Paper Home, by Esther Thorpe. Review.

Paper Home

By Esther Thorpe

Beautifully unique origami projects

Pavilion , June 2016

Hardcover, £16.99

ISBN978-1-910904-32-9

Star rating: ***1/2

Another craft book today – there are a number of lovely new titles out right now. No need to wait for the craft book pre-Christmas bonanza. Lucky us. 

Paper Home is clearly a labour of love by author Esther Thorpe, whose inspirations  -  art, design, and maths are expressed in her stylish origami creations. The book contains 15 origami projects  for  the home,  at different skill levels.  Many of the projects are modular – so you just have to master one folded shape, make multiples, then link them together. Origami is a great choice for making contemporary-look home decor items. The geometric shapes and patterned paper have a streamlined appeal.

I am happy to report that Esther is not an origami purist – she is not averse to a dab of glue if it produces the desired result.

The book is very good on sourcing paper – there’s a handy directory in back  (UK resources) – and it suggests usable paper types in addition to conventional origami paper. (Thanks for thinking outside the origami box.)

The projects are divided into chapters entitled Hang, Shelf, and Wall. The projects look great  - they are colourful and striking. The Party Diamonds look like the pleated shades you see in Scandi noir crime dramas (but they are purely decorative), the Lampshade (for a LED bulb) requires precise and patient  pleating , but is well worth the effort.  Papercraft blooms are always popular and there are three types here: Daisy, Lily, and Rose. The containers are noteworthy. The modular Vase looks like an intricately-woven  basket with lots of 3-D interest, the Triangular Basket is a handy mini container made of three interlocking units. The Feltigami Box is effectively constructed from self-adhesive felt squares – good use of non-trad material. The Wall section is the weakest of the three – here, you will find a Star Garland  (you might already know how to make puffy wishing  stars), a Crane Mobile (the ubiquitous  cranes suspended inside an embroidery hoop), and the very attractive  Pyramid Fairy Lights.

The very thorough  how-to steps are done photographically, accompanied by clearly-written text. (I often feel that illustrated how-tos are more effective where origami is concerned.)

So – nice concept, attractive graphic look to the projects and presentation, infused with the author’s enthusiasm. A few more projects would have added to the successful mix.

Here is a link to the author’s website: http://origamiest.co.uk/   Esther Thorpe sells handmade and bespoke origami creations from her website. She also demos and leads workshops.