Interior Design

Stylish Sheds and Elegant Hideaways: Big Ideas for Small Backyard Destinations

Virginia Woolf was right. Women–and men, it turns out–yearn for a room of their own.

But instead of a little nook beneath the eaves, that room is now a shed. Today’s sheds, however, are not dusty shelters for plants and tools. Lace curtains have replaced cobwebs, charming antiques stand where shovels and rakes once rusted, and instead of corrugated walls, you will find cedar shingles and window boxes. Sheds are stylish and elegant and offer a hassle-free and affordable way to create more space without undergoing a major renovation. They function as artists’ studios, writers’ retreats, yoga dens, entertaining pavilions, children’s playhouses, garden rooms, or serene hideaways for any personal pursuit.

In Stylish Sheds and Elegant Hideaways, Debra Prinzing and William Wright showcase twenty-eight innovative and beautifully imagined spaces from New York City to East Hampton, from Seattle to San Diego, and from Atlanta to Austin to Santa Cruz. Some are elaborate and luxurious; others are delightfully modest. They are built in urban gardens and suburban backyards and tucked away on rural properties.

Stunning, lush color photography graces Stylish Sheds and Elegant Hideaways, bringing the reader into each space and face-to-face with all its nooks, crannies, and details; the text describes how the owners’ needs and interests inspired the shed practically and aesthetically. With sample plans for building a shed, advice on the practicalities of designing and decorating it, and thoughts from backyard philosophers who celebrate the appeal and possibilities of simple structures, Stylish Sheds and Elegant Hideaways is both an inspiration for creating your own backyard destination and an armchair journey to some of the country’s most private and serene places.

Elle Decor So Chic: Glamorous Lives, Stylish Spaces (Elle Decor)

From the sophisticated Milan duplex of runway diva Donatella Versace to the rustic Montauk retreat of all-American Ralph Lauren, So Chic: Glamorous Lives, Stylish Spaces opens the door to the private worlds of today’s most fashionable people. Culled from the archives of ELLE DECOR, America’s most elegant interiors magazine, So Chic is a guided tour of the homes of tastemakers, trendsetters, and stylemongers—whether timelessly classic, mixmaster modern, or just plain funky. Plus, it offers “Inside Information, ” a compendium of style tips from star homeowners, who offer advice on how to hang pictures, plan a party, live with antiques, dress a seductive bed, and much more.

Amy Butler's Midwest Modern: A Fresh Design Spirit for the Modern Lifestyle

A complete lifestyle book, encompassing fashion, interiors, and gardens

Attention, design and style mavens! There’s a lot more to America than just the east and west coasts. Today, innovative American design—in clothing, home decor, even gardening—is emerging from the Midwest. So lay your bicoastal biases aside, and let Amy Butler show you what’s happening in the heartland.

Helping her fans jumpstart their own creative spark is Butler’s fashion credo, and her approach has won her a huge following. Her “Mid Mod” philosophy—neither homespun nor haute couture—is as up to the minute as it is firmly rooted in Midwest tradition. Emphasizing simplicity and integrity of craft, Butler is passionate about recycling materials, reinventing vintage looks, and taking joy in the homemade. Her approach—drawing its inspiration from the natural world and the lives of real people—is organic in every sense of the word.

Amy Butler’s Midwest Modern brings the many aspects of its author’s vision into focus, from re-imagining the home as a retreat for relaxation and dreaming, to picturing the body as a canvas for creating one’s personal style, to looking to nature as a “sketchbook” for design ideas. Vibrantly illustrated, the book underscores design’s practical side, with information on budgeting money and time, a shopping resources list, and “how-to” projects in every chapter.

Candice Olson on Design

Candice’s fresh, honest approach to design shows readers how to create rooms that are beautiful and functional, perfectly geared to what they love and how they live.

With her trademark humor and sense of fun, Candice shares design secrets and dozens of practical tips to help readers plan and execute successful room makeovers.

Room tours illustrate Candice’s approach to design, and quick-read sidebars highlight favorite features and ideas readers can use in their homes.

Includes decorating ideas, tips, and advice to update and reinvent living rooms, dining rooms, kitchens, bedrooms, basements, and more!

Mary Emmerling's Beach Cottages: At Home by the Sea

beach house.
The words alone have the hypnotic associations Henry James once famously ascribed to summer afternoon–“the two most beautiful words in the English language.” Lifelong beach girl Mary Emmerling captures that implicit promise of freedom in her captivating volume celebrating the American beach cottage.

Much of the beach house’s allure is in its reflection of a simpler way of life, a pared-down existence where the breeze is the housekeeper, the furnishings don’t mind a damp swimsuit, and the most precious treasures are seashells and memories. In Mary Emmerling’s Beach Cottages, Mary invites us into seventeen coastal retreats that capture that spirit, and introduces us to the people who take joy from them.

Join Mary on a warm, intimate tour of unique seaside escapes, including:

•A pint-sized artist’s studio in Key West
•A dramatic black-and-white retreat in Newport Beach, California
•A shell-lined jewel box in Laguna Beach, California
•A nautically inspired Cape Cod getaway
•A haven in Galveston, Texas, with sea-grass rugs and matchstick blinds
•The homes of designers such as Barclay Butera and Rachel Ashwell
•Mary’s own charming cottage, complete with beach balls, sailfish, and beaded curtains

With gorgeously photographed profiles of easy-going seaside homes and innovative design solutions for everyday living, Mary Emmerling’s Beach Cottages is both beautiful and inspirational. Like a beloved seaside haven, this is a book to return to again and again.

Axel Vervoordt: Timeless Interiors

Axel Vervoordt began purchasing antiques in his teens and has steadily built a vast collection of exquisite objects from around the world. He is renowned for his prestigious exhibitions at major world antique fairs, including the New York Design Fair and TEFAF Maastricht. His interior designs, in both traditional and modern settings around the world, combine antiques from all continents with a Zen sensuality, and they blend the old with the new to create harmonious interiors. His unusual pairings may include Chinese porcelain with English furniture or a Roman relic alongside a 1930s Flemish painting.
The extent of Vervoordt’s talent is revealed in the twenty-three homes in Europe and the United States presented here through Christian Sarramon’s photographs. The variety of styles reflects Vervoordt’s eclecticism, and his authentic and welcoming interiors are inspirational treasure troves. From the rustic charm of a Swiss chalet to the classic finesse of a Bordeaux château to the modern allure of a Miami mansion, Vervoordt’s creations are perfectly in tune with the character and history of each space.

Decorating Master Class

This comprehensive, hands-on guide to interior design from Cullman & Kravis, a prominent New York decorating firm, offers a broad spectrum of solutions for integrating architecture, art, and antiques into living spaces that are comfortable, functional, and stylish. As Ellie Cullman writes reassuringly in her introduction: "If the very thought of decorating your home sends you into a tailspin, you can relax. Creating a beautiful, comfortable environment is not a simple process, but it need not be an overwhelming experience."

In this generously illustrated handbook, Mrs. Cullman and her colleague and co-author Tracey Pruzan share the basic principles followed by Cullman & Kravis when they work with clients, whether they are renovating an existing house or building a new one. The authors clearly demonstrate that decorating a home is a rational process that can be followed by anyone willing to learn.

Step by step, they answer the questions and solve the problems associated with every type of project, illustrating the explanations with case studies of actual designs, hundreds of tips, and full-color photographs of completed rooms and details of wall surfaces, rugs, and textiles.

The Not So Big House: A Blueprint for the Way We Really Live

When describing a favorite room in the house, do you find yourself using terms such as "expansive," "formal," and "spacious"--a marble foyer or a formal dining room perhaps? Or do the words "cozy," "intimate," and "warm" come to mind--a cheery little breakfast nook or a window seat complete with plenty of pillows and a breathtaking view? More than likely, you--like thousands of other homeowners--are drawn to the more personal spaces in your home, where comfort, beauty, and efficiency meet. In The Not So Big House, respected architect Sarah Susanka and coauthor Kira Obolensky address our affinity for the "smaller, more personal spaces" and propose "clear, workable guidelines for creating homes that serve both our spiritual needs and our material requirements." The heart of the not-so-big house--which is not "just a small house ... [but] a smaller house," that uses "less space to give greater quality of life," and is designed to not only "accommodate the lifestyles of its occupants" but also to express "our values and our personalities," is discussed in chapter 1, entitled "Bigger Isn't Better." Susanka's urging for homeowners to get creative with their space as well as loads of ideas to encourage that creativity are covered in "Rethinking the House" and "Making Not So Big Work." Discussions of specific needs, such as a home for one and designing for kids, can be found in "Lifestyles of the Not So Rich and Famous," while "Dreams, Details, and Dollars" gets down to the nuts and bolts of the operation, looking at quality versus quantity, budgeting, and what "low end," "middle ground," and "high end" really mean in home design and construction. Lastly, the authors look at the home of the future, which involves simplifying, recycling, reducing waste, and using energy-efficient construction. With more than 200 color photographs, as well as floor plans and Susanka and Obolensky's intelligent and lively dialogue, The Not So Big House is perfect for homeowners ready to rethink their space. --Stefanie Hargreaves

This best-seller was met with an extraordinary response when it was published in 1998. In it, visionary architect Sarah Susanka embraced the notion of smaller, simpler shelters that better meet the needs of the way we live today. The book created a groundswell of interest among homeowners, architects, and builders. More than 200 photographs bring the spirit of the "Not So Big" house alive.

Apartment Therapy Presents: Real Homes, Real People, Hundreds of Design Solutions

From the Web site that attracts more than 3 million unique visitors a month, this groundbreaking book features 40 homes decorated by real people. Over 400 photos show details of all sorts of abodes from a tiny rental in Brooklyn to a condo in San Diego to a ranch-style in Miami. Each home profile includes floor plans, detailed resource lists, and "how I did it" explanations from the renters and owners who created fresh and entirely original interiors. Edited and written by Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan, Apartment Therapy founder and frequent makeover expert on HGTV, this bible of accessible design ideas is the ultimate home decor book for the DIY-savvy.

Colin Cowie Chic: The Guide to Life As It Should Be

A handbook for living well in the twenty-first century

From legendary lifestyle expert Colin Cowie comes the last word in living a gracious, sensuous life on any budget. Colin draws back the curtain on his own chic, passionate, 120-miles-per-hour life, revealing how to create and entertain in an inviting home, garner respect in the workplace, and travel with ease and comfort. No matter how or where you live, or whatever your personal style may be, Colin Cowie Chic will place you on the fast track to experiencing life to the fullest.

This immensely practical handbook offers step-by-step instructions on everything from workplace etiquette to the art of no-sweat, fuss-free travel. Colin also takes the guesswork out of navigating today’s social situations with the kind of charm and confidence that will get you invited back anywhere you want!

The invaluable details he shares include:

Home:
Essential comforts for every room
Kitchen decorating ideas
Storage and organization shortcuts
Know-how for being or hosting a guest

Entertaining:
A wine-and-cheese primer
Options for stunning table settings
A no-fail hangover cure

Travel:
Unbeatable jet-lag remedies
Road-trip guidelines
A must-have packing list

Work:
Tips for motivating employees and coworkers
Desk etiquette for the office

And much more!

Packed with detailed lists, gorgeous photographs, and helpful illustrations, this is the only guidebook you’ll ever need to live a beautiful, elegant life (as you should!).