INTERIOR DESIGN INSPIRATIONS

Book Review: Island Style by India Hicks

December 23, 2015

From India Hicks, a beautifully illustrated guide to achieving her famously undone, gloriously bohemian decorating style. Born from British and design royalty, India Hicks has forged a design empire from her family’s enclave in the Bahamas. In India Hicks: Island Style, she invites readers into her world, offering never-before-seen imagery and irresistible behind-the-scenes stories. Beginning with an uproarious reflection on India’s own design odyssey, the heart of the book is an in-depth exploration of her style. Timeless and under-decorated, her rooms combine carefree Caribbean culture with British colonial form and formality. In ten chapters, India walks the reader through the basics of capturing the look: the subtle palette of island life; the miracle of tablescaping; the warm anarchy of a family kitchen; the pleasure of porches; the drama of entertaining; bedrooms as places of self-expression; the “more is more” style of living with collections; the importance of repurposing; and creating spaces of sanctuary. Witty, richly prescriptive, beautifully photographed, this book will enchant readers with a glimpse of decorating in paradise. India Hicks was born in England to famed decorator David Hicks and Lady Pamela Hicks. Her grandfather, Lord Mountbatten, was the last viceroy to India, granting their independence in 1947….

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Book Review: Barbara Westbrook by Gracious Rooms

December 23, 2015

In her first book, the South’s most inviting designer explores her principles for creating a beautiful home rich with comfort and warmth. Barbara Westbrook has been designing classically inspired homes full of Southern charm and a European touch for more than twenty years. A native of Virginia, Westbrook grew up accompanying her mother to antique shops and was introduced by her to Virginia’s rich architectural legacy. With a design vocabulary that ranges from casual American to formal English to French modern, Westbrook’s homes share a welcoming elegance, whether it is a country cottage or a penthouse apartment. In Gracious Rooms, she sets out her principles for creating a house rich with both polish and patina. Walking the reader through a dozen stunning homes—light-filled lake retreats, contemporary houses, and historic mansions—Westbrook shares her accessible, appealing ideas. From the judicious use of symmetry to the importance of including natural elements in a room, utilizing color to unify spaces within a house, and setting a mood with materials, Gracious Rooms is rich with advice and inspiration. Keep following Best Design Books for the latest design news! Don’t forget to leave a comment bellow!

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Book Review: A Sense of Place – Houses on Martha’s Vineyard and Cape Cod

December 23, 2015

Thirteen exquisite houses create a portrait of life in one of America’s most exclusive coastal destinations, along the beaches of Martha’s Vineyard and Cape Cod. Hutker Architects, led by founding principal Mark A. Hutker, has designed more than three hundred houses along the New England shore. A member of the close community on Martha’s Vineyard since his arrival in 1985, Hutker has become an expert at interpreting the ideal lifestyles of his clients within the respected traditions and restrictive codes of the beautiful but fragile environment. In their design and construction, these houses honor the vernacular traditions of craft and indigenous materials, are deeply respectful of the cherished landscape, and demonstrate a lively range of solutions to building on the bluffs and dunes that line the shores of the Vineyard and Cape Cod. A working organic farm fulfills a family’s dream of simpler values; a luxurious renovation saves the best of an antique shingle cottage while transforming it for contemporary family life and a raised structure clad in naturally weathered boards combines the legacy of midcentury regional modern architecture with Cape Cod’s maritime tradition. The firm is committed to the principle “Build once, well,” looking to the historic architecture of…

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MAGAZINES

Discover Top 50 Magazines in UK

December 22, 2015

Elle Decor is where style lives. It is the ultimate guide to decorating and design and the indispensable go-to source for everyone who wants to create a more beautiful life. Whether your taste is classic or contemporary—or an eclectic mix of both—you’ll find ideas and inspiration, the latest information and products, and tools to help you decorate, renovate, and entertain stylishly.

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Top 10 new decorariong books by Architectural Digest (1)

Top 10 new decorating books by Architectural Digest

December 18, 2015

Shed Decor In need of a place to work, play, or relax? A shed’s the perfect solution! Small in space and investment, it easily fits in a backyard or garden and, as this inspirational design guide shows, can also be beautiful. From seemingly unpromising potting sheds to tired old summerhouses ripe for a makeover,Shed Decor reveals how the right combination of colors, fabrics, furniture, and accessories can transform an outdoor building. Whether you want a rustic hideaway or an urban den, a “salvage chic”.

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Book review: Richard Meier Artist’s Edition

December 18, 2015

Limited edition of 100 copies worldwide, clothbound in a clamshell box, each numbered and signed by Richard Meier. The artwork is a silkscreen print (20 x 30 cm / 8 x 12 inches) on mould made paper. The trademark of celebrated architect Richard Meier (born 1934) is his use of white structures. He began his career building numerous private homes, and then moved on to administrative buildings, museums and residential complexes notable for their complex groundplans and axial twists – features that have had a decisive influence on contemporary architecture. The Getty Center in Los Angeles, scheduled for completion in 1996, gave Meier the opportunity to tackle the most ambitious project of the decade. This limited edition monograph traces the development of Richard Meier, one of the foremost architects of our times, and affords a generous overview of his projects to date, including: Smith House, Darien (CT), 1965-1967 Bronx Development Center, New York (NY), 1970-1977 Douglas House, Harbor Springs (MI), 1971-1973 The Atheneum, New Harmony (IN), 1975-1979 Hartford Seminary, Hartford (CT), 1978-1981 Museum for Decorative Ars, Frankfurt/ Main, 1979-1985 Giovanitti House, Pittsburgh (PA), 1979-1983 High Museum of Art, Atlanta (GA), 1980-1983 Des Moines Art Center Adddition, Des Moines (IA), 1982-1984…

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Book Review: Ottoman Chic new release by Assouline

December 18, 2015

Standing at the crossroads of many cultures, Ottoman style is spiced with influences from Chinese and Indian to French and Italian. In this spectacular volume, Istanbul-born interior designer Serdar Gülgün narrates a tour of his beautiful home, a historic mansion on the Asian side of the Bosporus. Constantly inspired by the atmosphere of his ancient city, Gülgün believes a successful interior design is a place of experience in which authentic elements of culture fuse and achieve alchemy, awakening all the senses and transporting its inhabitants to a place of fantasy. Serdar Gülgün is an Istanbul-born interior designer, international lecturer, and Ottoman art expert and collector specializing in historical interiors. His collection has been exhibited several times at Topkapı Palace. Gülgün is the writer of the Louis Vuitton Istanbul Guide, and he is the author of The Grand Bazaar Istanbul (2011) for Assouline. He recently launched a home accessories brand, Serdar Gülgün Istanbul. Swiss-born lifestyle photographer Reto Guntli travels all continents for books and articles on architecture, interiors, people, art, design, and travel. He has photographed and produced more than forty books for the best publishing houses worldwide. He regularly contributes to prestigious international magazines such asArchitectural Digest, Casa Vogue, Elle…

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Book Review: The 100 Most Influential Objects Of The Twentieth Century

December 18, 2015

The Impossible Collection Of Design, The 100 Most Influential Objects Of The Twentieth Century is the book of the day at Best Design Books! Chosen by design expert Frédéric Chambre, this selection of furniture designs unspools like the frames of a film, an epic picture composed of one hundred years of creative innovations in form, materials, and techniques. This hand-bound oversize luxury edition, presented in a linen clamshell case, traces the development of twentieth-century design from the Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts movements through Bauhaus and Art Deco, Pop Art and the Memphis school, to today’s digital age, illustrating the dynamic story of a groundbreaking century through the evolution of everyday human objects. With degrees in law and art history, Frédéric Chambre became a partner at the Calmels-Chambre-Cohen auction house in 1996. Chambre co-founded Pierre Bergé and Associates in 2002, and became vice president and partner in 2005; he was co-organizer of the February 2009 sale of the Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé collection at Christie’s in Paris. In 2012 Chambre joined PIASA as head of strategy and development, and he is currently vice president and general manager. Source: assouline.com Keep following Best Design Books for the best…

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Book Review: Jean Nouvel Complete Works

December 18, 2015

The work of France’s most unique and internationally celebrated contemporary architect in a book designed by the master himself. Limited to 1,000 signed and numbered copies packaged in a translucent plexiglass slipcase especially designed by Jean Nouvel for this edition: Jean Nouvel. Complete Works 1970-2008. Recipient of the 2008 Pritzker Prize, Jean Nouvel is without any doubt France’s most original and important contemporary architect. From 1967 to 1970, he was an assistant of the influential architects Claude Parent and Paul Virilio, then creating his own office in Paris. His first widely acclaimed project was the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris (1981–87, with Architecture Studio). Since then he has completed the Lyon Opera House (1986–93), the Euralille Shopping Center, Lille (1991–94), and the Fondation Cartier, Paris (1991–94). His major completed projects since 2000 include the Culture and Convention Center in Lucerne, Switzerland (1998–2000), the spectacular Agbar Tower on Barcelona’s Diagonal Avenue (2001–03), the extension of the Reina Sofia Museum, (Madrid, 1999–2005), the Quai Branly Museum on the Seine in Paris (2001–06), and the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Apart from receiving this year’s Pritzker Prize, Jean Nouvel won the RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) Gold Medal in 2001. Jean Nouvel…

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Top 50 Most Amazing Libraries in the World

December 17, 2015

Top 50 Most Amazing Libraries in the World – Libraries are some of the most complete and incredible tributes to human knowledge imaginable, and with their range of resources, they’re invaluable when it comes to studying. However, reading up on a topic of choice needn’t be done in a bland and boring building, as the following institutions demonstrate. And while it’s the books and facilities that make a library, being in lovely surroundings may provide inspiration and help you to work that little bit harder. Whether they feature sleek, eye-catching architecture or extravagant interiors, the 50 libraries on this list are the most beautiful in the world. Best Design Books shows you the Top 50 Most Amazing Libraries in the World: 50. MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY – SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA Image Source The library at Macquarie University in Northern Sydney, Australia has pioneering technology to match its cutting-edge design. It is home to the first Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS) in any college in the country; this uses robot cranes to pick up books and convey them to the front desk. For the building’s eye-catching look, architecture firm Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp, which has offices in Australia and England, took its cues from…

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