Are you an maximalist interior design lover, a design enthusiast or a color addict, who constantly looks for a pattern, color inspiration in books about interior design but stumbling upon colorless white interiors without any good vibe? This article is for you – I’ve gathered interior design books that are not only full of color, they will also look amazingly on your coffee table. Be careful, if you love neutrals only, this article may not be for you!
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1. Cabana Anthology
Cabana is a biannual magazine, founded by Martina Mondadori Sartogo in 2014. This book features the best of photography, interviews, profiles, as well as offers “an extraordinary mix of topics, interiors, objects, and visual essays from contributors ranging from Justine Picardie, Patrick Kinmonth, and Christian Louboutin to Lauren Santo Domingo and Gianluca Longo, photographed by the likes of Miguel Flores-Vianna and Tim Beddow.” The book cover, pages and images are like piece of art. Cabana Anthology is a great choice for the maximalist interior design books lovers.
2. Vogue Living: Country, City, Coast
Generously illustrated, the book features some of the most spectacular houses and gardens whose owners come from the worlds of fashion, design, art and society to be published as a book for the first time. This interior design book for color lovers – an unlimited source of inspiration (more than 400 photographs!) not only for the readers, but for architects, designers and other design specialists.
“Here is Tory Burch’s stylish and informal Southampton estate, Lauren and Andres Santo Domingo’s glamorous duplex in Paris, Dries Van Noten’s romantic house and garden in Belgium, Alexa and Trevor Traina’s dramatic and colorful San Francisco house, Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber’s lakeside Canadian cabin and much much more.”
3. Farrow & Ball Living with Colour
Farrow&Ball is an iconic British firm, specialising in paints made in the traditional way with traditional ingredients. Love their way of rediscovering traditional colours through history and adding to modern interiors.
4. Architectural Digest at 100: A Century of Style
Architectural Digest at 100 features “dozens of private celebrities like Barack and Michelle Obama, David Bowie, Truman Capote, David Hockney, Michael Kors, and Diana Vreeland, and includes the work of top designers and architects like Frank Gehry, David Hicks, India Mahdavi, Peter Marino, John Fowler, Renzo Mongiardino, Oscar Niemeyer.”
It has a beautiful textile cover and is an amazing addition to neutral interiors.
5. Farrow & Ball How to Decorate
Another practical book by Farrow&Ball. “The book brings together the expertise of Joa Studholme and Farrow & Ball’s creative team […] – from deciding which colors work best in a north-facing room to creating accents with paint and making the most of a feature wall.”
6. Pantone: The Twentieth Century in Color: (Coffee Table Books, Design Books, Best Books About Color)
For everyone who is passionate about colours and colour history, this Pantone book might be the right one for an ultimate source of inspiration. As Pantone states, “From the Pale Gold (15-0927 TPX) and Almost Mauve (12-2103 TPX) of the 1900 Universal Exposition in Paris to the Rust (18-1248 TPX) and Midnight Navy (19-4110 TPX) of the countdown to the Millennium, the 20th century brimmed with color.”
7. de Gournay: Hand-Painted Interiors
De Gournay is a famous wall covering brand which specialises in hand painted chinoiserie patterns. This maximalism and colour inspired book contains lots of beautiful imagery and will leave you speachless! “This volume showcases de Gournay designs in situ, in beautiful interiors created by top designers in homes from San Francisco and New York to London, Paris, and beyond.” One of the maximalist interior design coffee table books to offer to yourself or your friend design enthusiast!
8. Living with Color: Inspiration and How-Tos to Brighten Up Your Home
Love the design of this book – the front and the back cover, as well as pages are full of colour. This interior design book for color lovers is a must-have on every shelf or a coffee table that needs some pop of colour. The inside offers colourful and dynamic interiors as well as tips for your colourful interior.
“Personalizing your color palette may be one of the most important decisions you make in your home. The right combination of hues can set the mood and transform any room from ordinary to magical. Textile designer Rebecca Atwood invites you to take a color journey in this stunning yet practical guide.”
9. By Design: The World’s Best Contemporary Interior Designers
A fresh interior design book, launched in May 2021, featuring most creative interior designers. “A richly illustrated, authoritative global survey of the best and most creative interior designers and decorators working today.”
10. Patterns of India: A Journey Through Colors, Textiles, and the Vibrancy of Rajasthan (CLARKSON POTTER)
Photographer and writer Christine Chitnis spent over 10 years travelling and capturing everything that you can find in this book. This book takes you on a journey of colour through textiles. Lots of inspirational textile, travel and interior photos, as always, full of colour. “Organized by the five dominant colors royal blue, sandstone, marigold, ivory, and rose, this book explores how deeply color and pattern exist in a symbiotic relationship and are woven into every part of the culture.”
11. Everything: A Maximalist Style Guide
Abigail Ahern’s, famous British interior stylist’s and the author’s of this book credo is “more is more” – a maximalist interior design style guide. While reading this book, you will learn how to break the rules in interiors and create your own oasis.
12. More is More: Memphis, Maximalism, and New Wave Design
Memphis design movement is one of the most important design movements in the XXth Century. “Founded by Italian architect and designer Ettore Sottsass, the Memphis Group put forward a visionary new approach to design, defining the ’80s with its radical combinations of shapes, materials, and patterns.” Recommended for all the colour and pattern lovers, as well as those who love XXth Century design.
13. Jungalow: Decorate Wild: The Life and Style Guide
Justina is a queen of Boho style and mathing unmatchable. “Justina also shares personal narratives, practical advice, and nuanced insight into how she lives in her own space—how she reconnects with nature, how she plays and stays inspired, how she gives herself permission to feel free and wild, and how readers can do the same.” The book is beautiful, informative and a perfect choice between all the maximalist interior design books.
14. S Is for Style: The Schumacher Book of Decoration
This is one of the maximalist interior design books that is perfect for “High Style”, “Boho”, or even “Trad with a Twist” lovers, according to the authors. Schumacher, a legendary fabrics and materials brand, shows how you can use their iconic prints and patterns to create a variety of beautiful, chic interiors in the style that most suits you. The book has been published in 3 different and vibrant covers.
15. Kelly Wearstler: Evocative Style
Kelly Wearstler is a famous USA interior designer, who is passionate about pushing boundaries of what we call interior design and styling. “Her ornate interiors are distinctive for layers of bold textures, patterns, and rich colors juxtaposed with lustrous surfaces, adding up to a whimsical and elegant look that has been called “mod baroque.”
16. Beata Heuman: Every Room Should Sing
Swedish-born, London-based interior designer Beata Heuman founded her eponymous studio in 2013 after working for Nicky Haslam for nine years. Beata’s interiors are eclectic, poetic, a little bit quirky which makes her one of the most demanded creatives these days. “The book is organized according to design principle, each chapter offers fresh ways to think about decorating a home, finding your voice, making ordinary details extraordinary, and forging a truly unique space.”
Which book would you buy or gift?
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