BELLAS ARTES

The treasures of mid-century American architecture have long been celebrated. Less appreciated has been the landscape design that provides the framing for these masterworks. But more than frame, landscape architecture is an art worthy of the spotlight, particularly at mid-century, when the notion that “gardens are outdoor spaces for people to live in” was championed and brought to the fore; now gardens and landscapes are not just external attributes to the house but a continuation of it and its living spaces in a relationship of symbiosis, with its pools and terraces, its winding lawns, and its partly enclosed room-like spaces flanked by brick or stone or plantings in a range of colors and forms.

In The New Classic Home, beloved designer Paloma Contreras focuses her sought-after expertise on one of the most desired yet difficult tasks in decorating: how to design a space that successfully mixes traditional and modern elements. How does one bridge the gap between such different concepts? By walking readers through her four main techniques—color, texture & pattern, scale & proportion, and tension—Contreras demonstrates how to successfully pair seemingly disparate pieces from different eras and styles to create harmonious, timeless, and balanced interiors. With spectacular color photography and personalized design tips, The New Classic Home divulges how to blend vintage pieces into even the most contemporary settings, highlight favorite elements of any architectural style, freshen classic silhouettes, and create layered, interesting spaces that always include an element of modern surprise with a touch of elegant antiquity.

Recent generations of farmers have reinvented the family farm and its traditions, embracing organic practices and sustainability and, along with them, a bold new use of modern architecture. The New Farm profiles sixteen contemporary farms around the globe, accompanied by plans and colorful images that highlight the connections among family, food, design, terrain, and heritage.

Over her thirty-year career, celebrated designer Jo Thompson has become recognised for her timeless planting, well-proportioned, English-style gardens rendered modern by a staunch commitment to biodiversity to the eye this translates as a looser formality than English gardens of the past, though every bit as romantic.

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.