I don’t know that I would ever want to surround myself with lots of bold colours and a really maximalist way of decorating but that doesn’t stop me from grinning ear to ear when I spot a home like this. This wild coloured and vintage-to-the-rafters Victorian home in Hackney may not be for everyone, but it sure is cheerful! Via jj Locations.

Now that summer is over and I am in a fall depression, I think it is the perfect time to start thinking about warmer climates. Like that of Ibiza. This home of interior designer Virginia Nieto is bringing home the Mediterranean vibe with bright white walls, concrete floors, straw mats and light fixtures and a to-die-for outdoor space. Wow do I ever love this house!!!

MORE BOOKS!!! I will admit I have another favourite of the books that were recently sent to me from the folks at Vendome Press. It is City of Angels: Houses and Gardens of Los Angeles by Firooz Zahedi and Jennifer Ash Rudick.

This book is total eye candy at its finest. If you are a lover of art you especially need to get online and order a copy immediately. The best part about this book is that many of these homes I had never seen before. They belong to an eclectic mix of film producers, artists, photographers, architects, interior designers, musicians and were designed by the likes of Frank Lloyd Wright, Peter Dunham, David Netto, Madeline Stuart, Mark D. Sikes and many more. Kelly Wearstler’s Malibu beach house, Hutton Wilkinson’s Santa Monica ranch, Pamela Shamshiri’s MCM Schindler house…the dreamiest of homes that include the most incrediblly eclectic art and furniture I have ever seen.

Next up is Inspired Design: The 100 Most Important Interior Designers of the Past 100 Years by Jennifer Boles (of The Peak of Chic blog). Every one interested in interior design should scoop this one up. It’s like an encyclopedia of the best of the best in interiors.

The designers included in this book are those who changed how we live and whom we’ll never forget. And some newbies who are currently making their mark in a big way. Americans Francis Elkins and Tom Scheerer, Brits Kit Kemp and Veere Grenney, amazing women such as Nancy McLelland and Bunny Williams. Names you know and names you must if you don’t. 100 years of the biggest and best.

Another gem of a book I received was Dior and His Decorators: Victor Grandpierre, Georges Geffroy, and the New Look by Maureen Footer. I was sold on the cover photo alone.

Here is another shot of it because it may just be THE BEST PHOTO EVER.

Victor Grandpierre and Georges Geffroy were two Parisian interior designers most closely associated with Christian Dior and this book is the first look at these 2 and their relationship. It also recounts the evolution of Dior’s aesthetic as a revolutionary fashion designer and aficionado of interior design, with his New Look unveiled in 1947. It was about creating a modern sense of elegance mixed with refined traditions of the past. Grandpierre and Geffroy brought trompe l’oeil, tiger velvet, antiques and saturated colour into the interior designer scene. It was rich, sensuous, refined. The author was provided full access to Dior archives, which makes this book a treasure, and a keeper.

Last but not least is Island Hopping by Amanda Lindroth Design with photos by Tria Giovan. If you love the tropics, or dream of living in a tropical paradise like I do, then this one is for you.

Interior designer Amanda Lindroth founded her firm in Nassau in 2010, and has become a key designer for island dwellers in Lyford Cay, Antigua, Belize, Harbour Island, Palm Beach and other jaw-dropping locations. Her aesthetic is airy, relaxed, a joining of colonial and island influences that bring together white walls, bold fabrics, cane furniture, canopied beds, straw matting etc. This book is basically a getaway to a Caribbean island in book form. Way cheaper than a trip!

I needed a pick-me-up/distraction today as I am trying desperately not to cough up a lung as I have been inflicted with the raging back-to-school cold that everyone in town seems to have caught. And I don’t even have kids! This super bright, relaxing and just really fun home designed by Regan Baker in Hayes Valley, San Francisco is really lifting my spirits. I really love the chill, modern vibe going on here. (Photos: Suzanna Scott)

For more of Regan’s work, here is my last feature

The Vendome Press is one of the best publishers for interior design books (IMHO), and they have come out with a whole pile of awesome reads lately that I got my hands on and want to share with you. This one is possibly my all-time favourite book. I kid you not. American Originals is by esteemed photographer William Abranowicz so you know already this is going to be good!

In William’s book he shares some beautiful and unique homes he’s photographed, the likes of Ellen & Portia, John Mellencamp, Robert Couturier, Jeffrey Bilhuber, Bette Midler and Martha Stewart to name a few. The homes are to die for, his photographs are perfectly composed and if that wasn’t enough, I love that he discusses his personal interactions with the homeowners which was fun to read about. If you’re going to buy one book this year, I’m telling you it must be American Originals. It took me 5 minutes to get beyond the first 5 pages I was so smitten. (Bonus: This book comes with a slipcase so it can stand upright)

Next up is Cabana Anthology byMartina Mondadori Sartogo. This book celebrates the first 10 issues of Cabana magazine, which I unfortunately have never seen nor read.

It shares some of the most extraordinary personal statements in interior design, architecture and lifestyle, and this book showcases some of the best from these first 5 years of Cabana through an extraordinary mix of topics, interiors, objects, and visual essays from contributors ranging from Justine Picardie, Patrick Kinmonth, and Christian Louboutin to Lauren Santo Domingo and Gianluca Longo. Photos are by talents such as Miguel Flores-Vianna, François Halard and Tim Beddow. A bonus with this book – the cover is fabric! The ultimate coffee table book.

Another book I received was The Gardens of Bunny Mellon by Linda Jane Holden with photos by Roger Foley. If you have any interest at all in landscape design, you need to get your hands on this book.

Rachel “Bunny” Mellon and her very wealthy husband had many homes – in New York, Cape Cod, Nantucket, Virginia and Antigua and the gardens she designed for each were exquisite. Despite not being formally trained, she ended up with such a talent for garden design that she created outdoor spaces for President Kennedy, including his grave site and photos and details of each are included in this book. Also included are garden plans, sketches, watercolours and archival photos. The author’s text is based on extensive interviews with Bunny before her death in 2014 at age 103.

Last book for this round is Nora Murphy’s Country House Style.

Nora lives in Newtown, Connecticut and has turned her historic saltbox house into the epitome of a stylish country home. Her blog, website, e-magazine, strong presence on social media, and increasing visibility in print media and on TV are dedicated to this style and she brings it home in this book. Now country style isn’t really my thing but this book is really beautiful and many of the spaces I really love. I can’t help but crave a cottage so I can delve into this easy and comfortable aesthetic.

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