13 Books for the Home Design Lovers on Your Gift List
Design fans will appreciate these coffee table books that celebrate inspiring interiors, architecture and landscapes
With their beautiful photography and inspiring ideas, design books are gifts that keep on giving. Not only are they fun to flip through, but placed on a prominent table or shelf in a home, they can often serve as style statements themselves. Here are 12 new design titles and one noteworthy reissue that caught our eye ahead of the holiday season.
Kelly Wearstler: Evocative Style by Kelly Wearstler and Rima Suqi ($55)
Step inside Kelly Wearstler’s creative world. The California designer known for her mix of ornate vintage style and bold modern accents profiles her latest residential and commercial projects, including her own home, in her first book in 10 years.
Step inside Kelly Wearstler’s creative world. The California designer known for her mix of ornate vintage style and bold modern accents profiles her latest residential and commercial projects, including her own home, in her first book in 10 years.
Rooms With a History: Interiors and Their Inspirations by Ashley Hicks ($60)
British author, architect, designer and photographer Ashley Hicks (son of decorator David Hicks) shares his colorful, eclectic designs alongside images of historical interiors and objects that inspired him. So, images of a 1584 painted grille outside Emperor Maximillian’s tomb in Innsbruck, Austria, for example, and a red claw-foot tub that belonged to the U.K.’s Lord Curzon appear alongside an image of Hicks’ own eye-popping fireplace, accented with tapestry-like painted burlap walls and an orange leather ottoman.
British author, architect, designer and photographer Ashley Hicks (son of decorator David Hicks) shares his colorful, eclectic designs alongside images of historical interiors and objects that inspired him. So, images of a 1584 painted grille outside Emperor Maximillian’s tomb in Innsbruck, Austria, for example, and a red claw-foot tub that belonged to the U.K.’s Lord Curzon appear alongside an image of Hicks’ own eye-popping fireplace, accented with tapestry-like painted burlap walls and an orange leather ottoman.
The Touch: Spaces Designed for the Senses by Kinfolk and Norm Architects ($60)
Danish architect Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen of Norm Architects and Nathan Williams, cofounder of international lifestyle brand Kinfolk, collaborated on this exploration of spaces and architecture that influence our senses. Divided into sections that look at how light, nature, materiality, color and community impact how we experience a place, The Touch highlights more than 25 spaces and includes interviews with and profiles of industry leaders in design and architecture, such as David Thulstrup and Lina Bo Bardi.
Danish architect Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen of Norm Architects and Nathan Williams, cofounder of international lifestyle brand Kinfolk, collaborated on this exploration of spaces and architecture that influence our senses. Divided into sections that look at how light, nature, materiality, color and community impact how we experience a place, The Touch highlights more than 25 spaces and includes interviews with and profiles of industry leaders in design and architecture, such as David Thulstrup and Lina Bo Bardi.
Bedtime: Inspirational Beds, Bedrooms, and Boudoirs by Celia Forner ($60)
Curling up with a book takes on new meaning with this collection of striking bedroom portraits from around the world. Art collector, jewelry designer and former model Celia Forner lets readers peek into the often dramatic sleeping spaces of figures from Marie Antoinette to Peggy Guggenheim to contemporary designers and architects, as well as bedroom sets from plays and movies like Gone With the Wind and 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Curling up with a book takes on new meaning with this collection of striking bedroom portraits from around the world. Art collector, jewelry designer and former model Celia Forner lets readers peek into the often dramatic sleeping spaces of figures from Marie Antoinette to Peggy Guggenheim to contemporary designers and architects, as well as bedroom sets from plays and movies like Gone With the Wind and 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Dwell, Gather, Be: Design for Moments by Alexandra Gove ($35)
Approaching home design with a cozy, feel-good mindset similar to the popular Danish concept of hygge, Dwell, Gather, Be offers inspiration and advice on cultivating a meaningful space. It covers tips for reflecting lifestyle through design choices and creating a welcoming environment as well as other warm and fuzzy wisdom. As Meik Wiking, the CEO of Copenhagen’s Happiness Research Institute, writes in the book’s foreword: “We need to understand and harness the impact our homes have on our happiness, as most of us spend more time in our homes than anywhere else.”
Approaching home design with a cozy, feel-good mindset similar to the popular Danish concept of hygge, Dwell, Gather, Be offers inspiration and advice on cultivating a meaningful space. It covers tips for reflecting lifestyle through design choices and creating a welcoming environment as well as other warm and fuzzy wisdom. As Meik Wiking, the CEO of Copenhagen’s Happiness Research Institute, writes in the book’s foreword: “We need to understand and harness the impact our homes have on our happiness, as most of us spend more time in our homes than anywhere else.”
For Architecture Enthusiasts
The Short Story of Architecture by Susie Hodge ($19.99)
This pocket guide to building styles, materials and elements breaks down must-know architectural terms and concepts by way of 50 iconic buildings around the world — from the Eiffel Tower to the Great Pyramids to the latest high-tech skyscrapers.
The Short Story of Architecture by Susie Hodge ($19.99)
This pocket guide to building styles, materials and elements breaks down must-know architectural terms and concepts by way of 50 iconic buildings around the world — from the Eiffel Tower to the Great Pyramids to the latest high-tech skyscrapers.
Site: Marmol Radziner in the Landscape by Leo Marmol and Ron Radziner ($65)
Leo Marmol and Ron Radziner, the founding partners of California architecture firm Marmol Radziner, write in Site that architecture is seeing a “gradual erasure of boundaries between indoor and outdoor” spaces. Accordingly, the book focuses on that evolution in more than 200 photos. Interviews with the authors offer additional insights into their philosophy and design process. Organized into categories such as woodland, desert, urban and canyon, the 19 featured projects blur the lines between the natural and built world.
Leo Marmol and Ron Radziner, the founding partners of California architecture firm Marmol Radziner, write in Site that architecture is seeing a “gradual erasure of boundaries between indoor and outdoor” spaces. Accordingly, the book focuses on that evolution in more than 200 photos. Interviews with the authors offer additional insights into their philosophy and design process. Organized into categories such as woodland, desert, urban and canyon, the 19 featured projects blur the lines between the natural and built world.
Atlas of Mid-Century Modern Houses by Dominic Bradbury ($150)
This showpiece encyclopedia of midcentury home design includes images of more than 400 homes by more than 290 architects, including Richard Neutra, Oscar Niemeyer and Marcel Breuer. Admirers of modern elements like walls of glass and open-concept spaces will have plenty to take in, like France’s Maison Gauthier by architect Jean Prouvé and its emphasis on indoor-outdoor living or Richard Neutra’s airy, angular Singleton House.
Iconic Architecture: 10 Must-Know Modern Homes
This showpiece encyclopedia of midcentury home design includes images of more than 400 homes by more than 290 architects, including Richard Neutra, Oscar Niemeyer and Marcel Breuer. Admirers of modern elements like walls of glass and open-concept spaces will have plenty to take in, like France’s Maison Gauthier by architect Jean Prouvé and its emphasis on indoor-outdoor living or Richard Neutra’s airy, angular Singleton House.
Iconic Architecture: 10 Must-Know Modern Homes
Case Study Houses: The Complete CSH Program by Elizabeth A.T. Smith with photographs by Julius Shulman ($20)
The pioneering Case Study House program, which lasted from 1945 to 1966 in the Los Angeles area, aimed to create modern prototype homes that could be easily replicated during the postwar building boom. The landmark initiative left a lasting impact on the industry and featured designs by some of architecture’s biggest names, including Eero Saarinen, Richard Neutra and Charles and Ray Eames. The highly experimental work aimed to reimagine the modern home, and it was all driven by the project’s champion, Arts & Architecture editor John Entenza.
In this retrospective, author Elizabeth A.T. Smith examines all 36 striking prototype homes from the program and the program’s significant influence on modern American architecture through photos, floor plans and sketches. Julius Shulman’s famous accompanying photographs are a piece of modern architectural history in their own right.
The pioneering Case Study House program, which lasted from 1945 to 1966 in the Los Angeles area, aimed to create modern prototype homes that could be easily replicated during the postwar building boom. The landmark initiative left a lasting impact on the industry and featured designs by some of architecture’s biggest names, including Eero Saarinen, Richard Neutra and Charles and Ray Eames. The highly experimental work aimed to reimagine the modern home, and it was all driven by the project’s champion, Arts & Architecture editor John Entenza.
In this retrospective, author Elizabeth A.T. Smith examines all 36 striking prototype homes from the program and the program’s significant influence on modern American architecture through photos, floor plans and sketches. Julius Shulman’s famous accompanying photographs are a piece of modern architectural history in their own right.
Lair: Radical Homes and Hideouts of Movie Villains edited by Chad Oppenheim and Andrea Gollin ($75)
From Darth Vader’s Death Star to Nathan Bateman’s remote estate in 2014’s Ex Machina, movie bad guys’ habitats have historically been memorable. Lair, edited by architect Chad Oppenheim and editor-writer Andrea Gollin, examines the designs of 15 of the most dramatic hideouts and home bases of cinematic villains. Using eye-popping silver-on-black architectural illustrations, photographs, interviews and renderings, the book dives deep into the features that make a home villain-approved.
Architecture and movie buffs will also appreciate the bits of trivia sprinkled throughout. The iconic modernist house that juts out of Mount Rushmore in North by Northwest, for example, was inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s work — and, coincidentally, Gutzon Borglum, the real Mount Rushmore’s designer, apparently once asked Wright to design a house for him.
From Darth Vader’s Death Star to Nathan Bateman’s remote estate in 2014’s Ex Machina, movie bad guys’ habitats have historically been memorable. Lair, edited by architect Chad Oppenheim and editor-writer Andrea Gollin, examines the designs of 15 of the most dramatic hideouts and home bases of cinematic villains. Using eye-popping silver-on-black architectural illustrations, photographs, interviews and renderings, the book dives deep into the features that make a home villain-approved.
Architecture and movie buffs will also appreciate the bits of trivia sprinkled throughout. The iconic modernist house that juts out of Mount Rushmore in North by Northwest, for example, was inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s work — and, coincidentally, Gutzon Borglum, the real Mount Rushmore’s designer, apparently once asked Wright to design a house for him.
California Romantica by Diane Keaton and D.J. Waldie, with photographs by Lisa Hardaway and Paul Hester ($45)
This rereleased book, originally published in 2007, will be right up the alley of those who love California Mission and Spanish Colonial styles. California Romantica features profiles of rarely viewed residences by noted architects including George Washington Smith, Wallace Neff, Richard Requa, Lilian Rice, and Paul R. Williams.
Actress Diane Keaton collaborated with writer D.J. Waldie on this tome. Among the seaside estates, canyon villas and courtyard bungalows shown is Keaton’s own former home in Beverly Hills, which she restored with designer Stephen Shadley, earning her accolades as a preservationist.
This rereleased book, originally published in 2007, will be right up the alley of those who love California Mission and Spanish Colonial styles. California Romantica features profiles of rarely viewed residences by noted architects including George Washington Smith, Wallace Neff, Richard Requa, Lilian Rice, and Paul R. Williams.
Actress Diane Keaton collaborated with writer D.J. Waldie on this tome. Among the seaside estates, canyon villas and courtyard bungalows shown is Keaton’s own former home in Beverly Hills, which she restored with designer Stephen Shadley, earning her accolades as a preservationist.
For Garden Lovers
The Scentual Garden: Exploring the World of Botanical Fragrance by Ken Druse with photographs by Ellen Hoverkamp ($50)
Familiar and not-so-familiar garden plants, trees and shrubs are organized into fragrance categories in this comprehensive guide to botanical scents. Garden writer Ken Druse also offers garden design ideas that play up different plants’ olfactory strengths. Rich with Druse’s garden photography and photographer Ellen Hoverkamp’s artsy plant portraits, the book delves into the ways gardeners can mix and match and make better use of olfactory sensations.
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The Scentual Garden: Exploring the World of Botanical Fragrance by Ken Druse with photographs by Ellen Hoverkamp ($50)
Familiar and not-so-familiar garden plants, trees and shrubs are organized into fragrance categories in this comprehensive guide to botanical scents. Garden writer Ken Druse also offers garden design ideas that play up different plants’ olfactory strengths. Rich with Druse’s garden photography and photographer Ellen Hoverkamp’s artsy plant portraits, the book delves into the ways gardeners can mix and match and make better use of olfactory sensations.
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Down to Earth: Laid-Back Interiors for Modern Living by Lauren Liess ($40)
It’s all about easy living and approachable design in Virginia designer Lauren Liess’ latest book. Liess takes readers into six homes — a contemporary lakeside house, a new farmhouse, a historical American house, a turn-of-the-century foursquare, a modern villa and a cedar-and-glass house perched on a bluff — and shares how homeowners might incorporate six guiding design principles in each type.
See our 2011 tour of Liess’ home