Bookish: Design Books Your Collection Needs
Author:Candace AbbottDesign enthusiasts know the value of a good book. But for this same group, a book isn’t always about reading, sometimes it’s about decorating. The design industry big names and naysayers are constantly turning out books that are worth owning because of both their content and the crucial role they play in styling your bookshelves and coffee tables.
The throng of new books that have hit the scene in the last year is astounding. But we selected a few favorites and give good reason on why you ought to have them.
Our first pick is Art House: The Collaboration of Chara Schreyer and Gary Hutton by Alisa Carroll. It’s an enthralling read and visual stunner detailing on how famed art collector Chara Schreyer worked for forty years with interior designer Gary Hutton to create picture perfect residences designed to house over five hundred works of art from some of art’s most celebrated like Andy Warhol and Diane Arbus. Tour the spaces and get lost in the tale. This is one that looks fabulous on your coffee table too.
A follow-up to her famous Life Styled, Emily Henderson released Life Unstyled last October. In this interesting read Emily spends time talking about the perfect interiors that we see on a daily and how they’re sometimes unattainable with positioned against everyday life. Her solution? Living a life “unstyled’ and no longer feeling bound to the rules of design perfection. Giving perspective to design, this book is an absolute for your collection and a nice reminder that it’s ok to be a bit of a mess.
Lovers of the book, The New Bohemians, which garnered a cult following, will certainly fall for designer Justina Blakeney’s latest, The New Bohemian’s Handbook, a beautifully curated guide on how to live a life that’s stylish and loaded with good vibes and that positive energy everyone is talking about. Encouraging you to transform your space into a sanctuary and approach rooms in your home in a new way, this book reveals just how to find peace in your home. In Justina’s words, “you got this.”
Award-winner architect, Mark Rios of Rios Clementi Hale Studios released his firm’s inaugural book last June titled, Not Neutral: For Every Place, Its Story and in it he explores not only the firm’s success, process, series of thoughtful essays, but the importance of celebrating cities that are defined by rich cultures and ethnography. The book showcases three decades the firm’s work in a thoughtful manner and even offers up commentary on each project, siting the philosophy and the approach. Housed in a striking pink cover, this eye-catching book is as rich and captivating on the inside as it is on the outside. Judge this book by it’s cover.
Our favorite guy, Gray Malin, is at it again. And while most folks are still loving the eye-candy that Beaches brought, Gray’s wanting us to shift our focus to ESCAPE, and partake in Gray’s exploratory journey in capturing some of life’s most joyful moments. In this second book, Gray takes you to some of his favorite places and gives you some backstory on why they’re so near and dear to him. Aside from being a beautiful piece to complete your coffee tablescape with its dreamy aqua art, the book invites you to focus on simplicity of life and the beauty that’s all around.
