Six Art and Design Books for Your Winter Reading List

Secrets of a Houses & Parties soiree, Schumacher’s latest decorating volume, designing a forever home, and more.

Elements of Timeless Style: Creating a Forever Home, by Erin Gates

Wellesley resident, New York Times bestselling author, and interior designer Erin Gates is celebrated for sharing her expertise in an approachable way, always offering keen insights on how to personalize one’s space creatively and stylishly. This book features nine projects that cover decorating and remodeling from start to finish and includes subjects like budgeting, decision-making, and design steps. Whether you seek to revamp a space in its entirety or want to follow a process that’s piecemeal, Gates provides advice designed to craft a forever home that’s multifaceted and easy to inhabit.

$40, Simon & Schuster.

A Screaming Blast: Exceptional Entertaining, by Rebecca Gardner

When the founder of events and interior design firm Houses & Parties invites you to a soiree, you’ll want to say yes, then grab a dress—and that’s essentially what A Screaming Blast is (in the literary sense, anyway). From intimate dinners to weddings, this behind-the-scenes look at 20 of author Rebecca Gardner’s fabulous, over-the-top fetes offers inspiration in spades for anyone who’s enticed by tantalizing tablescapes and joyful entertaining. This book features practical tips and resources on how to host your best bash, all while engaging readers with accessible and whimsical storytelling.

$45, Rizzoli International Publications.

The Forever Home: Classic, Clever Design to Help You Put Down Roots, by Mikel Welch

Making a house a home, and uniquely your own, is something everyone strives for. This guide from Mikel Welch—in-house design expert on The Drew Barrymore Show and cohost of Netflix’s Hack My Home—provides all of the insights you need to make your space stylish and functional for the long haul while simultaneously staying on budget. Whether it’s choosing the perfect paint colors or shopping for heirloom pieces, the author offers a step-by-step approach to decorating decisions sans the stress, including tips on where to splurge and save.

$35, Clarkson Potter Publishers.

Courtesy photos

Everybody Loves Stripes: Decorating Between the Lines, by Alexandra Morris Flint and Emma Bazilian

When it comes to stylish décor, stripes are a designer’s favorite, so it seems only fitting that one of the most iconic interior design houses—Schumacher—has compiled a masterclass on the subject. This source book, which features a myriad of ways stripes can alter any space, supplies inspiration and ideas for incorporating them into your abode. Running the gamut from classic and coastal to contemporary and rustic, no matter what style you prefer, this pattern can be applied subtly or extravagantly to upholstery, window treatments, or even graphic painted floors.

$54.95, Phaidon.

Vitra: The Anatomy of a Design Company, by Deyan Sudjic, with contributions from Karen Stein and Iwan Baan

There are several design companies with an enduring impact on the industry, but we rarely hear all of their origin stories. This volume provides readers with just that by telling the tale of the influential, innovative firm Vitra, starting from the 1950s, leading up to today, and tracking the three generations behind it. Known for collaborating with several top designers (from Ray and Charles Eames to Frank Gehry), the company’s bold approach and work combine its cultural and social mission, touching every aspect of modern design, including architecture, graphics, and photography.

$79.95, Phaidon.

Designed to Stay: The Design Hotels Book, edited by Gestalten & Design Hotels

Hotels can be a great escape from the everyday—especially those that level up their experiences to more than memorable. This collection of properties from Design Hotels has brought architecture, cultural, and emotional resonance together for its guests (and now readers) through details of each location, showcasing why each stay is something special. Authentic hospitality and inspiring design are the focus for this community of global independent hoteliers, and its hidden gems showcase local culture, history, and natural surroundings in remote mountaintops, by secluded beaches, and on roads less traveled.

$135, Gestalten.