Minimalism doesn't work for everyone: the creative's home office

This is the cover of a new picture-led interiors book by Japanese publishers Edition Paumes. It's called Bureaux a la Maison and it contains photographs of the home offices belonging to 25 creative people.

How they were selected is unclear, but I think they are all based in France and they all do arty things for a living.

What working from home looks like in France

It's the latest in a series of books by the publisher that hone in on elements of the Northern European home and lifestyle (fave locations Paris, London, Stockholm, Copenhagen) in an affectionately voyeuristic way. It's all about the pictures, well it has to be, as the text is almost entirely in Japanese.

The only bit they translate is the title and the names of the owners. Previous book titles have varied from the romantic Stockholm's Love Apartments

to the you-wouldn't-think-they'd-get-a-whole-book-out-of it Children's Rooms London

to my all-time favourite completely bonkers and utterly non-translatable The parent's love-chiselled gifts for their tiny ones. I'm sorry, what?

But I kind of love the fact that they don't translate the whole thing into English, yet the book is on sale in the UK.

Not only do they seem to be saying - let's face it, homes and interiors books are all about the photos, but the Japanese script is an appealing typographical addition.

Plus it's always interesting to see your own culture through the eyes of another. Especially when they make Europeans look so reassuringly chic.