Pretty Pictures

So I am not a big reader. I am not the type to sit down with a book and plow through page after page. I do however love big big beautiful books. I am a picture person and I will buy a book based solely on the photography and the pretty pictures. That being said, I do draw inspiration from those images as do most people. I love collecting books and it's something I know I will always do forever and ever amen. My husband and I love going to this 5 story bookstore in Athens, Greece and just playing around all day (I even found some of my design school textbooks there...in Greek!) I don't limit myself to Interior Design books, I love fashion books, photography books, cookbooks (not that I use those very often) anything with beautiful photography that is aesthetically pleasing. I absolutely judge books by their covers (and bindings--got to look good on the shelf)...they must look good on my cocktail table.Here are some of the books I just love and become truly inspired by.



About a year ago Mark and I were fortunate enough to go and hear Vincent Wolf speak and give a presentation about his new book. It is stunning and I have used it as a reference over and over again since I got it. I love his calm style, everything just looks so effortless.



I don't know that this book even needs any sort of comment. Tom Ford is a damn beautiful man and just brilliant. The photography in this book is amazing (I mostly love the pictures of him, because he is just gorgeous!) but my favorite part are the interiors photos towards the back. They are so beautiful, besides wanting to lick every photo of him in the book, I also want to lick the photos of his interiors.




About 6 years ago on a trip to Greece my sister in law took me on an amazing shopping trip in Athens. It was really the beginning of this country getting some style. Now Athens has a fashion week full of really promising designers. Interior Design isn't really a legitimate profession over there yet, but people are starting to really get it. This book is one of the best I have seen, one thing I love about Greece & the style there is that people are always mixing the old and the new. Leaving original details and gems, mixing traditional style (I am talking amazing authentic & historic in every way) with fresh and very modern elements.




My dear friend and former employer Scott Laslie bought me this book about 3 years ago. I died. I do not own a pair of Manolos but who doesn't love a gorgeous pair of shoes, and Blahnik's might just be the most beautiful. This book is visually stunning. Go get it.




Sadly the Vogue Living Magazine didn't last, but this book is fantastic. Who could ever get tired of looking at beautiful people in beautiful places. This book has some of the most amazing interiors I have ever seen and some of the most beautiful. I constantly look through here and am inspired. I like looking at all of the over the top interiors and trying to scale them back to make them work for me.




**All of these books are available on Amazon