The celebrated design expert and creator of EyeSwoon shares an inspiring look at how creatives arrange and decorate their homes. Beautiful design isn’t just pleasant to look at; it improves the quality of our lives. In Live Beautiful, EyeSwoon creator Athena Calderone taps into her international network of interior decorators, fashion designers, and tastemakers to reveal how carefully crafted interiors come together. She also opens the doors to two of her own residences. With each homeowner, Athena explores the spark of inspiration that started their design journey. She then breaks down the details of the rooms—like layered textures and patterns, collected pieces, and customized vignettes—and offers helpful tips on how to bring these elevated elements into your own space. Filled with gorgeous photography by Nicole Franzen, Live Beautiful is both a showpiece of exquisite design and a guide to creating a home that’s thoughtfully put together. Read more

A “super useful” guide to making your home feel more spacious—and your life feel more manageable (Westchester Magazine).   Have you ever wished you had the time and tools to organize your house in a clutter-free, design-conscious, Pinterest-worthy way? From storage solutions and cleaning tips to secret space-saving methods and expert strategies, The Complete Book of Home Organization is packed with the tips and shortcuts you need to effectively organize your home.   From small spaces and apartment solutions to how to tackle a big, messy home with a 15-week total home organization challenge, this book covers it all. It spells out everything you need to de-clutter your house, store your belongings, and keep your home—and life—in tip-top shape.   Organize the 30 main spaces of your home, including the living and dining spaces, bedrooms and bathrooms, guest areas, baby and kids’ rooms, utility spaces and garages, entryways and offices, patios and decks, closets and pet areas. Keep track of your pantry, holiday and craft supplies, weekly menu planning, keepsakes, and schedules. From the basement to the attic, this book covers every nook and cranny.   With step-by-step instructions, detailed illustrations, and handy checklists, it’s time to say goodbye to a messy home and wasted storage space! Read more

In a book that Business Insider noted as one of the "14 Books that inspired Elon Musk," J.E. Gordon strips engineering of its confusing technical terms, communicating its founding principles in accessible, witty prose.For anyone who has ever wondered why suspension bridges don't collapse under eight lanes of traffic, how dams hold back-or give way under-thousands of gallons of water, or what principles guide the design of a skyscraper or a kangaroo, this book will ease your anxiety and answer your questions. J. E. Gordon strips engineering of its confusing technical terms, communicating its founding principles in accessible, witty prose. Read more

A beloved multidisciplinary treatise comes to Penguin ClassicsSince its initial publication in 1958, The Poetics of Space has been a muse to philosophers, architects, writers, psychologists, critics, and readers alike. The rare work of irresistibly inviting philosophy, Bachelard’s seminal work brims with quiet revelations and stirring, mysterious imagery. This lyrical journey takes as its premise the emergence of the poetic image and finds an ideal metaphor in the intimate spaces of our homes. Guiding us through a stream of meditations on poetry, art, and the blooming of consciousness itself, Bachelard examines the domestic places that shape and hold our dreams and memories. Houses and rooms; cellars and attics; drawers, chests, and wardrobes; nests and shells; nooks and corners: No space is too vast or too small to be filled by our thoughts and our reveries. In Bachelard’s enchanting spaces, “We are never real historians, but always near poets, and our emotion is perhaps nothing but an expression of a poetry that was lost.”This new edition features a foreword by Mark Z. Danielewski, whose bestselling novel House of Leaves drew inspiration from Bachelard’s writings, and an introduction by internationally renowned philosopher Richard Kearney who explains the book’s enduring importance and its role within Bachelard’s remarkable career.For more than sixty-five years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,500 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators. Read more

For nearly forty years and in numerous books, Alexandra Stoddard has shared her keen eye for design and sure sense of style. Now this renowned decorator and lifestyle philosopher teaches you hoe to see with the expertise and clarity of professional designers.First, Alexandra helps you become more attuned to your surroundings-as you set a table, straighten out a linen closet, stroll through a garden, or browse in a thrift shop.  Then, through personal anecdotes; examples from masters; a rich array of ideas, tips, and techniques, she reveals hundreds of ways to see and solve problems or proportion, pattern, color, and composition.  Her simple suggestions-whether it's changing a lampshade, rearranging treasured objects on a table, or moving a chair-will yield dramatic results.  Filled with practical solutions offered with warmth and encouragement , Open Your Eyes helps make each day a visual feats as it deepens your understanding not only of what makes something beautiful but what makes something beautiful to you. Read more

The beloved design maven peppers her first book “with tips for achieving a romantic, delicate look without being twee or overly saccharine” (Veranda).Phoebe Howard, known affectionately as Mrs. Howard to her clients, has a penchant for creating stylish spaces, which has evolved into her own critically acclaimed brand of interior design. Mrs. Howard’s first book features several of her largest design projects and addresses the most common decorating issues and questions her clients and customers ask. The book’s design projects are organized by theme: Inviting, Inspiring, Timeless, Graceful, Tranquil, Casual, and Comfortable—all words that have been used to describe Mrs. Howard’s work and ones that illustrate the many different ways she strives to make her houses look and feel.Cowritten with well-known Southern writer Susan Sully, this gorgeous book epitomizes the grace and elegance of Southern interior design.“A handsome new book . . . Howard, FYI, is one Phoebe Howard in real life, a self-made decorator known for elegantly traditional, genteel Southern rooms.” —The Dallas Morning News“Guaranteed to inspire your own imagination.” —Atlanta“It never disappoints! Every room, project and vignette featured are beautiful but there are a few images that are simply perfect in my book—timeless and cozy, layered, inviting and lived-in.” —Café Design“Known for her fresh take on traditional style, Phoebe’s work can only be characterized by its timelessness and her mantra to ‘keep it pretty.’ Her work is encapsulated in her first book.” —Women’s Business Daily Read more

“[An] amazing interior design bible . . . It’s full of inspirational creative advice and really is a feast for the eyes!” —FloweronaIn Decorate, the world’s top designers and leading decor experts including Kelly Wearstler, Amy Butler, Jonathan Adler, and many others come together to share over 1,000 professional tips, ideas, and solutions for every room and every budget. Written and compiled by Holly Becker, founder of the hugely popular design blog Decor8, and Joanna Copestick, acclaimed lifestyle writer, this intensive home décor program combines beautiful inspiration with nuts-and-bolts how-to for stunning results. More than five hundred gorgeous color photographs provide motivation while line illustrations, checklists, shortcuts, and floor plans make it easy to get started. For those looking to make the most of their home and create stylish interiors, Decorate is the start-to-finish resource to keep on the bookshelf for years to come.“It’s like your first pack of Starbursts—exploding with color, homes and sunshine in equal measure.” —Apartment Therapy“If you are a serial decorator like me you’re always looking for the next big idea and it’s lovely to have a compendium at your fingertips to use as a guide as well as inspiration . . . full of decorating ideas from some of today’s most interesting and creative minds. Add to that the stunning photography by Debi Treloar and you have all you need to make informed decisions and choose the look that suits your lifestyle and situation the best.” —Dear Designer’s Blog“Holly’s eye for amazing design, drool-worthy decor and everything in-between has captured the blog world’s attention.” —Bucks County Courier Times Read more

The acclaimed interior designer combines rich tradition with modern sensibilities in this beautifully photographed book of homes across the deep South. James Farmer’s design firm works with clients across the South who want to turn their houses into homes. Now Farmer takes readers on a guided tour of eleven home projects—from makeovers to remodels and new construction—as he brings together a cultivated mix of high and low, storied and new, collected and found; presenting them all as a thoughtfully exhibited array of taste, style, good architecture, and interior comfort. Woven alongside beautiful photography of interiors and exteriors are personal stories James shares about living in the South, the people in his life, and how he fell in love with home design. A Place to Call Home is a beautiful book to inspire Southern style at home―infusing the new with antique, vintage, and heirloom pieces. Read more

Thirty years after its publication, The Death and Life of Great American Cities was described by The New York Times as "perhaps the most influential single work in the history of town planning....[It] can also be seen in a much larger context.  It is first of all a work of literature; the descriptions of street life as a kind of ballet and the bitingly satiric account of traditional planning theory can still be read for pleasure even by those who long ago absorbed and appropriated the book's arguments."  Jane Jacobs, an editor and writer on architecture in New York City in the early sixties, argued that urban diversity and vitality were being destroyed by powerful architects and city planners.  Rigorous, sane, and delightfully epigrammatic, Jacobs's small masterpiece is a blueprint for the humanistic management of cities.  It is sensible, knowledgeable, readable, indispensable.  The author has written a new foreword for this Modern Library edition. Read more

In Homebody: A Guide to Creating Spaces You Never Want to Leave, Joanna Gaines walks you through how to create a home that reflects the personalities and stories of the people who live there. Using examples from her own farmhouse as well as a range of other homes, this comprehensive guide will help you assess your priorities and instincts, as well as your likes and dislikes, with practical steps for navigating and embracing your authentic design style. Room by room, Homebody gives you an in-depth look at how these styles are implemented as well as how to blend the looks you're drawn to in order to create spaces that feel distinctly yours. A design template at the end of the book offers a step-by-step guide to planning and sketching out your own design plans. The insight shared in Homebody will instill in you the confidence to thoughtfully create spaces you never want to leave. Read more

Blue knows no bounds. “Through Howard’s eye, casual elegance meets sophisticated ease, which is revealed through several sea-inspired residences.” —Atlanta Homes & LifestylesFrom design expert (and interior design readers’ favorite) Phoebe Howard comes a new book focused on decorating with beautiful blue color schemes. Coastal Blues is a glorious decor book filled with inspiring images of beach houses, seacoast getaways, vacation cottages, and luxurious seaside manors. It is also a hardworking how-to-get-the-look book that offers solid interior design and styling advice. Featuring brand-new, never-before-published projects, every page reflects the ease and casual elegance of shoreline living. With chapters such as Sea Glass (brilliant blue color schemes), Indigo Bay (true blue schemes), and Ocean Mist (pale blue schemes), Phoebe Howard shows design lovers how to make the coastal style modern, fresh, and very much their own.“Incorporate blue and white into your kitchen and dining area by sticking with white cabinetry but adding splashes of cerulean, azure, and aquamarine on everything from curtains to counter stools, backsplash tiles to bowls. When designing with this classic color combo, you can’t have too much of a good thing.” —Maine Home + Design Read more

Go beyond décor trends to make your home beautiful, stylish, and comfortable. . .on any budget.Writing for the hands-on woman who'd rather move her own furniture than hire a designer, Myquillyn Smith--author of the The Nesting Place--helps you think through every room in your house, one purposeful design decision at a time. With people, priorities, and purpose in mind, you can create a warm, inviting, and timeless home that transcends the latest trends and centers around your personal style.You'll have the tools to create a home you're proud of in a way that honors your unique priorities, budget, and taste. And best of all, you can completely transform your home starting with furniture and décor that you already have!In Cozy Minimalist Home, Smith helps you:Recognize your role as the curator of your home who makes smart, style-impacting design choicesKnow what to focus on and what not to worry aboutDiscover the real secret to finding your unique styleFind a sofa you won't hate tomorrowDeconstruct each room and re-create it step by stepCreate a pretty home with more style and less stuffMake your home look the way you've always hoped so you can use it the way you've always dreamed Fall in love with the space you've createdDiscover how creating a cozy minimalist home goes beyond pretty and sets the stage for the true connection, relationship, and rest that you deserve. Read more

From the rising-star designer and author of the hit blog, Elements of Style, a full-color, fully illustrated book packed with honest advice, inspiration, ideas, and lessons learned about designing a home that reflects your personality and style.Elements of Style is a uniquely personal and practical decorating guide that shows how designing a home can be an outlet of personal expression and an exercise in self-discovery. Drawing on her ten years of experience in the interior design industry, Erin combines honest design advice and gorgeous professional photographs and illustrations with personal essays about the lessons she has learned while designing her own home and her own life—the first being: none of our homes or lives is perfect. Like a funny best friend, she reveals the disasters she confronted in her own kitchen renovation, her struggles with anorexia, her epic fight with her husband over a Lucite table, and her secrets for starting a successful blog. Organized by rooms in the house, Elements of Style invites readers into Erin’s own home as well as homes she has designed for clients. Fresh, modern, and colorful, it is brimming glamour and style as well as advice on practical matters from choosing kitchen counter materials to dressing a bed with pillows, picking a sofa, and decorating a nursery without cartoon characters. You’ll also find a charming foreword by Erin’s husband, Andrew, and an extensive Resource and Shopping Guide that provides an indispensable a roadmap for anyone embarking on their first serious home decorating adventure. With Erin’s help, you can finally make your house your home. Read more

The daily lives of ordinary people are replete with objects, common things used in commonplace settings. These objects are our constant companions in life. As such, writes Soetsu Yanagi, they should be made with care and built to last, treated with respect and even affection. They should be natural and simple, sturdy and safe - the aesthetic result of wholeheartedly fulfilling utilitarian needs. They should, in short, be things of beauty.In an age of feeble and ugly machine-made things, these essays call for us to deepen and transform our relationship with the objects that surround us. Inspired by the work of the simple, humble craftsmen Yanagi encountered during his lifelong travels through Japan and Korea, they are an earnest defence of modest, honest, handcrafted things - from traditional teacups to jars to cloth and paper. Objects like these exemplify the enduring appeal of simplicity and function: the beauty of everyday things. Read more

A good sketch starts with good bones—this guide from an architectural illustrator shows how to think like an architect and master accurate perspective.This book in the Urban Sketching Handbook series uses drawings and simple steps to explain the often challenging and overwhelming concepts of perspective in practical and useful ways for on-site sketching. Most books are either too abstract or don’t provide enough information that relates to what you actually do when you’re out in the busy, wide world about to start a drawing. Where do you start? How do you edit what you see to flatten and shrink it onto your paper? How does perspective work?The Urban Sketching Handbook: Understanding Perspective helps you learn to think like an architect, to draw buildings and spaces by reducing what you see to simple, basic shapes, then adding layers in simple steps, and finally finishing your sketch with detail, tone, and color—in accurate perspective. Full of helpful tips, it even deconstructs sketches to show you how to create them! Once you understand perspective, it will change the way you see the world—you’ll see perspective everywhere. Key concepts explored in this volume include:Basic Terms * Basic Spatial Principles * Types of Perspective * Building a Sketch in Layers * Special Conditions Read more

House Beautiful Magazine, Modern Living, Affordable Style, Bring In The Spring, Brighten Every Room With The Latest Paints, Patterns & Prints Read more

A captivating exploration of the ever-evolving world of architecture and the untold stories buildings tell. When a building is finished being built, that isn’t the end of its story. More than any other human artifacts, buildings improve with time—if they’re allowed to. Buildings adapt by being constantly refined and reshaped by their occupants, and in that way, architects can become artists of time rather than simply artists of space. From the connected farmhouses of New England to I.M. Pei’s Media Lab, from the evolution of bungalows to the invention of Santa Fe Style, from Low Road military surplus buildings to a High Road English classic like Chatsworth—this is a far-ranging survey of unexplored essential territory.Discover how structures become living organisms, shaped by the people who inhabit them, and learn how architects can harness the power of time to create enduring works of art through the interconnected worlds of design, function, and human ingenuity. Read more

The husband and wife team behind Giannetti Home welcome readers into their gorgeous farm residence blending modern style with French antiques. When Brooke and Steve Giannetti decided to leave their suburban Santa Monica home to build a new life on a farm, they traveled to Belgium and France for design inspiration. In Patina Farm they share their collaborative process, as well as the enviable result of their team effort and creativity: an idyllic farm in California’s Ojai Valley. With two hundred gorgeous photographs and Steve’s architectural drawings, Brooke takes readers through their inspirations, thought process, and materials selections. Readers are given a full tour of the family home, guesthouse, lush gardens, and delightful animal quarters. Read more

You can use this book to design a house for yourself with your family; you can use it to work with your neighbors to improve your town and neighborhood; you can use it to design an office, or a workshop, or a public building. And you can use it to guide you in the actual process of construction. After a ten-year silence, Christopher Alexander and his colleagues at the Center for Environmental Structure are now publishing a major statement in the form of three books which will, in their words, "lay the basis for an entirely new approach to architecture, building and planning, which will we hope replace existing ideas and practices entirely." The three books are The Timeless Way of Building, The Oregon Experiment, and this book, A Pattern Language. At the core of these books is the idea that people should design for themselves their own houses, streets, and communities. This idea may be radical (it implies a radical transformation of the architectural profession) but it comes simply from the observation that most of the wonderful places of the world were not made by architects but by the people. At the core of the books, too, is the point that in designing their environments people always rely on certain "languages," which, like the languages we speak, allow them to articulate and communicate an infinite variety of designs within a forma system which gives them coherence. This book provides a language of this kind. It will enable a person to make a design for almost any kind of building, or any part of the built environment. "Patterns," the units of this language, are answers to design problems (How high should a window sill be? How many stories should a building have? How much space in a neighborhood should be devoted to grass and trees?). More than 250 of the patterns in this pattern language are given: each consists of a problem statement, a discussion of the problem with an illustration, and a solution. As the authors say in their introduction, many of the patterns are archetypal, so deeply rooted in the nature of things that it seemly likely that they will be a part of human nature, and human action, as much in five hundred years as they are today. Read more

A fireplace on wheels? A chandelier lit by Xerox? A shrink-wrapped designer closet? These are just a few of the more than 100 stylish and innovative projects in Janet Lee’s Living in a Nutshell: a one-of-a-kind DIY decorating guide with fresh ideas to fool the eye into seeing—and believing—that even the most cramped little lair can hold more space and glamor than just the sum its of four walls.The design maven behind livinginanutshell.com and Oprah Winfrey’s interior style producer for a decade, Janet Lee has personally handpicked a battery of clever projects for enhancing every area of a tiny living space—all are simple to do, require no craft skills, are emphatically affordable, readily portable, and big on style, so you can make these design dreams become your reality. Read more