Best Design Books

August 3, 2013

Gypset Travel By Julia Chaplin Julia Chaplin’s gypsy caravan makes its second stop with the upcoming launch of her latest book, Gypset Travel (Assouline). Following the success of her 2009 Gypset Style, Chaplin takes readers to her 10 most coveted places around the world for you to relax, explore…and be the envy of all your friends. Chaplin is a modern day Talitha Getty, exploring the magical hidden enclaves that are haunted by gypsy jet-setters, a.k.a. gypsetters – the portmanteau she coined while first covering these chic nomads. Her book meanders through such places as Lamu, Kenya; José Ignacio, Uruguay; and Todos Santos, Mexico. The pages are filled with lush photos of glamorous bohemian hideouts and personal stories and tips from Chaplin and her cohorts. Not only are the interiors and architecture a perfect example of boho-luxe living, but the outfits worn by Chaplin’s subjects define what she calls “understated glamour and experimental luxury” – a heady mix of ethnic influences, delicate fabrics and clashing prints. Gypset Travel was launched at the Crow’s Nest on Montauk (another one of the book’s featured locations). For even more gypset style, head to Chaplin’s blog to see her travel notes and her hippie couture line of apparel and home wares.

THE BIG BOOK OF CHIC by MILES REDD

March 3, 2013

If you remember, this is not the first time I write about this awesome book. The Big Book of Chic is the new decorative bible from the famous international interior designer Miles Redd. A very inspiring book, filled with innovative ideas that allows the reader to see the world through the eyes of the talented Redd and completely understand his creative vision. He showcases some of his fabulous projects as well as the images that fuel his imagination drives him. It’s 300 pages long with 150 full-page illustrations, giving readers a glimpse into what inspires Miles and provides intimate portraits of a beautiful, sophisticated life. The illustrated volume features, not only black and white, but also a selection of colored images of rooms decorated by Miles Redd. Besides, one can find what Redd finds stylish “top hat fantasies” by Scott Fitzgerald, Diana Vreeland, Coco Chanel, Marcel Proust, Cecil Beaton and many other significant personalities of the 19th and 20th centuries. He uses art to change the emphasis of a room, hanging contemporary paintings to add punch to traditional decorating, and introducing traditional art into contemporary interiors for an extra layer of richness. Fashion is a great influence. The ever-stylish Redd is influenced by photographers…

Rhapsody by Kelly Wearstler

January 9, 2013

Kelly Wearstler, the California-based interior designer who practically invented the term “maximalism”, have launched her fourth book “Rhapsody” on October 23, 2012 Rhapsody compiles some of Wearstler’s never-before-photographed projects and it offers a look into her glamorous world, profiling in detail her latest residential designs, including sumptuous new hotels along with her creative process. The tome takes you through her creative process, bursting with her glamorous and energetic vignettes, all using her signature bold color, texture, and mix of both vintage and new. Throughout the pages, she dissects certain rooms and explains the importance of juxtaposing rawness and refinement to get her distinctive look. Here, the idea of “mod baroque” might mean silver studded walls paired with a tiger-print sofa, or three square brass tables arranged like blocks into a jagged, uneven dining table, or a floor-to-ceiling ceramic fireplace that offsets ’70s-style wood paneling: anything, really, that ensures your eye is “captivated by every view, whether by a dominating architectural feature or a movable tablescape,” Wearstler writes in the book. Whether decorating a boutique hotel, restaurant, or home, Kelly Wearstler rarely designs with a “less is more” approach. Everything the designer-turned-fashion muse touches seems to turn to gold (sometimes quite literally, given her opulent interiors)….