Made for Living:
by Amber Lewis
Amazon
The trendsetting designer known for her effortless style shares the secrets of the art of layering, with more than 250 gorgeous photographs of her signature interiors.
“Livability is my true north. The materials I use time and again all change with age and wear. Not only is that okay, it’s how you achieve more than a re-creation of what you’ve already seen, or what somebody else has done. You can do this, too—I promise.”—from the introduction
Designing a room with all the vibes comes down to how you layer your décor. The more you can mix the elements of your room—your pillows, objects, patterns, and lighting—the more finished it’ll feel: not too new, not too old, but just right.
Known for her eclectic approach that stems from her California cool, Amber Lewis trains your eye in Made for Living, offering friendly advice on everything from nailing that perfect shade of paint to mismatching patterns with wild abandon to choosing a stone finish for new countertops. These pages will help you design a home that's made to be lived in.
Amber Lewis will teach you how to layer the things you own for a cohesive, beautifully designed home. Delivering tips on refreshing a room with new paint (including finding the perfect white), mixing textiles and pillows, and blending neutrals, Amber's beautiful, California cool will help you transform your home into one that's elegant and timeless--a look you'll want to keep for the long run.
It's a wonderful source of inspiration for all my design dreams.
Call It Home: The Details That Matter
by Amber Lewis
Amazon
Through gorgeous photography and heartfelt essays, the interior designer and author of Made for Living reveals her detail-oriented approach to renovating, decorating, and building a beautiful home.
The details can make a room. The bullnose edge of a marble countertop. The wood grain and color of the flooring. The particular pleat of the drape. Amber Lewis, the esteemed designer known for her signature Cali-inspired style, obsesses over the tiniest of features to create her eclectic, laid-back look. In Call It Home, she shares her secrets to choosing and applying fabric, paint, finishes, tile, flooring, and more for a beautifully designed home, shortcutting the often-overwhelming decision-making process.
Amber walks you through eight new homes she designed—including her own—and the thought processes behind every major choice. Whether you're decorating one room, renovating your entire house, or planning new construction, she shares how to approach a project from start to finish, guiding you on how to find the right team so you can get the perfect results. Then she takes you through mountain retreats and surfside homes, dreamy escapes she’s created by pulling inspiration from the surrounding property for a look that’s unique to each home. Through personal essays, you’ll learn how she set about the project, what challenges her team faced, and the materials she used to achieve the finished result.
With more than 200 gorgeous images of livings rooms, kitchens, dining rooms, entryways, bedrooms, and baths, you'll have photographs of Amber's details on hand when you're ready to create your own collection of stunning spaces—and call it home.
Live Beautiful
by Athena Calderone
Amazon
Athena Calderone - New York-based interior designer, chef, entertaining expert, and founder of lifestyle brand, EyeSwoon - is a huge persona in the design world, but didn't enter my stratosphere until the launch of her collaboration with Crate and Barrell in 2022.
In this book, Athena draws on her impressive network of friends - mega-designers like Nate Berkus and Jenna Lyons - and walks through the design process for each homeowner (including two of her own residences). She then breaks down the details of the rooms - like how to layer accessories, colors, and patterns or bring cohesion with collected pieces - and offers actionable ideas that will help you design your own space.
I love this book because each incredibly gorgeous space is a reflection of the distinctive personality who lives there. There's an underlying theme of disregarding design rules and leaning into what works for you.
Cook Beautiful
by Athena Calderone
Amazon
Starting her career as an influencer, Athena Calderone took the rather unconventional path from digital to print with the publication of her first book, Cook Beautiful, in 2017. “I wanted something that had this level of permanence to it,” she says.
For those who know me, it may seem like a bit of a farce to have not one, but TWO cookbooks on this list. I might not be much of a cook, but I desperately aspire to cook and eat with the beautiful, simplistic approach of Ms. Calderone.
Don't think this is just a "pretty" cookbook for a second. This James Beard award-winning cookbook features 100 recipes with step-by-step advice on everything from preparation to presentation. Seasonality guides the book’s form and content, and Athena's charm will win you over. Check out the Fish Tacos, Grilled Rib-Eye with Chimichurri sauce, and Tuscan Kale Salad...I promise they won't disappoint!
Accidentally Wes Anderson
by
Amazon
As a huge fan of everything Wes Anderson, this book was one of my favorite finds a few years back. The global community of nearly 2 million members behind @acciendallywesanderson has found over 200 fascinating places on earth that share the immediately identifiable style of a Wes Anderson film. As the author, Wally Koval, wrote in the introduction, these are "real places from around the world that look like accidental captures from one of his films."
My Tiny Atlas: Our World Through Your Eyes
by
Amazon
A photography phenom, Emily Nathan created her travel brand Tiny Atlas Quarterly in 2012 to document the people and places so often underrepresented in the lifestyle advertising photo shoots that consumed her early career. Since then, Tiny Atlas Quarterly (aka My Tiny Atlas) has risen to become one of the most trusted sources for authentic and inspiring travel photography.
Determined to capture the soul of a destination, this is a very different type of travel book. It provides an insiders view - intimate photos and stories of the real people, local food, wild animals of places from Buenos Aires to the Arctic Circle, Tanzania, Tahiti, and Mongolia.
Just consider yourself warned - you may soon find yourself obsessed with obscure things like surfing the Skeleton Coast in Namibia.
Coastlines: At The Water's Edge
by
Emily Nathan's second book, published in 2022, spoke to my soul. Living in Colorado after spending the first 18 years of my life on Maui, I crave sound of crashing waves and the sight of vast waterways that remind me of o
Half Baked Harvest: Recipes for Balanced, Flexible, Feel-Good Meals
by Tieghan Gerard
Wine Simple: A Totally Approachable Guide from a World-Class Sommelier
by Aldo Sohm and Christine Muhlke
Aldo Sohm is one of the most celebrated sommeliers in the world and has worked as wine director of three-Michelin-starred Le Bernardin for over a decade. In his debut book, Sohm uses illustrations and infographics to make learning about wine fun and digestible. You’ll learn about the fundamentals of wine, how to taste wine, how to evolve your palate, and even how to saber a bottle of Champagne. After reading this book, you’ll certainly feel more confident when ordering a glass of wine or picking out a bottle for your next dinner party.