Books to design change in your home.
Devil In the Details
Any designer knows details make the difference, but author Amber Lewis has captured a rundown of which ones deserve the most attention in her new book, Call It Home: The Details That Matter (2023, Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed). Lewis runs through insights and obsessions that went into eight major projects, including her own home, from the bullnose edge of a marble countertop to the wood grain pattern of the flooring, the pleat of a drape and more. The result is beautiful tips to shortcut the decision-making process.
Approachable Attributes
Beauty isn’t just about the beholder — it’s also about the feeling you create in your home. The Art of Home: A Designer Guide to Creating an Elevated Yet Approachable Home (2023, Harper Horizon) is author and design expert Shea McGee’s answer to the question: how can I transform my home? McGee shows the world how the principles of high-end design can be applied to any home, even if yours doesn’t look like it would fit in a catalogue.
Spirit of the Sea
There’s a magic to coastal living. Whether or not your home is facing a beach, however, there are ways to bring the inspiration of the sea into your own designs. That’s the mission of Lauren Liess in her new book, Beach Life: Home, Heart & the Sea (ABRAMS Books, 2024). The work explores why we are drawn to life by the sea and the therapeutic benefits of being near the ocean — or at least adding its motifs to our homes. Roll out your favourite beach blanket and escape into sunshine and surf with this work of interior design advice. The book is filled with explorations into mindfulness, stories and even seasonal recipes, and will capture your own spirit of the sea to bring home.
Breathe In Home
A home has one primary function: to work for the people who live there. That’s the pillar that American architect Gil Schafer holds to in his latest book, Home at Last: Enduring Design for the New American House (Rizzoli, 2024). Renowned as a leading expert on contemporary traditional architecture, Schafer’s work captures how he translates history into the houses he works on and how those houses adapt to the needs of the families that live in them.
