New Books for the New Year: Defining Style: The Book of Interior Design
Discover 25 design styles you didn’t know about through 150 incredible interiors from the world’s leading designers.
While some of us may labour over cultivating a unique identity when it comes to the clothes we wear, honing a sense of style at home is often determined by popular trends or - if you have a little more money in your pocket - by the interior designer du jour.
Our latest interiors survey, Defining Style: The Book of Interior Design, can solve this aesthetic conundrum and will inspire readers to enrich their own spaces by equipping them with ways to identify the styles and elements that best speak to their own ideal way of living.
Naoki Terada, Designer’s Home, Tokyo, Japan, 2021. Image credit: Ben Richards / Naoki Terada Modernist
Defining Style: The Book of Interior Design, is an accessible source of inspiration for beginners and enthusiasts alike, organised by 25 design styles and featuring 150 contemporary residential rooms from some of the most in demand designers working today.
Steven Gambrel, Art Deco Apartment, Chicago, Illinois, USA, 2017. Image credit: Eric Piasecki Deco-Inspired
It takes readers on a journey through a few themes you may have heard of: for instance, Coastal, Modernist, and Tropical, while including a good few surprises along the way via some trends you may be less aware of such as: Organic Modern, Spirited, and Textured.
Aldridge & Supple, Hebridean Farmhouse, Hebrides, United Kingdom, 2021. Image credit: Martin Morrell / Aldridge & Supple Mountain
Each of these 25 styles has a dedicated section in the book, organised alphabetically. By classifying interiors by style, the book creates an accessible framework in which to view an array of really exciting spaces.
Audra Kiewiet de Jonge, Virginia Home, Richmond, Virginia, USA, 2023. Image credit: Audra Kiewiet de Jonge Art & Interiors Biophilic
By doing so, Defining Style offers a dynamic way of experiencing home design, drawing similarities between rooms of the same style, while also providing an understanding of variability each style allows.
Atelier ND Interior, Family Villa, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2022. Image credit: Courtesy of Atelier ND Monochrome
Within each section there is an introduction which shares the key tenets of the style, accompanied by six specially chosen residential projects. Each of these six projects are represented by one to three images, captured by the biggest names in design photography, along with a brief descriptive text which includes direct quotes from the designers and subjects.
Okha, Ikoyi Home, Lagos, Nigeria, 2014. Image credit: Adam Letch / OKHA Collected
The 150 projects featured include works from in-demand designers such as Brigette Romanek, Lorenzo Castillo, Ben Pentreath, Charlap Hyman & Herrero, Laura Gonzalez, Jean-Louis Deniot, and Fabrizio Casiraghi, as well as from popular creatives including artist Mariko Mori, tastemaker Alexandra Tolstoy, and writer Umberto Pasti.
Leyden Lewis, home of Malene Barnett, Brooklyn, New York, USA, 2022. Image credit: Pratya Jankong / Leydon Lewis Pattern
Both introductory and feature texts have been researched and written by author Joan Barzilay Freund who has contributed writing to countless publications, including Elle Decor, 1st Dibs Introspective, and Phaidon’s own Inside: At Home with Great Designers.
Greg Natale, Mosman House, Sydney, Australia, 2022. Image credit: Anson Smart / Greg Natale Coastal
The book is introduced by design editor Asad Syrkett, a former editor-in-chief of Elle Decor. To bring interesting comparisons within each style full circle, a visual directory at the back of the book showcases six projects of each style together.
Faye Toogood, Collector’s Flat, London, United Kingdom, 2015. Image credit: Tobias Alexander Harvey / TOOGOOD Moody
The textural color wheel on the front and back covers of the book references a particular color assigned to each style. These style-inspired colors feature again on the opening spread of each section.
From Coastal to Contemporary, Maximal to Mediterranean, Tailored to Textured, this inspirational lookbook guides beginners and enthusiasts alike through the most timeless interior design styles of the last century. You can pre-order Defining Style: The Book of Interior Design here.
