Designing History the Extraordinary Art & Style of the Obama White House

Author Celerie Kemble A house by the sea should be a house of dreams. Where windows and doors are thrown open to the ocean, and gusts of cool, salty air turn us all into kids again--buoyant and joyful. Spending childhood days on the beach and in the magical, romantic chaos of her family's rambling house internationally renowned interior designer Celerie Kemble has a deep-rooted connection to the sun and surf. However, in the summer of 2004, Kemble laid eyes on a wild swath of jungle in the Dominican Republic next to minty-blue water and an endless stretch of golden sand, she fell madly in love. Over many years, she designed a home away from home there, an island retreat--a clubhouse and a grouping of family homes and guesthouses--suffused with light and air, full of indoor and outdoor rooms for relaxation. In her latest book, Island Whimsy, Kemble recounts the deeply personal and creative journey of designing Playa Grande and bringing this labor of love to life. The chapters of this book are organized around the different ways Kemble sought to braid her family's story into the larger landscape of Playa Grande and to provide inspiration, joy, and respite to all who come. "Fantasy" looks at the way she used whimsical, dreamlike elements--from the latticework cabanas by the pool to the lamb statues...

An inspirational look at the most iconic interior styles of magnificent English country houses: a thousand years of decorating as told through famous and many never-published photographs, all culled from the incomparable archive of Country Life magazine. This gorgeously illustrated tome is as indispensable as it is beautiful, a rich resource and a visual guide of quintessential British country house style for decorators, architects, designers, and the many armchair travelers who fantasize about revitalizing or re-creating their own castle on the hill. English House...

From the Third Coast comes this inspirational interiors book by award-winning interior designers Sandra Lucas and Sarah Eilers, who show us how to design inviting homes with a classical backbone that are stylish and versatile for today's living. Native Houstonians Lucas and Eilers's aesthetic marries the entrepreneurial, can-do spirit of the West with Southern grace. The distinctive influences of their hometown--from the architecture of John Staub to the textures and color palettes of the surrounding Texas ranches and expansive landscapes to the impact of futuristic NASA--infuse their design choices. Whether traditional, contemporary, or transitional in style, the rooms they create are timeless. The duo's seasoned insight into the principles and elements of interior design forms the book's heart. Touching on such topics as scale and proportion, color and light, and pattern and texture, they explore their pragmatic, imaginative approach to creating expressive living spaces in a diverse range of projects from coast to coast. They then tour us through several homes, including a comfortable family ski compound in Utah with repurposed rough-hewn wooden beams and custom forged-steel fireplace surrounds...

Making a House a Home: Designing Your Interiors from the Floor Up Author Susanna Salk Susanna Salk’s latest book is a passionate primer on how to transform an empty space, whether it’s an apartment or a house, into a home. Full of beautiful interiors and pro tips from star designers, Making a House a Home is an inspiring and practical guide to designing your space from the floor up. In her newest book, beloved Rizzoli author Susanna Salk gives you all the tools you need to design every aspect of your home. Whether you’ve recently moved into a new place or want to revamp and refresh your current home, Salk outlines how to conceive and create a cohesive design for your space. Beginning with the basic elemental aspects of any interior—such as floors, doors, walls, and windows—and proceeding to fundamental décor decisions, like setting the design tone and making sure your rooms are livable and functional, this book walks you through the process, sharing approaches and techniques for designing every interior element. With beautiful photographs from top designers—such as Miles Redd, Bunny Williams, and Madeline Stuart...

Explore 400 of the world's most innovative and influential architect-designed houses created since the early 20th century throughout history, houses have presented architects the wor...

The intimate Monk’s Garden at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston embodies the design principles that inform the work of noted lands...

Essential History of Art hardcover book with dustjacket. Published in 2002 by Parragon Publishing of Bath, England. Illustrated, 256 pages.  

A wonderful Japanese model of a traditional tea house, each room with latticework sliding doors, tatami mats and miniature decorations hanging on the walls,...