BELLAS ARTES

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.

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.

This debut volume presents several extraordinary homes, ranging from a stone-clad villa in Austin to a casual seaside retreat to an art-filled family compound, each of which gracefully balances high style with easygoing comfort. Mohon draws on the heritage of the Mediterranean world to fashion living environments that transport their occupants to an enchanted realm far removed from day-to-day concerns. Intimate foyers beckon from behind carved wooden doors, dining rooms boast dramatically embellished chandeliers suspended above sleekly simple tables, and sitting rooms entice with luxurious blends of color, texture, and furnishings both modern and antique.