Design books provide a vicarious home tour
tours and author appearances may have gotten canceled or postponed, but new titles are still being released. New architecture and design books show off the collected works of interior designers such as Kelly Wearstler, Anthony Baratta, André Fu and even the “2 Lovely Gays,” Jordan Cluroe and Russell Whitehead.
There are also books that document historic homes and studios of well-known
American artists and the craftsmanship of British furniture maker Luke Hughes. We can’t get out and look much these days, but we can linger over pages and imagine a more beautiful world. Here are six new books worth a look.
“Making Living Lovely: Free Your Home With Creative Design,” by Jordan Cluroe and Russell Whitehead
Jordan Cluroe and Russell Whitehead — who charmingly refer to themselves as 2LG, 2 Lovely Gays — are an interior design duo who live and work in South London with their mini dachshund, Buckley. The two have a background in theater and TV acting, but their book has much less drama than you might imagine. “Making Living Lovely” (Thames & Hudson; $34.95; 208 pages) includes a little personal therapy, urging readers to relax and look inward as they create homes that are both livable and, of course, lovely.
They urge you to abandon the pursuit of Instagram perfection and try to simply be you. Their how-to approach will teach you the value of a moodboard, how to get rid of visual clutter and to reduce each project to their own
“Rule of Three”: three colors, materials, functions and feelings. Think of this book as a road map for your own home design journey.
“Evocative Style,” by Kelly Wearstler
You won’t see a single white sofa or room bathed in pale neutrals in “Kelly Wearstler: Evocative Design” (Rizzoli; $55; 256 pages), the famed interior designer’s first book in a decade. This coffee-table book looks at just a handful of recent projects, perhaps the most interesting being her own Beverly Hills home, which fills more than 70 pages. You’ll see vintage furniture, an eclectic mix of art and plenty of color. Standouts include her kitchen, with stainlesssteel covered cabinets and solid brass trim and exquisite landscaping surrounding her pool house. (The home was once owned by the Broccoli family — of James Bond fame — and the pool house was a movie screening room.) You’ll get a good dose of architectural histobook
ry, since her 1926 home began its life in Spanish Colonial Revival style, then was redone in classic Georgian style, only to later get a full gut job from Wearstler.
“Decorate Happy: Bold, Colorful Interiors” by Anthony Baratta
Touted as the “king of East Coast chic,” Anthony Baratta has published his first solo monograph to showcase his happy, colorful, all-american style. In “Decorate Happy” (Rizzoli; $45; 240 pages), Baratta uses bold colors in big ways to show how color can add to your happiness at home. The author explains that he sees clients and their lives as quilts of crazy pieces that form a beautiful whole, and in a dozen recent projects, he shows how that translates into joyous, livable spaces.
A ski home in Utah’s Deer Valley greets guests with a brilliant red door boasting a bronze deer head knocker, and rustic Americana decorates everything beyond. A seaside home on Long Island Sound embraces New England design with its
shipping history and earlyamerican antiques in a way that feels fresh and new. Baratta’s strength is striking a balance between bold and simple, old and new, all in his signature preppy-chic style.
“Guide to Historic Artists’ Homes and Studios,” by Valerie A. Balint
In celebration of the 20th anniversary of its program that documents a network of historic artist museums across the United States, the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s new book (Princeton Architectural Press; $29.95; 256 pages) serves as a guide to the livework spaces of notable American artists such as Georgia O’keeffe, Jackson Pollock, Andrew Wyeth and Donald Judd. Each site functions as a house museum, so they’re all open to the public, but if your travels can’t take you to these home studios, this book will take you there visually — which is the best you’re likely going to get right now.
In the book — which goes on sale today — author and program manager Valerie A. Balint launches a conversation
on each subject and its cultural significance. The Elisabet Ney Museum in Austin and La Mansana de Chinati/judd Foundation in Marfa are both included, detailing the personal history of each artist with the inspiration of their locales.
“André Fu: Crossing Cultures With Design,” by Catherine Shaw
American consumers may not immediately recognize André Fu’s name, but he’s one of the most sought-after interior architects in Asia. Trained in architecture and based in Hong Kong, Fu bridges East and West in the projects featured in this brand-new book (Thames & Hudson; $80; 272 pages). Educated in England, Fu burst onto the scene in Hong Kong in
2009 with his groundbreaking Upper House hotel. It was full of simple, contemporary forms — a design style that followed in numerous high-profile hotel projects.
Written by design writer Catherine Shaw, the book showcases Upper House as well as the St. Regis Hong Kong, Pavilion Suites, The Berkeley in London, Waldorf Astoria in Bangkok and the Akira Back Four Seasons in Seoul. On a smaller scale, Fu designed the installation for the experimental lighting and furniture pieces in Louis Vuitton Objets Nomades collection during its Hong Kong viewing, a moody setting for modern designs by some of the world’s most innovative designers of furniture, lighting and other products. You’ll also get a look at his own Southside Hong Kong home, a study of neutrals and natural materials.
“Furniture in Architecture: The Work of Luke Hughes,” by Aidan Walker
Walker celebrates the craft of furniture-making in “Furniture in Architecture” (Thames & Hudson; $75; 256 pages). Focusing on the work of British furniture designer Luke Hughes, whose work can be found in Westminster Abbey, numerous British cathedrals, international hotels and corporate boardrooms, Walker shows how Hughes balances timehonored craftsmanship with modern technology. Individual pieces are made to fit specific functions and locales, but much of Hughes’ work is styled out of the Arts and Crafts movement. It’s hard to imagine someone looking through this book and not rushing out to buy a new desk or chair or wondering what a room might look like with a bit more paneling.