Blanket Fort (Growing Up Is Optional)

At some point growing up, most of us threw a blanket over two chairs and declared it our club house. Artistic duo Grackle & Pigeon have taken the idea a step further—or, rather, they’ve taken the imagination we all had as kids and infused it into 25 artisanal blanket forts. This gorgeous little book is an absolutely stunning look at a wide range of projects that will inspire you to envision cozy hideouts in our living rooms, yards, yoga studios, and work spaces. Each project includes a mix of 4 color photography and charming pen-and-ink instructional illustrations.

Forts like Bears Love Breakfast, are as simple as a couple of blankets and some sticks, for a rustic camping feel. Then there’s Ground Control, the David Bowie-themed fort, whose moon-like glow will make you want to crawl inside and listen to “Life on Mars.” Om Shanti, the Yoga fort, is clean and simple, the perfect place to clear your mind. And the decadent Garden Party is a back yard piece de resistance worthy of a (tiny) wedding reception.

The book’s frontmatter outlines the basic frames that are used to create the forts, and the instructional drawings throughout show the forts’ bones, but Blanket Fort is more a lifestyle book than a craft book—one which invites people of any income to look and dream, the perfect gift for a couple moving in together or your best friend from childhood. And for that matter, parents planning for a novel sleepover will also find ideas inside.