BOOKS WE COVET

THE MOST COVETED INTERIOR DESIGN BOOKS

If you’re a design lover, chances are your shelves always have room for another book. Lucky for us, each season brings a fresh set of inspirational tomes from designers, stylists, and historians, giving us eye candy—and design advice—aplenty. Read on for the ones we’re buying now. Many seem to prefer interior design books as a form of artwork – if the cover matches the décor, it goes on the coffee table to collect dust. Here, we highlight some of the best interior design books that go beyond the surface-level Pinterest tutorials and get down to the principles of how to design the spaces in your home.

HOME STORIES, DESIGN IDEAS FOR MAKING A HOUSE A HOME BY KIM LEGGETT

LEARN HOW TO CREATE ROOMS FILLED WITH WARMTH, MEANING, AND YOUR OWN UNIQUE STORY OF HOME

Kim Leggett’s first book, City Farmhouse Style, was a big hit. Now Kim is back with the welcoming interiors her fans crave and a no-rules approach that is all about using what you love to create rooms that tell your personal story. Everyone has a story worth telling, and every room can become part of that story—whether you decorate it with heirlooms, flea market finds, simple mementoes, or a mix. In-Home Stories, Leggett shows readers how to use all these treasures to design very special rooms filled with interest and meaning. She begins by asking readers what it is that attracts them to a certain piece: “Thinking hard about what really speaks to you and then using it as the basis for design, is the secret behind all of the best, most interesting rooms.” Each chapter presents fascinating spaces and the stories behind the accessories, furnishings, and mementoes that fill them. There are plenty of projects, too, plus practical design guidance and design inspiration for refreshing decor as the seasons change.

LIVE BEAUTIFUL BY ATHENA CALDERONE

FROM CELEBRATED DESIGN EXPERT AND INTERIOR DESIGNER ATHENA CALDERONE, A LOOK INTO HOW CREATIVES DECORATE THEIR SPACES

For 14 months, Athena Calderone ping-ponged between coasts East and West, and further off to Copenhagen and Lyon, with photographer Nicole Franzen in tow to shoot a collection of tastemaking homes for her latest book, Live Beautiful. By the end of it, she was left with design-magazine-cover-worthy interior photography, but also, a selection of images of her standing in, of all places, a bathroom shower with the various homeowners. Beautiful design isn’t just pleasant to look at; it improves the quality of our lives. In Live Beautiful, the highly anticipated design book by Athena Calderone, the EyeSwoon creator taps into her international network of interior decorators, fashion designers, and tastemakers to reveal how carefully crafted interiors come together. She also opens the doors to two of her own residences. With each homeowner, Calderone explores the initial spark of inspiration that incited their design journey. She then breaks down the details of the rooms—like layered textures and patterns, collected pieces, and customized vignettes—and offers helpful tips on how to bring these elevated elements into your own space. Filled with gorgeous photography by Nicole Franzen, Live Beautiful is both a showpiece of exquisite design and a guide to creating a home that’s thoughtfully put together. Calderone is part of the rare breed of influencer (her Instagram account @EyeSwoon has garnered over 270,000 followers, with even more visits to her website of the same name) whose appeal transcends the blogger-sphere. In 2017, she was able to reverse engineer her brand from digital to print with her first publication, a book of recipes named Cook Beautiful, which was by every measure a success. “I wanted something that had this level of permanence to it,” she says.

MAKE LIFE BEAUTIFUL BY SYD AND SHEA MCGEE (STUDIO MCGEE)

MAKE LIFE BEAUTIFUL IS THE NEW AUTOBIOGRAPHY FROM SYD AND SHEA MCGEE, THE STARS OF THE NETFLIX HIT SERIES DREAM HOME MAKEOVER.

This book offers the fans of Syd and Shea McGee a new and intimate look into how they built their business. “Make Life Beautiful is a necessary reminder there is inherent beauty and warmth in all moments. Shea and Syd invite us into endearing conversations filled with wit, humour, creativity and honesty shining a light on the couples beautiful focal points.” - Alyssa Rosenheck, interiors and architectural photographer, stylist, and author of the New Southern Style. For the one million-plus followers who turn to Syd and Shea McGee for advice on building a beautiful home and life, Make Life Beautiful is a behind-the-scenes look into how the couple transformed Shea’s small room of fabric samples and a big dream of becoming a designer into one of the most successful and fastest-growing interior design businesses in the country. Both long-time and new fans will not only gain insight into how the McGees built such a successful company but also be inspired to apply design principles to their lives. Inspirational topics to help readers build an authentic life include how to: Renovate your life, visualize the outcome, listen to your gut and elevate the everyday. Want to live the best version of your life? Read this book to follow Syd and Shea’s lead and learn how to Make Life Beautiful. This is an essential book for: Entrepreneurs, Interior Designers, Working Parents, Couples Building Family and Career, Self-Starters and Anyone Chasing Their Dreams.

NICOLE HOLLIS, CURATED INTERIORS BY NICOLE HOLLIS

IN THIS ARTFUL BOOK, NICOLE HOLLIS SHARES HER BEAUTIFUL HOLISTIC ENVIRONMENTS, WHICH THOUGHTFULLY BALANCE A MODERN SPIRIT OF INNOVATION WITH A REVERENCE FOR ARTISANAL CRAFTSMANSHIP.

Nicole Hollis’s approach to contemporary living is to create timeless interiors that blend seamlessly with the environment. Featured is a wide range of residences in city, country, and coastal settings that masterfully mix the simplicity of line with organic complexity to create refined spaces. Striking home in the Marin County town of Tiburon features natural materials and dramatic touches that embrace the property’s sweeping views of the San Francisco Bay. A Kona Coast property set on a lava field reimagines a Hawaiian open-plan sanctuary with a modern design scheme of rich textures, including lava-basalt floor tiles and coral wall blocks. Michele Oka Doner’s lighting employs the shape of Kiawe tree branches. A San Francisco pied-à-terre is an elegant contrast study in black and white, infused with historical nuances. These curated spaces are art, found objects, and bespoke furnishings that underscore Nicole’s appreciation of texture, craft, and nature. In 2002 Nicole Hollis founded NICOLEHOLLIS, a San Francisco awardwinning interior architecture and design firm. The firm’s projects have been featured in Elle Decor, Luxe Interiors, and Architectural Digest, among other publications. NICOLEHOLLIS has produced home furnishings for McGuire and lighting fixtures for Phoenix Day.