life and Work' in my favourite high street book showroom, why did I still go on to part with my hard-earned readies?Because my name is ___, and I am hopelessly addicted to interiors magazines and design books, and this is - without question - the most unexpected and appealing property porn I have seen in YEARS.For those of you unfamiliar with her work, Malene Birger is a Danish fashion designer. Her clothes have a very distinctive style which I can only describe as "Indian Princess in Scandinavia"; a very strange and beguiling mix of ethnic-luxe, Northern European austerity, and old-school magpie glamour. This book is a sort of pictorial biography, showcasing Birger's studio and several homes. As you'd expect at this hugely inflated RRP, it is beautifully photographed and lushly produced with big, fat, glossy pages. As is typical of the genre, the text is very meagre, and hagiographic twaddle when it appears. Ignore it, and just concentrate on the pictures.And such pictures! I am in love, I am in lust, I am OBSESSED with everything Malene Birger owns. Like the clothes she designs, her interiors are rendered in a colour palette almost severe in its restraint, yet there's not a single minimal or uncomfortable thing about them. Nothing appears contrived or ostentatious, and yet every room attests to talent, success and confidently eclectic taste. Chanel handbags, Louis Vuitton trunks and the stiffly shiny carrier bags of expensive shops are arranged alongside sequinned Moroccan throws, Lucknowi embroidered cushions, silver and pewter gewgaws, Chinese flea-market tat and, er, Ikea Bekvam. It should all be a mish-mash, high-end-low-end, migraine-inducing design disaster, and instead it is supremely elegant and incredibly inviting, the very dream of serene good living.'Malene Birger: Life and Work' has become my favourite bedtime reading. Its visuals soothe me and inspire me, and though it came at an exorbitant price, I have to admit it was not money wasted. If you love interiors or fashion and are longing for some fresh new creative stimulation, this book is certainly a "must-see"...and if you can forgive the aforementioned criminally-inclined publisher, it's perhaps even a "must-buy".

The book is a work of art. I enjoy seeing this European aesthetic. The book rates a 5 for what it is, but I wish it were more than a set of beautiful images and a very tiny bit of writing.

From the moment I opened this book, I felt motivated to re-design my living space. Being that she is a renowned fashion designer, there's no surprise Birger certainly has an eye for presentation. I swear, each time I flip through these pages, I am full of ideas...One of the first photographs which strikes me is one of a framed photo-booth style black and white picture of Kate Moss making with goofy, playful expressions. The photo appears to be placed on a white shelf. Placed to the right of this item is a clear mason jar encasing mini conch shells and a couple of wooden paint brushes.The theme of raw art and creativity are presented in a manner which strikes, for some reason, a sense of purity. There are glimpses of art-in-the-making (paintings) as well as fully finished artwork- in the form of both paintings as well as clothing (there's a repetition of hats hanging on walls which looks so classic!)I think the best part of this book is the last section entitled "work" which extracts the classy, black-and-white imagery which places the focus on Birger's crafty design work as opposed to a simple photograph. This part of the book definitely extracts a more personal theme. Some photos are of Birger in her studio, some of her models and audience at fashion shows. There's also some of her work displayed on racks. The entire book is sort of like a history of design and Birger's own creativity displayed through pictures.In one word: Fabulous!

I bought this book not realising it would be focusing on the one person. How many of us have the finances to keep moving about and accessories such as Chanel, Louis Vitton, etc - I was disappointed, it is a coffee table book for a designer boutique.

SEE- [...] for review.It was wonderful!! Love this book! Such beautiful images and inspiration, a great glimpse into this talented woman's life!