By Annie Sloan, Cico Books, hardback, rrp $29.95

Annie Sloan, the reigning queen of decorative painting, launched her trademark line of Chalk Paint more than two decades ago, and subsequently changed the world of furniture painting.

Her latest publication - she's published more than 20 books - is Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint Workbook, a step-by-step guide to mixing paints and jotting down decorating ideas, presented as a sketchbook that readers can personalise and make their own. It has clearly been created with keen home decorators and would-be interior designers in mind.

Cardboard tabs divide it into six segments, each focused on a diff erent style theme, such as rustic country or Swedish and neoclassical. In-built pockets allow users to stash fabric samples or sketches in the relevant section, and ample space is provided for note-writing and drawings. As well as having room for doodling, each chapter has explanations on the theme from Sloan, colour suggestions and project tips, and photographs of case-in-point interior design to inspire.

CLEAR YOUR HOUSE

By Jade-SkyNew Holland, hardback, rrp $24.99

I have a reputation among my friends for being a little bit woo-woo. I like crystals, believe in past lives and have been known to read tarot cards occasionally.

Consequently, Clear Your House by psychic/medium Jade-Sky was right up my alley. Compact enough to fit in a handbag,

Jade-Sky's book focuses on enhancing a residence by improving its "energy". This notion might make more than a few readers raise their eyebrows in disbelief, but I suspect most people have encountered physical places that "just felt" positive or negative, and what harm in trying to encourage the former?

Jade-Sky discusses events that can aff ect the energy of a house (illness, break-ups, burglaries), and shares techniques to scrub away those unpleasant associations. There are also some more traditional decorating tips - ones that should appeal to even the most hard-line sceptic - for brightening up a house and turning it into a comforting space to return to at the end of a long day.

HAPPY HOME OUTSIDE: EVERYDAY MAGIC FOR OUTDOOR LIFE

By Charlotte Hedeman Gueniau, Jacqui Small LLP, hardback, rrp $49.99

Turning a home's outdoor space into a regularly used living area is the message that Danish designer and entrepreneur Charlotte Hedeman Gueniau wants to impart in Happy Home Outside.

The coffee table-style hardback is the follow-up to her first book, Happy Home, and contains the same cheerful approach and emphasis on achieving "everyday magic" through chic yet simple design as its predecessor.

Gueniau has a passion for colour, and it seeps into the book's every page via bright photographs of gardens, yards and al fresco entertaining. Beginning with some instructions on how to create harmony between a house's inside and its out-of-doors, she goes on to address designing self-contained outside spaces, and ways to relax, eat and play in them.

There are tips for those with limited space and apartment balconies as well, and suggested projects for the DIY crowd - think a spoon-strung string curtain, upcycled flower homemade candle holders.

EUROPEAN HOUSE

By Philip Jodidio, Images Publishing, Hardback, rrp $80

On page 126 of this picture-heavy compendium is a deceptively simple, two-storey Danish home dubbed "Adaptable House".

The rectangular abode can be dismantled or expanded upon, is part of a larger architecture series that seeks to reduce CO2 emissions, and solidly epitomises the unapologetically modern dwellings that author Philip Jodidio has set out to profile. Despite being a continent renowned for its crumbling castles and centuries-old heritage,

Europe is increasingly becoming home to contemporary residential architecture that's characterised by sleek aesthetics, an innovative approach to living, and harmony with both the immediate environs and long-term sustainability.

Almost 50 houses are featured in European House, most of which are in Western Europe (though constructions from Slovenia,Poland and Greece make the cut), all designed by architects that have distinctive and unique approaches to their work.

Warning: you may come away from this book with a severe case of wanderlust, in addition to home envy.