Martin Brudnizki’s maximalist style and ability to transform high-profile venues into iconic spaces have earned him a prestigious reputation internationally. This debut book explores how the celebrated designer uses the language of color to create glamorous interiors that are both opulent and deeply resonant, where every shade tells a singular story. In this enchanting volume, the designer draws inspiration from nature, art, fashion, and history to show us how color influences his life and work. The charming design of the book brings the magic of his world to life: classical busts are unmoored from their pedestals, silky peonies embellish texts, candelabras glow, and birds flutter free from their frescoes and travel with us for pages. Each chapter is devoted to a single color, illuminating how Brudnizki leverages the emotional power of color to enhance the overwhelmingly beautiful and luxurious spaces he creates.
My Life in Colors (published by Rizzoli) is some serious eye candy and a wonderful addition to your book collection. There’s a lot of commercial spaces in this book so beware, and that was a bit of a disappointment to me, but they are pretty fabulous and I think I can get over that.

I was super excited about this next book, Distinctly American: Houses and Interiors by Hendricks Churchill (photos by Chris Mottalini, Jeff Holt, Amanda Kirkpatrick, Stephen Kent Johnson, published by Rizzoli) I was sooooo excited about because I am huge fans of Heide Hendricks and Rafe Churchill and we’ve featured many of their projects here.
Founding partners Heide Hendricks and Rafe Churchill have been collaborating for more than twenty years—whether designing new houses and interiors or overseeing historic renovations—and this is the first book to present a comprehensive look at the firm’s projects, refreshingly relevant exercises in reinvention. Every project is rooted in tradition, truth, and an inherent connection to historical architecture and the rural landscape—whether that be a country house in Litchfield County, Connecticut, or an apartment in New York’s Greenwich Village. Drawing inspiration from Shaker cleanness of line, Arts and Crafts integrity, Dutch agricultural buildings, and bohemian chic, the interiors team selects paint colors, furnishings, textiles, lighting, and general finishes—all chosen with an appreciation for historical and contemporary art, design, film, and literature. The goal is to create eclectic, well-informed, and emotional interior spaces that do not play to today’s design trends. The designs express the essence of rural America—the practicality and purity of materials and design, with a keen understanding and deep knowledge of traditional buildings and construction.

Last one of this group is an admittedly mediocre book for mostly superficial reasons. From Hand to Home: The Architecture of Douglas Wright (published by Rizzoli) has a cover that is matte and textured and doesn’t at all appeal to me, all of the photos are matte and look really washed out, and the font on the cover is also featured as a main font throughout and is frankly, awful. Maybe purchase this one when it goes on sale?
Renowned architect Douglas Wright fills his beautifully designed debut book with recent highlights from his stunning portfolio of new houses and renovated dwellings. Wright’s architecture, based in classical tradition and steeped in the historical continuum, has an effortless appeal that crosses styles and periods. Wright has captured the attention of design aficionados with his breathtaking architectural spaces informed by the spirit and lessons of historical, vernacular, and modern styles for today. Each of the presented residences—from a Queen Anne–style house and a seaside Shingle-style cottage to a modern beach house, a Frank Lloyd Wright–inspired retreat, and a McKim, Mead & White city apartment—is paired with Wright’s painted and penciled sketches, along with floor plans, all of which demonstrate his facility with the history of ornament and contemporary currents.