In her first book, award-winning interior designer Mary McDonald inspires readers to combine old-fashioned elegance with the joy of fearless, exuberant decorating. Consistently ranked one of House Beautiful’s top 100 designers, L.A.-based Mary McDonald’s gorgeous, feminine interiors have graced the cover of every major design magazine. Dubbed the "decorating daredevil" by Domino magazine, McDonald began her career as a milliner and retains a sense of "couture chic" that inspires the look of her interiors, which are simultaneously timeless and of the moment. Her ability to combine bold patterns, chinoiserie, and Indian influences with contemporary lines and an impeccable sense of color has made her one of the most sought-after interior designers working today. Now in her first book, as vibrant and whimsical as Mary and her work, McDonald explores the themes that inform her stylish yet playful sensibility. From her own refurbishment of Buster Keaton’s legendary villa to a stunning range of client projects, McDonald carefully details the colors, fabrics, and accessories she uses to seamlessly pull each look together. Exquisitely photographed, this vivid book is a must for anyone who loves sophisticated, ravishing interiors.
| ||||||||||||||||||
Browse our Bookshelf Favorites store for big savings on popular fiction, nonfiction, children's books, and more. |
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
Review
"Decorator Mary McDonald is known for vintage Hollywood movie-worthy houses, as seen in her new book Mary McDonald: Interiors (Rizzoli). She shares her tips for bringing a touch of glamour into everyday life." ~Family Circle
"Inside these pages: Mary McDonald's first book, due out in October, reflects the fact that she is a designer with varied inspirations and charms that always leaves you wanting more. 'Mary McDonald Interiors: The Allure of Style' reveals the many layers of this celebrated and beloved designer." ~Florida Design
"Mary McDonald Interiors: The Allure of Style will be published this month by Rizzoli, featuring more than 250 photographs of some of the most glamorous rooms captured between the covers of a coffee-table book... Interiors seems to ahve elegance, romance, and flair buried deep within its high-gloss pages." ~Lonny
"Mary McDonald Interiors: The first book from the fashion-forward former milliner offers insight into her design philosophy of infusing spaces with drama, elegance, and plenty of customization." ~Tradtional Home
"This month, Rizzoli's new Mary McDonald: Interiors, the designer's first book, shines a gorgeous light on the Los Angeles native's work, a bring-it-on layering of exuberant color, theatrical gestures and obsessive collecting - executed with just enough poised elegance and formal composition to preserve order in the house." ~Veranda
"Inside these pages: Mary McDonald's first book, due out in October, reflects the fact that she is a designer with varied inspirations and charms that always leaves you wanting more. 'Mary McDonald Interiors: The Allure of Style' reveals the many layers of this celebrated and beloved designer." ~Florida Design
"Mary McDonald Interiors: The Allure of Style will be published this month by Rizzoli, featuring more than 250 photographs of some of the most glamorous rooms captured between the covers of a coffee-table book... Interiors seems to ahve elegance, romance, and flair buried deep within its high-gloss pages." ~Lonny
"Mary McDonald Interiors: The first book from the fashion-forward former milliner offers insight into her design philosophy of infusing spaces with drama, elegance, and plenty of customization." ~Tradtional Home
"This month, Rizzoli's new Mary McDonald: Interiors, the designer's first book, shines a gorgeous light on the Los Angeles native's work, a bring-it-on layering of exuberant color, theatrical gestures and obsessive collecting - executed with just enough poised elegance and formal composition to preserve order in the house." ~Veranda
About the Author
Celebrated Los Angeles decorator Mary McDonald has been working in the industry for more than fifteen years. A third-generation Angeleno raised in Brentwood, her projects have captivated the design community.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? |
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
47 of 52 people found the following review helpful
By Chris Cross
Format:Hardcover
I have a collection of books on architecture, interior design and fine homes and generally examine all of the notable volumes that appear at the bookseller. I ran across this book the other day and was ready to dismiss it because I usually dislike design books that are more about the designer than their designs, especially if there are multiple shots of said designer in evening wear. However, Ms. McDonald won me over with the quality and breadth of the projects she chose to present in this volume, even if I'm not typically a fan of her kind of decorating. The interiors are striking, the photography is generally beautiful (with a few exceptions, where the photography is not up to par) and the whole package is well-presented. This is a fine addition to anyone's design library.
25 of 30 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
In this gorgeous book Mary McDonald offers page after page of stunning rooms that take your breath away. They're one-of-a-kind rooms which you don't forget easily. None of her rooms look alike although there are common features such as use of chinoiserie, stripes, saturated color, global elements and animal prints. The book is designed around chapters titled Seductive, Curate, Glamour and Grand Tour. Then she teases out the elements of these. The Seductive chapter includes elements that are labeled flirty, dressy, charm and whimsy. You see how these descriptives play out in her rooms through the photos.
Room decor is a kind of chemistry, so what do you want to combine? Everything is created twice, first as an idea, then tangibly. Before talking furniture styles or colors, what mood or emotion do you want the room to evoke? If you begin with the ideas (or adjectives), then everything you choose for the room can exemplify those elements. McDonald shows how she has done that through the adjectives she employs: flirty, charming, seductive, whimsical, chic, dramatic, global and colorful.
McDonald explains some ways she plans rooms. After considering the needs and lifestyle of the client, assessing the bones of the home etc. she says: "...I filter the plan through my own reservoir of inspiration which comes from so many sources: fashion, textiles, period clothing, old fonts, drips of water, peaks in whipped cream, old gold bullion, buttons, teacups, machinery parts, grasshoppers, lizards, animal furs, jewelry, rocks, minerals, leaves, flowers, the grain on an old piece of wood, the ridges on shells, black sand, bright plastic cups, Lucite, baby vegetables, fancy candies... my list is endless.... Creativity is like breathing for me--it's my life force." Her rooms are evidence of this, although I didn't see any grasshoppers.
McDonald is talented in using fabric in rooms which gives the rooms extra romance and softness. One of my favorite rooms is a gray and white bathroom in which she has placed a banquette created out of a striped cotton that is tufted with buttons; the fabric on it floats to the floor. She used to work as a milliner which explains her virtuosity with fabric. If you like furniture that looks like clothes--or that furniture pieces are wearing them--with ties, tufting, smocking, welting, ruffles, borders, beads and ribbons, you'll enjoy seeing the original pieces that she creates. Her rooms include many dress-maker details; it's obvious she has a love for fabric which is used innovatively. Several of the rooms in this book I'd seen in magazines before and thought what fascinating, stand-out stylish rooms without realizing the same designer had conceived them.
If you like more neutral understated rooms, you may find some of these rooms quite colorful. There are some more sober-colored rooms sprinkled throughout the book, but McDonald clearly is not afraid of bright colors. Some describe her rooms as "over-the-top", which I like. However, there is a yellow and black room that reminds me of when my sister-in-law went to work in a bold yellow and black suit and a coworker with salty language said, "Well, well, if it isn't a flippin' bumble bee." That's the only room I'd need to wear sun glasses for.
It's fun to read about how McDonald approaches design and study the vibrant photos of these breathtaking and memorable rooms. It seems she's comfortable experimenting and taking some risks which is why perhaps her rooms are one-of-a-kind. It's going to be a treat to follow her career (with her new show on BRAVO) and design trajectory. I look forward to many more books by her. This is one of the most interesting design books I've seen recently, and will kindle your imagination on possibilities in decorating.
Room decor is a kind of chemistry, so what do you want to combine? Everything is created twice, first as an idea, then tangibly. Before talking furniture styles or colors, what mood or emotion do you want the room to evoke? If you begin with the ideas (or adjectives), then everything you choose for the room can exemplify those elements. McDonald shows how she has done that through the adjectives she employs: flirty, charming, seductive, whimsical, chic, dramatic, global and colorful.
McDonald explains some ways she plans rooms. After considering the needs and lifestyle of the client, assessing the bones of the home etc. she says: "...I filter the plan through my own reservoir of inspiration which comes from so many sources: fashion, textiles, period clothing, old fonts, drips of water, peaks in whipped cream, old gold bullion, buttons, teacups, machinery parts, grasshoppers, lizards, animal furs, jewelry, rocks, minerals, leaves, flowers, the grain on an old piece of wood, the ridges on shells, black sand, bright plastic cups, Lucite, baby vegetables, fancy candies... my list is endless.... Creativity is like breathing for me--it's my life force." Her rooms are evidence of this, although I didn't see any grasshoppers.
McDonald is talented in using fabric in rooms which gives the rooms extra romance and softness. One of my favorite rooms is a gray and white bathroom in which she has placed a banquette created out of a striped cotton that is tufted with buttons; the fabric on it floats to the floor. She used to work as a milliner which explains her virtuosity with fabric. If you like furniture that looks like clothes--or that furniture pieces are wearing them--with ties, tufting, smocking, welting, ruffles, borders, beads and ribbons, you'll enjoy seeing the original pieces that she creates. Her rooms include many dress-maker details; it's obvious she has a love for fabric which is used innovatively. Several of the rooms in this book I'd seen in magazines before and thought what fascinating, stand-out stylish rooms without realizing the same designer had conceived them.
If you like more neutral understated rooms, you may find some of these rooms quite colorful. There are some more sober-colored rooms sprinkled throughout the book, but McDonald clearly is not afraid of bright colors. Some describe her rooms as "over-the-top", which I like. However, there is a yellow and black room that reminds me of when my sister-in-law went to work in a bold yellow and black suit and a coworker with salty language said, "Well, well, if it isn't a flippin' bumble bee." That's the only room I'd need to wear sun glasses for.
It's fun to read about how McDonald approaches design and study the vibrant photos of these breathtaking and memorable rooms. It seems she's comfortable experimenting and taking some risks which is why perhaps her rooms are one-of-a-kind. It's going to be a treat to follow her career (with her new show on BRAVO) and design trajectory. I look forward to many more books by her. This is one of the most interesting design books I've seen recently, and will kindle your imagination on possibilities in decorating.
28 of 34 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I love decorating books, love AD, Trad. Home, etc. I got this book and began thumbing through and was almost revolted at the poses of the author, like she thought it was her opportunity to dress up and flaunt her sexiest poses. It just kinda bugs you! I got the feeling she was advertising for a mate or something!!! I immediately got turned off and thought, I'm going to return this just for that. Then I picked up the book and started reading through it and I do genuinely like alot of the photographs and she is interesting to read. So I'll keep it. But please Mary and Publisher, let's do the next one with a little more class and keep the subject matter to decorating! Like the way Charlotte Moss does it... a few photos of her in action, not making google eyes at the camera... Charlotte Moss is total CLASS! PS> there is way too much sisal carpeting in this book. Why do all decorators do white fabric and sisal carpeting? They are supposed to be fabulous at mixing colors and patterns, that's what really fascinates a non-decorator.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love Her Decorating!!!
Beautiful pictures, I love everything she designs. She is an inspiration for anyone that loves her design style. Great gift idea for a friend.
Published 5 days ago by Evelyn Tanguma
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding Style
Her open, light California looking-interiors are easy to adapt for any part of the country. This beautiful book is always a conversation piece on my coffee table.
Published 2 months ago by Virginia
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fabulous Style and Photos
Mary McDonald's style shines in this book. The photos expertly reveal the details and her use of color is unsurpassed. The book also contains a bit of history on her inspirations.
Published 2 months ago by La Signora di Napa Valley
5.0 out of 5 stars
Elegant Mary
It is refreshing to see that elegance and the art of chic decor is not passe. Mary McDonald infuses her rooms with whimsy mixed with theatrical chic. Read more
Published 4 months ago by grant dillon
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful and inspiring!
I agree with most everyone else that I could do without all the glamour shots of Mary in this book, but I have to admit, her interiors are classy, timeless and oh so elegant. Read more
Published 4 months ago by L. Neal
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book
I really loved this book. Mary's style is great and diverse. This book gave me a lot of inspiration and ideas. You won't regret buying it.
Published 5 months ago by Louiza Smerdzhyan
5.0 out of 5 stars
A most wonderful visit
Mary McDonald's The Allure of Style, is a wonderful visual visit to all the homes Mary has put her magic touch upon. Read more
Published 6 months ago by miguel flores-vianna
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing book
So so many beautiful pictures with a wide range of work. Very choc full of pictures. Inspiring for anyone stepping a bit out of tradition but not classicism. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Carlotta de Corona
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tradition and modern all in one
Beautiful photos with lots of wonderful interiors. Mary McDonald has the flair in this book that you see in the Million Dollar Decorators show. Read more
Published 7 months ago by glenda
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mary McDonald: Interiors: The Allure of Style
What an amazing book to pore over. Page after page of gorgeous interiors and beautiful ideas, and lots of interesting stories and thoughts from Mary herself. Read more
Published 12 months ago by SamanthaA81
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
