How simple contrasts create contemporary cool

Keep it simple, trust your own taste and mix old and new: Eoin Lyons on why contemporary doesn't have to mean minimal

The most interesting - and almost always the most genuinely appealing - interiors reflect the choices of the people who live in them. Simply Contemporary, a new book by Henrietta Thompson, features spaces that have been gutted or rebuilt where the decoration was not high-budget or created under the watchful gaze of an interior designer.

What's inspiring about the book, and the reason you might want to buy it, is that interiors such as these show the style everyone can find by repairing, refurbishing, adapting and recycling what they already have available or what can be bought inexpensively.

The ethos of the book is that simplicity isn't necessarily about hard modernist or minimal furniture.

The showhome aesthetic - that sharp, clean, expensive and uniform stage set for the perfect lifestyle - is shown everywhere, in advertisements, magazines and coffee table books.

The alternatives put forward here have been conceived over time by the homeowners themselves and, on the whole, it seems the only outside advice sought is from family and friends. These are not cluttered or old-fashioned homes: the reader gets an idea of how to create interest without over-furnishing a space.

This ethos is perfectly encapsulated by the dining area of a converted church in the Hudson Valley, outside New York, above . There's a calming effect to this room, not just due to the white and grey wall and window colours, but because each object is there for a reason and tells a story, reflecting a life full of experience.

Much of the beauty in the homes featured comes from the art of a good display: in the arrangement of old pieces of crockery and shells, junk shop furniture mixed with exquisite antiques, or driftwood lined up next to an old milk urn.

These interiors aren't about one style of furniture: at an apartment in Berlin, select pieces of vintage furniture look glamorous set against brightly painted walls. The glass-topped table is 1970s and mixed with red chairs that the owner found in a consignment shop. There's little else in this room, yet due to colour and interesting objects, it doesn't feel austere.

Another section of the book focuses on a house in Provençe and is a little more spartan then the rest. Furniture is placed like sculpture but always with something else to compensate: for example, a chaise longue sits alone in front of a window with a view.

An architect's loft in New York is a typically loft-like space with white walls, high ceilings and large windows. The furnishings are a mix of modern-retro furniture, reflecting the interests of the owner. The walls and ceiling are painted, but everywhere the original surface has been allowed to shine through: the grain of the floors, the tin of the ceiling.

The rooms are simply furnished but groupings are carefully constructed so differing pieces sit side by side.

The idea of creating a white backdrop is a constant throughout the book: at a Dutch villa, a child's bedroom has wood panelled walls and floor, both painted with hard-wearing white paint. Bright textiles and toys add colour. The beauty of all things old and worn is demonstrated here by an antiques school desk and chair.

A hillside cottage in Connemara represents Ireland. The exterior of the house has been painted to blend with the landscape and inside, natural wood features everywhere.

There's barely any surface painted - most walls have been exposed down to the old stone. The diningroom's casual but elegant pieces of furniture show Cork-born owner Mari Saville's ability to see beauty in very simple, rustic items.

This is perhaps the principal message of Simply Contemporary: it's all about how to use furnishings rather than about the perceived quality of individual items. Rooms should be full of contrasts that complement both the particular house and the way its owners live.

Simply Contemporary by Henrietta Thompson, Thames & Hudson, £24 (€30)