Designers Here and There: Inside the City and Country Homes of America's Top Decorators [Hardcover]

Michele Keith (Author)

Book Description

Release date: March 23, 2010

During the week, interior designers select fabulous fabrics, furniture, paint, lighting, and accessories for clients’ homes. On the weekends, they can devote themselves to beautifying their own. Materials and finishes that later appear in commissioned work often appear here first, as designers use the rooms and walls of their primary and secondary residences like a blank canvas for perfecting details and techniques central to their trade.

Thirty-eight private primary and vacation residences belonging to today’s most renowned decorators from around the country inspire with full-color images of exquisitely appointed chic city apartments, elegant townhouses, minimalist midcentury gems, quaint cottages, historic mansions and farmhouses, cozy log cabins, and beachside retreats in locations ranging from Palm Desert to Palm Beach, Austin, Chicago, East Hampton, and Boston.

Michele Keith’s lively, accessible text brings each distinct personality to life, revealing how and why the designers gravitate to styles ranging from firmly traditional to coolly contemporary to Hollywood Regency, how the attributes of each location—setting, proportions, and character—influence design direction, and how designers including Martha Angus, Barclay Butera, Eric Cohler, Andrew Fisher and Jeffry Weisman, Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz, Eve Robinson, and Vicente Wolf choose to spend time in the intensely personal spaces they have created. Each designer’s top five favorite decorating tips encourage all eager to perfect their own homes to begin.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Creating a solid library should be a pleasure and a prerequisite for any design addict. First we gathered our top picks of recent and forthcoming releases. Of particular note . . . The Monacelli Press's Designers Here and There visits the addresses of decorating greats."
—Departures, The Style Issue's Required Reading List

"Michele Keith indulges our voyeuristic desires with this tour through 38 primary and vacation residences owned by the country's hottest decorators."
—Luxe

"The homes of 19 designers provide endless inspiration—and evidence of experimentation—in these vivid photo essays. Be sure not to miss top tips from each pro."
—Traditional Home

"Ms. Keith documents the wide array of spaces designers create for themselves . . . Read and be inspired, or jealous. Or both."
—The New York Times

"Michele Keith does what most of us long to do: She takes a long, extended glance into the domestic domains of some of America's most talented interior designers, to see how they deck their own halls. Pick up a copy and see from where inspriation springs."
—Papercity

"Style-minded pros open their primary and secondary residences for your viewing pleasure in Michele Keith's fascinating Designers Here and There: Inside the City and Country Homes of America's Top Decorators. What a treat it is to compare and contrast two dwellings inhabited by each designer revealing different aspects of the same creative spirit."
—Veranda

"This is a beautiful book. If you're interested in interior desgin as much as I am and you like to collect coffee table books, or you're looking for a gift for a friend who fits that profile, I would definitely suggest picking up a copy!"
—CasaSugar

"Find yourself inspired by . . . Designers Here and There."
—Town & Country

"From Designers Here and There: Inside the City and Country Homes of America's Top Decorators, it is evident that these designers have a passion for life and it shows in the spaces they carve out for themselves and their loved ones."
—Texas Home & Living

"Michele Keith is on to something. San Francisco's interior designers work like no others because they're surrounded by beauty: the bay, the ocean, the headlands, the city's landscape and unique topography . . . Unusual for an interior design coffee table book that surveys a wide field, Keith begins with San Francisco and wends her way back to New York City and environs via places like Santa Fe, N.M., Dallas, Houston and Chicago."
—San Francisco Chronicle

"[Designers Here and There] gives you a glimpse into the tastes and likes of  the decorators themselves—their own personal style. It’s also a fabulous resource because it covers a range of different design styles—every time I pick up the book I notice something new."
—Ladies' Home Journal

"Take a sneak peak into designers' private homes, including the pads of L.A.'s Michael Berman, Molly Luetkemeyer and Barclay Butera."
—Los Angeles Times

"If reading interior-design coffee-table books is a crime, we plead guilty. But can you blame us? We just couldn't put down Designers Here and There: Inside the City and Country Homes of America's Top Decorators . . . Another favorite feature of this book: two pages of design tips from the profiled designers."
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram

"More than just pretty pictures . . . so brimming with information and tips that you'll come down with a case of cabin fever!"
–Modern Luxury Dallas

"There is nothing more fascinating than getting a peek into the homes of others. When this group of top designers allowed Michele Keith to open the door not only to their urban dwellings but also to their second homes, we were given an opportunity for aspirational voyeurism that is unique. Grab the book, cast yourself on a sofa and go on one of the most revealing designer tours of all, the designers’ own homes."
–Clodagh

"Michele Keith provides great insight into the lives and personalities of some of our most celebrated designers through beautiful photographs of their homes. This book is for everyone who would like to discover how those who design for others design for themselves."
–Mary Douglas Drysdale

"Up close and personal views of some of my favorite interior designers—plus their favorite decorating tips—make this book a must-read."
–Amy Lau

About the Author

Michele Keith is a freelance writer based in New York City. Her work has appeared in numerous magazines and newspapers, including the New York Times, Departures, Traditional Home, New York Spaces, and O, The Oprah Magazine. Her previous books include Country Living Easy Makeovers and Great Country French Style.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: The Monacelli Press (March 23, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580932460
• ISBN-13: 978-1580932462
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 0.9 x 11 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #365,162 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michele Keith is a freelance writer based in New York City. Her work has appeared in numerous magazines and newspapers including The New York Times, Boston Globe, Luxe Interiors + Design, Cottages and Gardens, New York Spaces and Four Seasons Hotels Magazine. In addition to her latest coffee table book, "Designers Abroad," she's written "Designers Here and There" (Monacelli Press), "Country Living Easy Makeovers" (Hearst Books) and "Great Country French Style" (Meredith Books).

As she says, "If it's beautiful I write about it," adding, "and there's nothing more fascinating and intriguing to me than well-executed interior design."

When not writing, Michele runs FAST FIX, a decluttering/organizing/styling service for those who want to live more comfortably and serenely or plan to sell their home. If interested, please contact her through www.FastFix-MicheleKeith.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great fun and lots of ideas! March 28, 2010

By Sandy Flanagan

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Reading this book is like being invited into top designers' homes. The big, glossy photo layouts are gorgeous. While I could never afford such places, I got lots of ideas for color schemes, furniture placement, and objets d'art. I love Ms. Keith's breezy prose style, including stories of how the designers found their properties and what they did to make them reflect their very different personalities.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Resource for Professionals and DIY alike June 5, 2010

By Nancy Epstein

Format:Hardcover

As a designer and colorist I especially enjoyed seeing the juxtaposition of these famous designer's everyday homes with their vacation getaways. It is like seeing the yin and yang of their talents and personalities. Keith's writing and interviews with these creative people gives me real insight into their philosophies and approach to home design. I picked up many ideas from both the beautiful photos as well as the writing that I will put into play in my own and my client's homes. As a color consultant I was especially inspired by the Noriega-Ortiz South Beach home. I hope volume two is in the works!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars 19 Designers & 38 Homes November 15, 2010

By L. M. Keefer TOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

The concept behind this book is brilliant: showcase 19 interior designers and each of their two homes. Primary residence and play place where they relax and vacation are featured for each designer.

This allows us to see how one design personality and point of view can be translated into two places.

The book is also brilliantly laid-out. About 8-10 pictures devoted to each designer with 2 pages of text describing their vision for their homes and why they decorated it the way they did. It features homes from all over the United States: about 1/3 in California, 1/3 in New York and New England, and 1/3 in the South and Midwest so there's a diverse range of styles.

Why buy a book on designers' homes? Because designers use their homes as laboratories to experiment with design ideas. They're not afraid to take risks and try something new to add comfort or wow factor. Like having two bedside tables on the same side of the bed. Have you ever noticed that there's just NOT enough room for all the paraphernalia: books, lamp, clock, picture of your UPS man (just kidding), glass, glasses, flowers etc. on the table beside your side of the bed? Designer Vicente Wolf solves that problem stylishly by having 2 tables at different heights on one side of the bed. It looks surprisingly good and is very functional.

Another useful way to use this book is to go through each page and choose the feature you love most in the room on that page as designers are on the perimeter of innovation in design. It's often difficult to articulate what you want in your home from memory, but if you look at lots of rooms, ideas will jump out at you and you'll find yourself saying something like: I've always loved beds in alcoves.

I went through all the rooms in this book and listed the design ideas I liked best and would like to try in my home some day: tiger-print pillows, bullion-fringed sofa, art in the bathroom, black and white drawings, mirrors on mirrors and art on mirrors, leopard-print rug, red chintz slipper chairs, use of curtains as room dividers, round table in corner by a window and the two bedside tables of different heights on the same side of the bed idea.

A bonus at the end of this book is a list of 4-5 design tips from each designer of what they feel is important in design. You can see how they used the ideas in their own homes in previous pictures. Here's a sampling of some of the great tips in this book:

* Simplify. Too many estate sale finds give a room the appearance of a blown-up flea market(reviewer's comment:ha-la! Love that phrase "blown-up flea market"--can just picture it or maybe I have)-Michael Berman

*Think of dark wood as an accent color. Four-poster beds, hardwood floors, and chair frames are beautiful paired with bright white and deep, leaf greens-Lee Bierly & Christopher Drake

*Scan your space and ask yourself if each object is either useful or beautiful. If not, remove it-Lawrence Boeder

*Buy with your heart. Search out special pieces with stories behind them. Invest in items that transcend trend. You will keep timeless pieces forever-Barclay Butera

*Use texture and geometry. Be bold-Eric Cohler

*Even a small dose of color, when repeated a few times, is enough to keep the eyes dancing or unify an entire space. And give yourself and your guests a chuckle with a weird piece of art or an outlandish piece of furniture-Christopher Coleman

*Mix styles, periods and materials for something unexpected and new. Add a bit of whimsy or fantasy to take the seriousness of each room down a notch-Andrew Fisher and Jeffrey Weisman

*Remember, if it's not comfortable you won't use it. That means comfortable on the eyes, too! Encourage children to start collections early. It makes accompanying you to auctions and flea markets more fun for them, and it can develop lifelong interests-Beverly Jacomini

*Bring fine art into your home. The internet provides unparalleled access to excellent selections worldwide-Alex Jordan

*When in doubt, lay it out. Cut furniture patterns to scale from paper and arrange the pieces on a floor plan to find the best placement for each object-Pam Duncan

*Contrasts make a room unique--smooth with highly textured, elegant with humble, antique with contemporary, curvy with straight-edged-John Phifer Marrs

*Repeat one color throughout a room to imbue it with a feeling of calm. Give a every room a bit of the "wow" factor. A space should take your breath away-Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz

*Keep window treatments simple and in styles that let in the light-Eve Robinson

*Buy furnishings and accessories with some age to them for a boxy apartment; they provide character-Stephen Shubel

*Ascertain each room's positives and negatives. When you design it, you will have a clear understanding about what to play up and what to hide-Vicente Wolf

This book is beautiful AND useful. With the diverse range of excellent styles, you'll probably find a room you could just move into. Check out one of my favorite homes: Steven Shubel's fisherman's cottage in Sausalito, California--a fisherman's cottage dressed to the nines in black and white. "It's like Marie Antoinette in a T-shirt," Shubel jokes. Whimsical French elegance indeed--hmm...I think I've found my style!