Magical Thinking

A new book by Karen McCartney harnesses the creative curiosity of 18 homeowners from Adelaide to Antwerp who transmuted their personal passions into spaces that are pure gold.

- Janice Jones

Compiling a book on a collection of homes around a singular theme is an alchemical process in itself, one in which the collection becomes greater than the sum of its parts. So it is with the latest volume from prolific architecture, design and interiors author Karen McCartney, The Alchemy of Things, in which a collection of 18 residences, nine from Australia and the remainder more far-flung, are explored in equally vivid text and pictures and transmuted into a fascinating volume worthy to top the coffee table or add to the library. But as Karen writes in her foreword there’s nothing derivative or predictable in these homes: “We wanted to show the swing of the decorating pendulum away from the instant gratification of popular culture, the swift satisfaction of the onestop shop and the look du jour”.

More than seeking homes, Karen was searching out owners who possessed the magical powers of collecting, editing and transmuting pieces in clashing styles or from other centuries or design periods into a coherent and pleasing – or sometimes challenging – whole.

The process began, dangerously, she says, by committing to “the concept of a book with only a few brilliant examples in [my] sights. We had two remarkable examples from Australia to start the ball rolling: Rodney De Soos and Geoffrey Hatty are friends, and while Rodney is retired, Geoffrey is still very much in the game of dealing in vintage furniture. Both know when something is good even if it never finds a buyer, and both have kept pieces they love, with and without pedigree.