Designers’ favorite books (and mine too)

I had a meeting with Suzanne Kasler this week.  Her office is filled to the brim with beautiful design books, and she has the most amazing reference library.  Given that we are in the season of gift giving, I asked Suzanne as well as Keith Arnold, VP of Suzanne Kasler Interiors, to name their favorite design books.  These are the books that first came to mind for Suzanne and Keith.  

First Suzanne’s picks:

Style, by John Saladino.  This is one of Suzanne’s ‘go-to’ books for inspiration. Purchase on Amazon here.

Axel Vervoordt, Timeless Interiors – purchase on Amazon here.

Michael S. Smith – Elements of Style.  One of the all time great books of interior design.  Purchase on Amazon here.

Suzanne also loves this book by Jacques Grange – I have seen this out on her desk many times. Purchase on Amazon here.

Over the course of the project, Suzanne has also referenced Vogue: Houses, Gardens, People as one of her sources of inspiration – one of the best books that epitomizes the stylish life.  Purchase on Amazon here.

Keith Arnold also cited Style by John Saladino as his favorite design book, and added to the list:

Dwellings, by Stephen Sills and James Huniford.  Purchase on Amazon here.

The Private House, by Rose Tarlow.  Purchase on Amazon here.

Of course, Suzanne has written an amazing book on her approach to interior design, and it is definitely one of my all time favorite books.  Purchase on Amazon here.

Blog readers often ask me about my favorite architecture and design books.  I love books; in recent years, they have become my favorite Christmas gift to give and receive, and I enjoy spending the afternoon of Christmas day looking through and reading books.  I have gathered together all of my favorite architecture, design, and art books in one place – the Things That Inspire Amazon store.  Click here to visit it, or go to http://astore.amazon.com/thithains-20.  I have also posted about my favorite architecture books here. 

I have a few special recommendations that would be perfect gifts for the holiday season.

There are some books that I love for their decorative quality, as well as their literary quality.  I have been slowly but surely collecting the beautifully designed clothbound volumes from the Penguin Classics.  This is one of the newest books in the collection – Sonnets by Williams Shakespeare. Available from Amazon here.

Also new in the collection of Penguin Classics is Little Women.  I love the cover! Can't you just imagine Jo taking the scissors to 'her only beauty' when you see these scissors? Available from Amazon here.

This little gem would make the perfect hostess gift for a holiday party.  It’s not too late to order! Available from Amazon here.

I have gathered all of the special Penguin Classics in my Amazon bookstore.  They are little treasures!  Click here to see the whole collection: http://astore.amazon.com/thithains-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=4

New to my book list are several excellent books that came out this fall.

Peter Pennoyer Architects: Apartments, Townhouses, Country Houses. This book is full of exquisite town and country homes, with the thoughts of the architect behind the beautiful work.  I appreciate the beautifully rendered floorplans that are included with each project; it gives me a whole new level of appreciation for the work.  Also of note is that Pennoyer works with some of the best designers in the industry, resulting in spaces that are not only architecturally stunning but also decorated with great beauty. Click here to purchase on Amazon.

French Country Style at Home, by Sébastien Siraudeau.  Take a trip into the real country homes of France, and be inspired by beautiful and charming examples of true French country style.  I love the variety of homes shown in this book – from the grand to the simple.  Click here to purchase on Amazon.

The Irish Country House. A beautiful book full of homes that most of us would never see if not for the carefully collected images in this book.  The homes in this book speak to generations of families who love their homes, with interiors that have evolved over decades and even millenium. Click here to purchase on Amazon.

The Home Within Us, by Bobby McAlpine.  Although this book was published in the spring, I only recently purchased it.  I am not sure why I waited so long, because I have already referenced this book many times in the course of seeing my own home spring from the ground.  To paraphrase a concept that McAlpine mentioned in the book, he noted that some people have a home that is within them, and no pre-built home will ever fulfill them like building one from scratch.  This perfectly captures the reason why I looked for a house for over a decade and could never find one that was ‘me’ (and the home that we are building is very much a reflection of my husband and me).  I love that this book talks about the narrative of many of the houses, why they were built, what the owners and the architect were trying to achieve emotionally and physically by building the house.  Fascinating stuff. Click here to purchase on Amazon.

A few other notable books that look quite interesting, and might very well be under the tree for me:

The Architecture of Happiness, by Alain De Botton.  A friend recommended this book – she said it was perfect for me, as it is about how architecture influences our lives and reflects our dreams, hopes, and desires.  The review says this book opens up our eyes and really look at the buildings in which we live and work.  Click here to purchase on Amazon.

At Home, by Bill Bryson. This book was selected as Amazon’s best book of the month for October 2010, and it looks fascinating.  It is based on a reflection on Bryson’s own home, a Church of England rectory built in the 19th century; Bryson reconstructs a history of the home room by room, and how the home and the objects within it (which have changed greatly over the centuries) have impacted both the architecture and the inhabitants. Click here to purchase on Amazon.

2012 books on my Christmas list: 
http://www.thingsthatinspire.net/2012/11/books-for-my-christmas-list.html 
2011 books on my Christmas list: 
http://www.thingsthatinspire.net/2011/12/my-book-list-christmas-2011.html 
Small art, perfect for special, one of a kind holiday gifts or hostess gifts! 
http://quatrefoildesign.bigcartel.com/category/art

To see design, architecture, art, and decorative books that I recommend, please visit the Things That Inspire Amazon store  (newly updated!).

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