Book Club: My Favorite Design Books in 2014

My favorite thing to ask for at Christmas time is art and design books. I love to have them stacked all around the house, but I keep most of them on the base shelf of our library bookshelves. Since browsing Pinterest doesn't always feel that relaxing to me, I like to steal a few minutes of every day to lounge on the daybed and flip through an inspiring design book. Nothing helps me more to get those creative juices flowing! It's fun to catch my kids thumbing through them too.

I've found some great additions this year that I think would make amazing last-minute gift ideas! I snapped some photos of a few inside pages, just to give you a taste of what these are all about.

1) I think one of my favorite interior design book purchases this year was Designers at Home by Ronda Rice Carman.  The title tells it all - page after page after page of amazing rooms in the most famous designers' homes. 

I loved seeing different angles and styling of some familiar rooms, but most of these spaces were new to me. My only teeny tiny complaint is that I wish this book was a bit bigger so I could soak up the details even better.

2) I think Heather Clawson and I share an obsession over creatives' workspaces. Her book shares wide and vignette shots of the coolest artists and designer's offices.

It was fun to see more details of Jenna Lyons' beautiful office.

And find a few new favorite spaces to obsess over.

3) This book is seriously inspiring, even for the fair weather Wes Anderson fan. It's a beautifully designed behind-the-scenes book packed with inspiration images, interviews and sketches. I love it.

4) My friend, Samantha Hahn, is a truly talented artist. You've seen her work in all sorts of cool ad campaigns and in the most beautiful magazine layouts. Her book, called Well-Read Women, is still one of my favorites to flip through.

She pairs her gorgeous portraits of famous women in literature with beautiful lines from their stories. This is a great book for gifting.

5) We all know and love Erin's blog and her new book doesn't disappoint!

Not only are the images beautiful, the text is as informational, hilarious and genuine as the Elements of Style blog. Well done, Erin!

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(PS Recognize the gallery wall here on the right?) :)

6) The Remodelista book is stunning. Many of the images, especially at the front of the book, are pretty modern and sparsely styled, but the foundational design choices are SO good and super inspiring to me. I would be tempted to add a layer or two of color and accessories, but I still really connected with the rooms in this book.

My favorite spreads are toward the back, where some of the editor's homes are featured. Makes me miss New York like crazy.

They also have a section that lists 100 of their favorite housewares. I LOVED this part - it's like getting a peek at your most stylish friend's wedding registry list. 

What books have you bought and loved this year? Here are a few that are on my Christmas list:

Kate Spade Things We Love  //  A Year in the Life of Downton Abbey  //  

The Furniture Bible  //  Sunday Suppers