Elizabeth Harper Elizabeth Harper | July 29, 2020 | National,
These new books deliver a wealth of home design and entertaining inspiration.
In her second book, A Home for All Seasons ($50, Rizzoli), decorator, designer and hostess extraordinaire Danielle Rollins throws open the door to her fabulous world, inviting readers to delight in her singular style. Beautiful photography provides ample inspiration for entertaining at home, including cocktail hours, dinner parties and holiday feasts, as well as expert tips from Rollins.
“Honestly,” she says, “happy entertaining is also a habit, like making the bed. Have candles stocked, music at the ready and cocktail napkins starched. ... If you keep your house relatively pulled together, then someone stopping by for an impromptu drink or dinner doesn’t seem like such a big deal.”
She’s invited us inside her island escape in Harbour Island, Bahamas and her estate in England. Now interior designer India Hicks reveals her secrets to entertaining in style in her new book, An Entertaining Story ($50, Rizzoli).
Organized by meal—starting with her favorite, cocktail hour—the tome showcases Hicks’ unique take on formal dinners, birthday parties, teatimes, leisurely lunches and more. Look for inspiring tablescapes, advice for homemade flower arrangements and guidance on place settings, as well as recipes from her cook, Claire Williams, and family members.
Liaigre: Creation ($75, Rizzoli) takes readers through the inimitable design house’s recent work. Rife with understated elegance and infused with a new energy, the book highlights five Studio Liaigre projects, including a Japanese home overlooking hot thermal springs, a modern palace in New Delhi, the renovation of a traditional St. Moritz villa, a 20th century Parisian abode and a Bavarian-style mansion in Munich.
The images within highlight the studio’s unique aesthetic and offer a behind-the-scenes look at its design process.
World-renowned textile house Schumacher releases S Is for Style ($65, Rizzoli), filled with musings on interior design and home decor and tips on how to identify your personal style. As with its offerings, the book has a range of aesthetics, from wild animal prints and madcap florals to traditional toiles and serene neutrals.
Each of the chapters— with names like “Sensual & Spare,” “Preppy,” “Exuberant” and “Opulent”—has questionnaires meant to not only assist readers in narrowing their design preferences, but also give advice on how to achieve the look, with images from rooms designed by the likes of Amanda Lindroth, Celerie Kemble and Miles Redd, among others.
Summer to Summer ($75, Vendome) is a sea of summer home inspiration. Spotlighting impeccable homes from warm weather hot spots like the Hamptons, Nantucket, Newport and Martha’s Vineyard, the tome showcases the majesty second homes offer, each with its own design DNA.
Draw inspiration from projects like a minimalist Isamu Noguchi-designed home in Northeast Harbor, Maine; a shingle-style cottage decorated by artist Apple Bartlett in Dark Harbor, Maine; a Nantucket estate from interior designer Tom Scheerer; and a Martha’s Vineyard pool house from architect Norman Foster.
Photography by: From top: Courtesy of Rizzoli New York; Lesley Unruh/One Kings Lane; Brittan Goetz/ Courtesy of Rizzoli New York; Brittan Goetz; Courtesy of Liaigre; Eric Morin; Courtesy of Rizzoli New York; Courtesy of Schumacher; Tria Giovan/ Courtesy of Publisher; Tria Giovan