As an NYC interior designer, I'm constantly on the lookout for inspiration and ways to expand my skillset. It's so important as a designer to keep your mind fresh and stimulated. This week we wanted to share some of our favorite interior design books with you. We hope you can find inspiration throughout these pages! Take a look.
On Style: Inspiration and Advice from the New Generation of Interior Design
"On Style brings together today's top up-and-coming interior designers who together reflect the future of decorating, illustrated with never-before-published photos of each designer's work. The world is changing, and interior design is changing along with it. Today's designers are presenting a fresh take on decorating, and they are connecting directly with their audience over social media. In his follow-up to Interior Design Master Class, editor Carl Dellatore turns his curatorial eye toward this next generation of decorators, culling fifty of the top designers working in America today. On Style provides an intimate view into the personalities, inspirations, and aesthetics of these members of the new guard. Each profile spotlights a never-before-seen project, as well as each designer's story and influences, and of course, their advice for achieving great style." As you peruse this interior design book, you may even see some familiar faces on page 50!
The Interiors and Architecture of Renzo Mongiardino: A Painterly Vision Hardcover
"A fresh look at the interiors of Renzo Mongiardino—considered one of the finest designers of the late twentieth century—that will both appeal to past devotees and introduce his work to a new generation of design enthusiasts. This book explores the sublime work of Renzo Mongiardino (1916–1998), reinforcing his place as a legend in the field. Mongiardino has a background as an acclaimed set designer for stage and film, which had an effect on his work—lush interiors with trompe l’oeil finishes, museum-quality antiques, sumptuous fabrics, and a bewitching theatricality. Clients included elite members of the worlds of fashion, art, and society: Agnelli, Rothschild, Peretti, Radziwill, and Onassis."
Katie Ridder: More Rooms
"A new trove of interiors from leading interior designer Katie Ridder, featuring her singular take on color, texture, pattern, proportion, and scale. Bold combinations of primary and secondary colors; exquisitely crafted trims, embroidery, lampshades, and countless accessories (all designed by Ridder); imaginative room surfaces from silver leaf to custom stenciling. These are but a few of the signature elements of a Katie Ridder interior. Katie Ridder: More Rooms explores Ridder’s unique aesthetic room by room to underscore the astounding breadth and depth of her decorating ingenuity. The illuminating text details Ridder’s singularly creative approach to the essential elements of each room, including furniture plan, color, lighting, finishes, pattern, layering, and scale."
New York School of Interior Design: HomeÂ
"From the nation's top college for interior design comes a definitive design school in a book and a fabulous reference for decorating the home... This lavishly illustrated and highly detailed interior design bible provides a comprehensive education on home design and decor, from color theory principles to space-specific considerations (choosing furniture for a living room) and collaborating with architects and other professionals for the best results. Built on the Home Study Course that is the foundation of the school's curriculum, this book offers an unparalleled mastery of the key elements of enduring design, rendering it the only book you'll ever need." It was an honor to work with Ellen Fisher and showcase our work throughout this book!
Classic Greenwich Houses: Charles Hilton
"This book presents nine spectacular houses, each responding to an equally spectacular site. They are the work of Charles Hilton, a leading traditional architect in Greenwich, Connecticut, whose firm has been honored with multiple regional and national awards including Palladio and Stanford White awards. As an architect, Hilton is committed to designing imaginative buildings that inspire and delight and to creating a humanistic architecture that embodies the aspirations of his clients. He works in traditional vocabularies--principally Georgian, Beaux-Arts and shingle style--with exquisite classical detailing, but his houses are also completely contemporary in incorporating state-of-the-art technology and sustainable design. As he observes, "Our clients rely on our creativity and ingenuity to create houses that honor tradition, while seamlessly integrating modern amenities essential for contemporary living.""
The Finer Things: Timeless Furniture, Textiles, and DetailsÂ
"With a foreword by Miles Redd, this luxurious decorating resource trains the eye to recognize enduring, quality home goods and to use them to dazzling design effect. Quality matters. Just as a home’s foundation should be built to stand the test of time, so, too, should the furniture, objects, and elements of our rooms speak to an enduring sense of beauty and comfort. They should outlast trends and our loving day-to-day use... Weaving together the insights and guidance of dozens of wallpaper and paint specialists, textile fabricators, accessories artisans, and interior designers, Lemieux has curated an unparalleled education in recognizing the hallmarks of timeless, heirloom-quality pieces. Hundreds of elegant home interiors—both iconic examples from the past and stunning residences today--represent the range of luxurious and customized environments that can be created with fine décor."
California Contemporary: The Houses of Grant C. Kirkpatrick
"The stunning houses of Grant Kirkpatrick and his firm, KAA Design, exemplify why so many of us look to Southern California as the pinnacle of sophisticated modern living... This collection of visionary residences, shown in gorgeous photographs and colorful drawings, represents the California Dream, by an architect chosen by celebrities including Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, Matt Damon, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, for their personal retreats. Kirkpatrick offers his reflections on these beautiful projects and the design strategies behind their creation."
Design Thread Hardcover – Illustrated, March 5, 2019
"For over 20 years, Kit Kemp has been at the forefront of the international design community, developing a signature style which mixes contemporary works of art by both well-known artists and unknowns -- all of whom paint with soul as much as skill -- with Kit's own furniture designs, antiques, and junk shop finds. All of this is set against a layered backdrop of luxurious fabrics, bespoke wallpapers and hand-finished detailing which creates instant impact. In Design Thread, Kit shares the inspiration behind her creative process: whether it's a house in the country or a city pied-Ã -terre, a hotel suite or beach bar, her unique eye for design shines through. Kit considers every element of her interiors in detail, each one treated as a work of art in its own right, with an emphasis on creating personal, authentic, handcrafted spaces which capture the imagination and stand the test of time."
Vogue Living: Houses Gardens People
"Lavishly illustrated in full color, a book of thirty-six spectacular houses and gardens—whose owners come from the worlds of fashion, music, art, and society—drawing on stories from the pages of Vogue and Vogue Living as well as never-before-published images by iconic photographers. Here are Madonna’s romantic rural retreat in the depths of the English countryside; Oscar de la Renta’s coral-stone Palladian mansion on the coast of the Dominican Republic; Michael and Eva Chow’s epic Los Angeles manse and shoe maestro Christian Louboutin’s magical houseboat on the Nile; Donna Karan’s Zenlike Manhattan aerie and legendary tastemaker Marella Agnelli’s enchanted villa and gardens in the Palmeraie of Marrakesh; Julian and Olatz Schnabel’s operatic downtown loft and childrenswear designer Rachel Riley’s miniature château on the Loire; and four decades of Karl Lagerfeld’s endlessly surprising houses, both innovative and palatial."
Over the course of my career, interior design books have always remained a constant source of inspiration. While Pinterest and Instagram and online blogs are great, there is just something about feeling and holding a physical interior design book to really soak it in. These are just a few of our favorites. We hope they bring you as much joy and inspiration as they have for us. Thank you for following along, and we'll see you next week!
