Monthly Archives: January 2018
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The Ten Best Design Books
Top ten lists are always fun, yet a little daunting to write. Interior design books can run the gamut of very informational textbooks to fluffy coffee table books and everywhere in between. But let's face it, most of us just want really inspiring photos that give us creative ideas, or at the very least a big case of green envy.
Here are ten of our favorite interiors books that we visit over and over for colorful inspiration:
1. Time and Place by Steven Gambrel
This is the first book by one of our all time, all star clients. Don't tell the others, but if I could have my dream home designed by anyone, I would go with Steven. I love his mix of modern and traditional and use of intense, yet restrained colors.
2. Interior Design Master Class Edited by Carl Dellatore
This tome is packed with essays and photos of interiors by some of the very best from Jeffery Bilhuber, Bunny Williams, Robert Stilin, Rose Tarlow, Matthew Patrick Smyth, Joe Nahem, and dozens more. Think of it as a very fun and colorful encyclopedia.
3. Domino: The Book of Decorating by Deborah Needleman, Sara Ruffin Costello, and Dara Caponigro
I know I am not alone when I say I pine for the old Domino mag, and have tons of back issues- still! There was such a great sense of young fun in so many of the featured interiors. Also, they had splendid ideas that did not break the bank.
4. Hidden Paris by Catherine Clifton-Mogg and Côté Paris
Who doesn't wonder what is beyond the grand doors of Parisian courtyards? Continue the fantasy of Parisian living with this little gem.
5. New York Behind Closed Doors by Polly Devlin
This newcomer is one we will keep forever just for the sheer entertainment value of being able to peek inside of the grand, and sometimes crazy funky apartments of New York.
6. A Place to Call Home by Gil Schafer III
So if, in my fantasy, I would have Steven Gambrel do my interiors, I would have Gil Schafer as the architect. Schafer has an incredible eye for detail, a great sense of history, and delivers classically beautiful homes.
7. Mark Hampton on Decorating by Mark Hampton
If there is a textbook that all designers should have in their libraries, this is it. The late Mark Hampton was a master at designing and decorating with elegance and timeless style.
8. Stay With Me: The Most Creative Hotel Brands in the World by Catherine Harvey
There are few things more fun than staying in a well designed, fun, sexy hotel. This book offers a good handful of successful examples. Bon voyage!
9. Tom Scheerer Decorates by Mimi Read
I bought this book as a gift and ended up keeping it for myself!
"There is something undeniably sunny about [Tom Scheerer's] work. . . . But Scheerer's exuberance is always cut with a hearty dose of Yankee restraint and practicality. It adds up to inspiring rooms that are comfortable, modern, and unpretentious." --Elle Décor
Couldn't have said it better.
10. Haute Bohemians by Miguel Flores-Vianna, Edited by Amy Astley
This book is the bobo version of The World of Interiors. Not too precious, but incredibly stylish with international flair that exudes page after page.
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Clean Slate + Winter Whites
We are certainly not alone in the feeling of wanting to shed in January... shed a few pounds, shed any grudges, shed clutter, shed the daily news. What could be more refreshing and exciting than a clean slate?
My fantasy of a clean slate is an empty apartment, painted white, and preferably in Paris. Near the Seine would be amazing, but I won't get too picky. The fantasy continues with how I would decorate said apartment. Usually I would go with some bold colors and textures to brighten those gloomy Paris days, but currently I am craving whites. Lots and lots of layered winter whites.
I often browse through all of the Castel books in my office thinking of fun ways to scheme our fabrics together. I am always amazed by how many different styles and looks I can create with under 1000 skus! Modern, clean, fancy, traditional, boho, neutral, patterned and colorful all in a pile on my office floor.
Our advice on pulling off a winter white interior is not to match, but rather to embrace the subtleties of oyster, crème, beige, ecru, and snow white through textures and slight patterns. You will discover that whites are actually quite warm and inviting.
See! This photo was shot in our snowy backyard, and voila, warm! Winter interior fantasy complete.
Give it a shot, and let us know if you need any white samples, we are stocked and ready for winter! We are off to warm up with hot toddies by the fire...