Coffee Table Books for Design Lovers

Christmas Craft Countdown Day 13: Not a Craft, Just Gift Ideas

Interior Designer Jonathan Adler was on The Today Show this morning giving his recommendations for coffee table books to gift the design-lover in your life. I had an immediate lust for every one of these books, so I just had to share his suggestions (see the video here).


Of course, they mentioned his two new books, Happy Chic Accessorizing

and Happy Chic Colors. I heart Jonathan Adler because of those two words alone: accessorizing and colors. He does both very interestingly.

I've thumbed through The Selby is in Your Place at several book store visits and was just plain puzzled. Click on the link for a description that explains the weird-awesomeness.

American Fashion Designers at Home shows you just that.

The Apartment Therapy blog has been influential in changing the way I think about what I always assume to be our "temporary living standards." I'm beginning to think that our family may reside in small-ish spaces forever, so their Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces should become part of my collection.

*Martha

Design Books

I just bought a couple design books I've been drooling over for awhile. Since Domino magazine is gone in body (though still with us in spirit/online at Brides.com), I wanted to have their design advice immortalized and on hand in giant book form. Every page is beautiful and full of rule-breaking advice about decorating your home. Got a big, chunky wooden table? Add clear, acrylic chairs. Want floral and striped patterns together? Do it! Emancipate your weird decorating fantasies and pull them together tastefully with the help of this book.

Speaking of rule breakers, Robert and Cortney Novogratz do this for a living. They take your right brain and give it a good shake. They make the outlandish stylish and the impossible possible. The best message they get across in Downtown Chic is don't be afraid to make your house totally unique. You can be safe and boring in your design and decor and be ... safe and bored. Or you can add color, pattern and that funky thing you found at the flea market and wake up everyday to awesome.  Please bless their Bravo show 9 by Design gets renewed for another season.

Love and Lollapalooza,

Martha