BELLAS ARTES

Much more than a resort destination, Palm Springs has served as a laboratory of the Modern; here so much architectural innovation and design took form. From the steel-and-glass boxes of Richard Neutra to the earthy organic homes of John Lautner, and everything in between, the solutions of architects and designers—including notably William F. Cody, E. Stewart Williams, and Albert Frey were diverse and are ever more relevant in the face of contemporary challenges. Their answers addressed questions that still hold urgency: How to design sustainably in harsh climates? How to use technology efficiently and creatively to meet those challenges? How to build affordable and high-quality mass-produced housing? How to reflect a region’s culture, economy, and distinctive atmosphere?

Flanigan looks at the home on a room-by-room basis, identifying common design challenges, offering solutions on how to create rooms that are aesthetically pleasing and efficient. With examples chosen from her work, she shares seasoned wisdom and creative approaches to every decision ranging from building materials and architectural details to furnishings, color, textiles, accessories, and organization.

Leanne Ford’s imperfectly perfect designs inspire more than half a million social media fans daily. In this very personal design book, she shares her decorating philosophy, wry humor, and advice to live by. The Slow Down offers readers an inside look at how Leanne found her “wow does this need work” dream house and then moved (with her family in tow) across the country to turn it into a welcoming home. Her story has a rebellious soul that is refreshingly different from other interior design books: She encourages readers to slow down in their personal environments and celebrate the beauty of everyday moments. The Slow Down’s photos and narrative present a home tour like no other, stopping to recount crazy ideas (not always crazy!) and to offer thoughts on what makes a design really good and why Elsie De Wolfe is still right (about most things). You will come away with a new perspective and new ideas on how to make your home more joyful, elevated, and funky, fun, and just right.

A mix of high plant/horticultural knowledge and a love of artistically repurposed everyday materials creating unique features will strike a chord with all those who dream of perking up their own gardens. Doreen sought out the most original gardens to feature those that use cleverly repurposed industrial and found materials: handmade archways of gnarled branches or hand-welded fences, mixed with unique sculptures and structures. Text and deep captions full of plant IDs highlight unusual or remarkable collections of flora and foliage that will inspire readers to re-create or come up with their own planting designs and combinations.

Elegant. Restrained. Unpretentious. Sophisticated. Informal. These seemingly contradictory adjectives all characterize the inimitable interior design of Tom Scheerer, who has himself dubbed his style “Relaxed Modernism.” For more than three decades, he has brought his singular touch to city apartments, country houses, and tropical getaways. Each of the dozens of projects compiled in this two-volume set reveals the fierce intelligence, impeccable sense of proportion, and encyclopedic knowledge of design history that inform his deceptively effortless work.

The Wrigley represents the high-water mark of Beaux Arts Classicism in the city, a gleaming white palazzo at the head of Chicago’s grandest boulevard, Michigan Avenue. With lavish terra-cotta ornamentation, it was Chicago’s tallest building when it opened in 1921. The book focuses on the intertwined stories of William Wrigley Jr., the larger-than-life founder of the chewing gum empire, and Charles Gerhard Beersman, the relatively unknown architect who, mentored by architect Julia Morgan, brought the building to life.