Learn how to maximise light and welcome colour into your home with this list of six books about design
H&IS editor Catherine Coyle shares her top picks for books about design. Each is bursting with colour and style to get you in the mood for a bright new season.
1. A New English Style
A few names come up repeatedly when interior experts are asked who their own personal favourite designers are. Nicole Salvesen and Mary Graham are among those who are always mentioned, and a look through their debut book, A New English Style, is proof that the accolades are wholly justified. They set up their studio in London in 2013, winning a host of admirers who relish their contemporary take on a trad English country-house aesthetic. Their formative years were shaped by the likes of Nina Campbell and Cindy Leveson, and this volume epitomises just how far they’ve come, presenting an array of projects in this book about design (some never seen before) that perfectly encapsulates the Salvesen Graham style.
2. American Icons Vol 2
There’s a lot to love about the best American architecture. Think sleek lines, glass walls, 1950s curves inspired by aviation engineering, and classy midcentury decor that hits all the right notes to let the exteriors sing. So much to love, in fact, that Gestalten has just published a follow-up volume to its American Icons, celebrating 80 outstanding projects that harness the evolution of modern design in the USA. There are four thoughtful essays in this book about design too, giving the reader a deeper insight into the key factors influencing American architecture during the 20th century and into the 21st. But what’s most pleasing about this book is the sumptuous colour photography; Eames House in Los Angeles (pictured) is my personal favourite.
3. New York Interiors
Carrie Bradshaw’s Greenwich Village brownstone was recently cordoned off in an attempt to stop Sex and the City fans gathering on the steps for selfies. It’s a real New York landmark, instantly recognisable thanks to its characteristic stoop and tree-lined boulevard. In fact, it could have been lifted straight from the pages of Corynne W Pless’s latest book (the fifth in this series) bringing together the finest architecture in the city. Each chapter in this book about design looks at a different area – Upper East Side, Queens, Brooklyn, etc – to discover the ways owners and architects, artists and designers have made the most of the spaces they call home, whether that’s in a skyscraper or a reconfigured industrial loft.
4. Colourful Homes for the Soul
There’s no denying the transformative power of colour. Just think how simply changing the colour of your T-shirt can alter the tone of your skin and hair. In the same way, introducing a new hue to your home can provide an easy uplift, with minimal effort required. For this bright and inspiring volume, Sara Bird and Dan Duchars have brought together 12 homes that use colour in impressive fashion. They expertly discuss colour theory, explore contrasting and complementary combinations, and advise on how to choose the right finish for paintwork. They also look into the psychology of colour, acknowledging the impact our surroundings can have on our wellbeing.
5. Wild Sauna
Dryrobes at the ready: this is one book about design likely to fly off the shelves, as wild swimming and outdoor saunas continue to flourish in Scotland and beyond. Cold-water therapy, ice-bathing and plunge pools have become popular ways to decompress, and wild saunas have continued to pop up on coastlines and in forests near watery locations, ready to heat you up after a bracing dip. This handy guidebook will take you to more than 100 locations around the UK; it provides maps, gives pointers on sauna etiquette and even delves into the history of sweatbathing and its Nordic roots. Scotland’s landscapes and waterways are ideal for cold-water plunging – and now you can warm up properly afterwards, too.
6. Screenprints
Screenprints: A History is the first title in the V&A’s new series on the history and practice of printmaking. This books about design is Gill Saunders’ engaging roundup, which takes us on an illuminating journey from the medium’s roots in 1920s France, through to the Pop Art movement in the 1960s, and into the 1990s’ YBA boom that catapulted contemporary art into the UK mainstream. It’s easy to lose an afternoon flicking through the vibrant pages that display works by Roy Lichtenstein, Bridget Riley, Eduardo Paolozzi and Damien Hirst. Lesser-known pioneers of the technique, both in Europe and the US are given attention too, and there’s a guide to the process, should you wish to give it a go yourself.
