With a new season comes new design books. Whether you’re seeking renovation ideas for yourself or a client or searching for a holiday gift, there’s plenty of inspiration in this fall’s assortment. Here are our favorites from this season’s debuts, which are filled with insights from AD-approved talents, historical accounts from overseas, and sentimental stories about bringing incredible interiors to life.
By Pierre Sauvage
Hosting is a task composed of laissez-faire chemistry—like accounting for a “dash of recklessness” in your table plan, as Pierre Sauvage notes in the introduction to How They Entertain. Maybe something so intuitive and personal seems difficult to quantify, but this title gives some powerful insight into what makes a great event work. By profiling prominent European creatives like Laura Gonzalez, Sauvage pieces together unique narratives wherein readers can find inspiration for their next dinner party. In these pages, you can glean recipe advice (Russian salad, quiche, rhubarb pie) or design notes (shells, corals, cabinetry) from tastemakers living in an array of chic spaces.
By Gay Gassman
The late Guy de Rougement can easily fill a title with career highlights: Consider his 1986 paving of the Musée D’Orsay or the retrospective at Musée des Arts Decoratifs in 1990. An academician, painter, sculptor, and ceramicist, we marvel at how de Rougement was able to harness crucial elements of American Pop art—bright color and simple geometry—while remaining decidedly French in essence. This book focuses on the artist’s studio practice, collaborations, and contributions across creative disciplines, told by experts and close friends of de Rougement to AD contributor Gay Gassman (who will be holding a signing on December 4 at Creel and Gow on New York’s Upper East Side).
By Mieke ten Have
You must recognize Mieke ten Have’s name from our own pages—the stylist has beautified countless AD features, including our recent stories on Blair House and Jennifer Garner’s California abode. With each project, ten Have ensures an interior’s good looks will be translated through photography. In her debut monograph, ten Have shares some of her wisdom by articulating four principles for styling, demonstrated by imagery from four seasons. If you want to learn from the best, Interiors: Styled by Mieke ten Have is required reading.
By Michael S. Smith with Andrew Ferren; foreword by Shonda Rhimes
Michael S. Smith, a storied AD100 Hall of Famer, has a résumé that most of us can only dream of. After designing interiors for Michelle Obama and Shonda Rhimes—the latter wrote the foreword to this book—he was appointed by President Obama to serve on the Committee for the Preservation of the White House in 2010. Needless to say, Smith understands classic American design, and we find ourselves flipping through his diplomatic and residential work time and time again. So before the ballot boxes open, we’re electing Classic by Design to our reading list.
By Malene Barnett
As founder of the Black Artists + Designers Guild, an independent global platform for Black creatives, Malene Barnett is a practiced curator skilled at drawing connections between diasporic themes, forms, and histories. She has put her expertise into this book, where elegant visuals pair with 60 Caribbean artists to create holistic stories of their practices and inspirations. Not only is this a book of professional profiles, it’s one of historical study.
By Elizabeth Roberts, Alanna Stang and Christine Coulson; foreword by Wendy Goodman
A new book from AD100 architect Elizabeth Roberts presents a fresh format: interspersed through pages of her firm’s project imagery, whether it be farmhouse restorations or commercial commissions, are hand-drawn sketches, postcards, archival photos, antique maps, and other historical documents from each project. Novelist Christine Coulson also contributes short fictional vignettes of each project, resulting in a volume that defies coffee-table expectations.
By Jannah Handy and Kiyanna Stewart; foreword by Spike Lee
Being a sifter or comber is a point of pride for thrifters out there. Some are more dedicated than others, however—and Jannah Handy and Kiyanna Stewart are among them. After spending years scouring shops in search of Black stories, they opened their own business, BLK MKT Vintage. This monograph teems with over 300 studies of vintage ephemera and is prefaced with a foreword by Spike Lee. It reads like a collage with context, or an I-Spy for your inner adult archivist.
By Ariel Ashe and Reinaldo Leadro, with contributions by Felix Burrichter; foreword by Seth Meyers
The debut monograph from AD100 talents Ashe Leandro, this prolific volume encompasses celebrity homes, full historical renovations, and more from the firm, illustrating why they have become synonymous with modern classical interiors. With photographs by beloved AD contributors like Shade Degges, Adrian Gaut, and Jason Schmidt—and an afterword by Rashid Johnson—these pages cover Ashe Leandro’s background and beginnings, with notes from artists and design journalists alike.
By Nicole Hollis; introduction by David Wiseman
For her second book, San Francisco–based Nicole Hollis showcases her new projects through Douglas Friedman’s skillful eye. The frequent AD contributing photographer frames Hollis’s art beautifully: Flip through his imagery and find a cherry-blossom chandelier in a stark Tribeca loft, Tron-like neon lights in a powder room, or an electric azure walk-in closet that gives peacocking a whole new meaning—you’ll understand why Hollis’s talent and range has been recognized across the industry again and again, including AD’s own AD100.
By Kristen Bateman
The fashion and art writer Kristen Bateman is an unabashed maximalist—making her a choice candidate for this storied dive into the aesthetic. Lots of people shy away from maximalism in fear of claustrophobia or pattern fatigue, but Bateman’s historical overview on the movement’s roots, which lie in 1930s Hollywood Regency style, Rococo and Neoclassicism, bolsters her accompanying advice on how to administer color, form, and flair in your home.
By Virginia Lebermann and Fairfax Dorn
Ever since the desert town’s midcentury inception as a creative retreat, Marfa, Texas, has been inextricably linked to countless visual projects, prodigious names, and artistic eras. This book examines some select projects and installations that have been organized through the art center Ballroom Marfa, like the infamous Prada Marfa exhibition, plus shows from the likes of Issy Wood, Yo La Tengo, Sue Williams, Dev Hynes, and Donald Judd. With 20 years of exhibitions in the rearview mirror, there’s plenty to take in.
Introduction by Samuel Cochran; contributions by Glenn Sestig
Citing the late Luis Barragán as inspiration and collaborating with indigenous Mexican craft artisans, Ezequiel Farca is creating a new vernacular for Latin American architecture. And the 16 projects in this book, mainly located in sun-drenched Mexico and California, are showpieces for indoor-outdoor, sustainable living too. In the introduction, AD’s global features director Sam Cochran notes how Farca’s stark exteriors shroud the organically choreographed spaces within: “If mystery is magic, Farca waves a mighty wand.”
By Phaidon Editors
If all humans vanished from Earth, stone creations would be some of the few artifacts left to mark our existence after thousands of years. Though its popularity as a building material has been shadowed by new, manufactured materials, this book makes an excellent case for its continued craft and utility. Within Stone Houses’ pages, AD-vetted architectural talents are well represented, including Ensamble Studio, Studio KO, Kengo Kuma, Olson Kundig, and AD PRO Directory member Daniel Joseph Chenin.
By Ellie Cullman, Lee Cavanaugh, Sarah Ramsey, and Alyssa Urban; with Judith Nasatir
AD100 Hall of Famers Cullman & Kravis have been a mainstay in our magazine’s pages, and for good reason: With almost 50 years of experience, the firm is still led by founder Ellie Cullman, who has helped define East Coast style. Many of the interiors within this volume are exclusive to its pages and celebrate the firm’s expert eye, appealing to color, texture, and client preference in the most unexpected niches.
By Marella Caracchiolo Chia; foreword by Madison Cox
Marella Caracchiolo Chia has dispatched gorgeous Italian interiors for us time and time again. Her long-term commitment to documenting this aesthetic has made her an expert in Bonacina, a family-owned Italian design company committed to rattan since 1889. This title—which contains contributions from Guido Taroni, Aerin Lauder, Martina Mondadori, Francis Sultana, and other A-listers—is a celebration and careful study of the material via Bonacina, from its harvest in Asia to its continuously evolving craft for worldwide luxury residences and hospitality projects. Over the years, Bonacina has collaborated with design legends like Gae Aulenti and Gio Ponti to push rattan’s boundaries, which Chia catalogues like a true design historian.
by Timothy Corrigan with Michael Boodro
Timothy Corrigan is, in his own words, “an unabashed Francophile.” We’ve long since admired his French interiors, which honor the long-standing traditions of the country’s rich decorative history. In this volume, the designer reflects deeply on the diverse aesthetics of French urbanity versus rural living. Note the office enclave on page 14, which was originally featured in our December 2007 issue.
By Nick Pachelli
On the heels of Challengers, tennis is a current hot topic in cultural conversation. What’s seldom discussed are the courts themselves which, sure, follow strict dimensions, but can possess variances other than surface. From the storied stages of Wimbledon and Queens to indoor marvels in Belgium or creative courts in Kenya, journalist and former junior circuit player Nick Pachelli documents the different playing areas that host games, sets, and matches.
By Rodman Primack with Rudy Weissenberg
Rodman Primack is a force to be reckoned with—just take a look at his idyllic California refuge published in our July issue or the wisdom he imparted to AD PRO in his trend report panel. Love How You Live is not just the debut title from the AD100 designer and his partner, Rudy Weissenberg, it’s a travel diary wherein their firm, AGO Projects (formerly known as R.P. Miller), puts 13 international interiors on display. From Kentucky farms to Hawaiian retreats, each interior reflects both Primack and Weissenberg’s shared aesthetic philosophy, as well as the vibe of its locale.
By Laura May Todd
The notion of Italian interiors is hard to encompass, considering the country’s geographic variety: The design of an alpine cabin in Trentino varies drastically from a countryside escape in Tuscany. Luckily, AD’s Milan correspondent Laura May Todd is a tried-and-true authority and manages to sample all flavors of Italian abode in her latest title, which features low-key domestic sites alongside homes of famous creatives like Carlo Scarpa and Luca Guadagnino.
By Jennifer Gracie, Mike Gracie, Zach Shea, and Brian Gracie, with Judith Nasatir
The Gracie family’s foray into wallpaper began through the buying, selling, and restoration of European and Chinese varieties back in 1898. Six generations later, the business still blooms: Their own custom designs, which have been decorator go-tos for decades, retain the flora and fauna of these original references. This is a mere bit of history touched upon in The Art of Gracie, the latest volume narrated by family members who have overseen the meticulous manufacturing methods true to their business. Detailing the multitudinous usages of the papers themselves, this book outlines one of American interior design’s greatest stories and has beautiful visuals to match.
By Holly Hunt
It’s shocking that this is Holly Hunt’s publishing debut, considering she has been on the interior design scene for 40 years. This book—which tours readers through projects from Texas, mountain country, the Midwest, and more—is not just a study of the work Hunt has contributed to the field. It’s also a personal reflection on collecting, business administration, and branding, all of which reinforce a larger celebration of Hunt’s design success.
By Mark D. Sikes
Just before the publication of our November issue’s Blair House feature, Mark D. Sikes rounded out his Beautiful trilogy with the release of Forever Beautiful. This title celebrates a full year of the AD100 talent’s interiors—organized into 12 chapters, with one home as the focus each month. The ultimate goal? Celebrating the natural world’s beauty. “Nature is the ideal muse,” Sikes declares in the book’s introduction, and his position is clear through projects like a sleek, modernist retreat in Aspen inspired by the icy geometry of its surrounding mountains. This dexterity is among one of the many trailblazing qualities Sikes possesses as a new face of American design.
By Katherine Bryan with Mitchell Owens
A rare perspective guides this interior design volume. Katherine Bryan is, among many things, a longtime patron of American design legends across many different residences. Through her eyes, this volume studies the work she solicited from Albert Hadley, Mark Hampton—who was “not only a decorator but also a scholar” in Bryan’s words—and other talents over 40 years. Detail shots of chintzes, photos of her children in her furnished houses, and original sketches color this volume, which is also an ode to New York: Four of the featured residences are in Manhattan, three are in Long Island. Her narration, alongside contributions from AD editor Mitchell Owens, proves that this process has shaped her own design sensibilities. In her own words: “Decorators are teachers, and if you’re lucky, you will become a good student as well as a grateful client.”
By Kathryn O’Shea-Evans
Perhaps there are some distinctive elements when it comes to ski style—wood beams, oversized windows, and roaring open fires come to mind—but AD contributor Kathryn O’Shea-Evans uses this fun title to dive into its finer details. Considering the chalets in Gstaad and Aspen are some of the most spectacular on the planet, Alpine Style is a true compendium of resort luxury. Besides great design from Directory members Massucco Warner, Robbins Architecture, Kara Adam Interiors, Workshop/APD, and Jennifer Miller Studio, this volume includes tips for combating altitude sickness as well as recipes for boozy milkshakes. Channelling the energy of après is almost as important as the skiing itself!
By the Design Leadership Network
A living room is a shapeshifting space molded by the needs of its inhabitants: a place for entertaining, meditating, and everything in between. In this volume, The Design Leadership Network explores some of the best examples by splitting them into quadrants: city, shore, country, and sky (largely referring to rooms with a view). We’re taking inspiration from some of the incredible spaces by AD100 talents like Gil Schafer, Gachot, and Cullman & Kravis, as well as Directory members Noz Nozawa, Meyer Davis, R/terior Studio and the Refined Group, who are but a few of the AD-approved designers featured in these pages.
By Robert and Cortney Novogratz
Robert and Cortney Novogratz are TV stars and flippers extraordinaires, having graced the pages of AD with their Greenwich Village renovation, decor essentials, and more. This isn’t their first title, but it may be the most comprehensive: 25 years is a lot of time to reflect on and enough to call the Novogratzes experts in the field. Dive into their first project in Chelsea and end with their current work in the pages of this volume, all penned by the design duo themselves.
By David Netto, Paul Goldberger, and Peter Pennoyer; foreword by Aerin Lauder
As Aerin Lauder states in her foreword to this volume, you may recognize Rosario Candela’s buildings before you recognize his name. It’s not that big of a stretch to say that the architect and cryptographer was the sculptor-at-large for New York’s famous Park Avenue skyline, and the categorical prewar apartments so highly sought after today. With some of today’s leading architectural and critical minds as guides, this title offers a compelling history of Candela’s important work, offering context through ideas on urbanism, planning, and more.
By Marie Flanagan
Houston-based Marie Flanigan takes a holistic approach to her projects—which means considering the geography and history of a site before sinking her teeth into the interior. If this seems abstract, then perhaps Perfect Room is the perfect book for you. With tips on gauging local quality of light or incorporating architectural features, as well as ideas on how to “cocoon” a bedroom or work with vaulted ceilings, Flanagan helps you uncover what’s personally meaningful in interiors, as bolstered by her own projects in the Gulf of Mexico, Wyoming, and beyond.
By The Judd Foundation
The minimalist artist Donald Judd started making furniture the way that most creative people do: because he needed it. “It’s impossible to go to the store and buy a chair,” he wrote back in 1993. Since his death in 1994, the pieces—which have been made to order in small quantities since the ’80s—have become their own sort of design trophies. Now, Donald Judd Furniture (Mack Books)—produced with the Donald Judd Foundation and his children Rainer and Flavin Judd—chronicles more than one hundred of these functional works, produced between 1970 and 1992. Fabric bound and landscape format, the book is organized by the materials Judd worked with: one-by-twelve and two-by-twelve boards, the standard cut lumber dimensions he worked with in the beginning, each comprise chapters. Mixed in are the juiciest bits: photos from past and present of those pieces in Judd-designed spaces in New York and Marfa.
