Here’s our unscientific, highly opinionated guide to the best inspirational design books of the season:
Interior Portraits: At Home with Cultural Pioneers and Creative Mavericks (Rizzoli), from much-admired Bay Area photographer Leslie Williamson, takes us on a tour of notable California homes, from Robinson Jeffers’s seaside cabin and cottage and tower in Carmel to architect Charles Moore’s iconic Sea Ranch house.
Vincent van Duysen Works 2009-2018 (Thames & Hudson) is a follow-up and companion to Vincent Van Duysen Works 1989–2009, presenting Belgian architect Van Duysen’s most recent works over the course of the past decade; $46.39 from Amazon.
In It s Beautiful Here Homes That Make Your Heart Skip a Beat Thames Hudson 26 66 at Amazon Megan Morton takes us on a tour of the abodes of people who have by luck chance or determination nailed that ever elusive interiors je ne...
...sais quoi From Paris to New York and even Adelaide we meet a motley crew of renters Barbie Dreamhouse owners and accidental interior heroes and learn that a beautiful home doesn t rest on great design alone it s shaped by the people who live there
Chair 500 Designs That Matter from Phaidon Phaidon 16 48 from Amazon chronicles the evolution of the chair from early examples such as the Shaker rocking chair to more recent designs like...
...the Saiba chair by Naoto Fukasawa Part of the appeal of this useful little volume is its compact size it s about the size of a bento box 16 48 from Amazon
In This Is Home The Art of Simple Living Hardie Grant Natalie Walton an interiors stylist and writer based on the New South Wales central coast visits eight houses...
...in Australia the US and Europe all with a global and timeless feel that haven t been renovated in the traditional sense but are true homes 36 70 from Amazon
In Alchemy of Things: Interiors Shaped by Curious Minds (Murdoch Books), Karen McCarty takes us on a tour of 18 houses around the world that are occupied by a “mix of artists, interior designers, architects, collectors, gallerists, stylists, furniture designers, and vintage retailers”; $22.92 from Amazon.
Perfect English Townhouse (Ryland Peters & Small; $26.33 from Amazon), by Ros Byam Shaw, features 14 distinctive townhouses full of charm, character, and style.
In American Originals (Vendome Press), veteran interiors photographer William Abranowicz takes us on a tour of the homes of painters, poets, rock stars, designers, tastemakers, politicians, and performers for whom “the house is the ultimate form of self-expression”; $46.38 from Amazon.
and lovely photographs by Ngoc Minh Ngo), Bay Area designer Erica takes us on a tour of her creative process.
“While I find inspiration everywhere,” Erica writes, “nature is my primary muse and the anchor for my creativity.