15 Inspiring Spring Design Books to Preorder Now

“If there is a common denominator to all my projects, it is the necessity of creating a sense of joy,” writes India Mahdavi in the introduction to her new book. Indeed, such joviality also pervades this monograph, which was done in collaboration with art director Beda Achermann. Focusing on the AD100 Hall of Fame designer’s public projects and products, the book allows readers to immerse themselves in the Paris-based talent’s process, as they thumb through her inspiration images, fabric swatches, sketches, maquettes, and more. Lovers of Mahdavi’s saturated universe will delight in unexpected details—such as a photo of a Charlotte cake with finger cookies, which inspired the famous seating in the much-Instagrammed London restaurant The Gallery at Sketch. — Allie Weiss

Beata Heuman, the London-based Swedish decorator, has become something of a darling of the interior design world. And now, the Nicky Haslam–trained AD100 designer is out with her first book. Published by Rizzoli, the tome is a testament to Heuman’s signature flourishes—think upholstered headboards, happy wallpapers, and her own marbleized fabrics. But despite Heuman’s clear ability to mix and meld seemingly disparate elements, it’s her color palette that might stand out as most unique: Ranging from earth tones to more boldly saturated hues, it manages to deftly convey a muted rainbow. — Madeleine Luckel

The fascinating story of Brad Davis and Janis Provisor’s creative journey could fill a book, and now the duo has done just that with the release of a new monograph. The two accomplished artists stumbled into the world of rug making when, on a yearlong stint in China, they attempted to make a silk rug for their New York loft. That undertaking evolved into a wide-ranging exploration into the previously untapped possibilities of rug weaving. Their discoveries in the realm of digital technology ultimately enabled weavers to produce carpet designs previously never thought possible. The beautiful results, reminiscent of original watercolors, and the couple’s revolutionary process serve as a reminder to fellow creatives: Never stop experimenting. — A.W.

Today, we live in a world in which non-porcelain dinnerware is well-respected, and earthenware can feel almost de rigueur. But when Edith Heath was coming into her own, this was not necessarily the case. Edith Heath: Philosophies delves deeply into the history of her namesake Northern California company, Heath Ceramics, with an emphasis on how she viewed her pioneering ceramics work. The intellectual approach accompanies an exhibition on Heath, which is set to open at the Oakland Museum of California. Interestingly, another show, “Edith Heath and Emily Carr: From the Earth” will open later this year at the Vancouver. — M.L.

Designer Charlotte Moss describes her new book as a “personal flower diary,” snipped from years of her own learnings on growing and arranging blooms. Her affable instructions are equally as elaborate when it comes to pairing a few fresh garden clippings as they are for preparing an extravagant centerpiece, as she walks readers through how to select the best vessel, arranging techniques, and where best to display the final bouquet. And what’s a diary without naming a few admirers? Among the most delightful parts of the book is Moss’s series of profiles dedicated to flora-loving ladies, including Gloria Vanderbilt, Pauline de Rothschild, and Constance Spry. — Mel Studach

As country life goes, reaping benefits only comes after immense work. Renovating Clove Brook Farm, Christopher Spitzmiller’s Hudson Valley home, and developing its acreage took upwards of five years—and “a tremendous amount of thoughtful research, intense planning, and actual sweat and tears,” as good pal and mentor Martha Stewart notes in the foreword of Spitzmiller’s new tome. Inside, the acclaimed ceramic artist invites readers to partake in the beekeeping, gardening, and entertaining he has come to relish on the property. Lessons in garden planning, seasonal flower arranging, and readying chickens for the county fair follow, as do peeks inside the property’s endearing residence, which was decorated with help from Harry Heissmann and includes a canary yellow sitting room that takes its cues (and a few dog portraits) from Mario Buatta. — M.S.

Phaidon’s 2019 release, Interiors: The Greatest Rooms of the Century, documents hundreds of influential interiors. Now, the publishing arm is focusing on firms, in a compilation that includes more than 100 practitioners who are pushing the industry forward. The featured designers were nominated by an illustrious group of editors, curators, photographers, and other tastemakers, and are a global bunch, hailing from 30 countries. Featuring an introduction by William Norwich, the book is a visually rich directory that many an interior design enthusiast will want to have close at hand. — A.W.

Explore the verdant realm of multihyphenate designer Justina Blakeney in the New York Times bestselling author’s latest book—this one, a how-to guide focused on helping readers explore their own personal style vis-à-vis color, pattern, and the ever-present influence of nature. Offering design tips and personal narratives, Blakeney—who shares her Los Angeles home with 52 house plants, in addition to her husband and their daughter—explains how readers can leverage the outdoors, as well as travel and their personal heritage, to inform their home’s design, alongside abundant photography by Dabito. — Katherine Burns Olson

Corey Damen Jenkins’s first book offers an enticing glimpse into the newly christened AD100 designer’s bold interiors. Subsections focus on areas of his expertise, rife with examples of comfortable, lush lounging spaces, elegant architectural details, and his celebrated mastery of color. A foreword by Jamie Drake spells it out: “The peacock has historically been a symbol of renewal and immortality, and in ancient mythology its tail is seen as having the ‘eyes’ of the stars. I think of Corey, and his work, as this gorgeous bird in the best sense. Personally, he is imposing and serene, yet full of vivacity. Likewise, the spaces he designs are restful yet deliciously piquant, always with a daring touch of boldness (or quite a few) added assuredly into his schemes.” — K.B.O.

Could any book feel more timely? Into a prolonged moment of unabashed plant love comes Nature Inside: Plants and Flowers in the Modern Interior. The text, which is being published by Yale Art, was written by Penny Sparke—a professor of design history as well as the director of the Modern Interiors Research Centre at Kingston University, London. In it, Sparke traces how ferns, flowers, and all things green have impacted our collective sense of interior design. The book is sure to help brighten any home, or perhaps further spur on COVID-era plant shopping sprees. — M.L.

The Colombian-born AD100 interior design talent Juan Montoya is known for stylistic range, but as a new Rizzoli tome makes clear, one particular area of his portfolio is particularly indicative of his strengths. As a child, splitting his time between his family’s Bogotá residence and a hacienda on a rice farm in Puerto Tejada, Montoya was introduced to the particulars of tropical life, and the requirements it places on our living spaces. For clients in Punta Mita, Mexico, Casa de Campo, Dominican Republic, and beyond, Montoya deeply considers local landscape, climate, materials, and culture to craft retreats that make their residents—and their frequent houseguests—feel right at home. — A.W.

A great designer or architect can pinpoint clients’ needs and develop a design plan to accommodate their day-to-day lifestyles. But what sets the masters apart is the ability to anticipate the needs of the future, a skill that often stems from having an extensive understanding of design history. Lucky for readers, the residential partners at Robert A.M. Stern Architects have that in spades. Houses: Robert A.M. Stern Architects delves into the design processes, briefs, and interior finishes of 17 timeless homes executed by the firm during the past decade. The case studies, from a waterfront retreat in East Hampton to an alpine penthouse in the Rockies, reveal how sensitive placemaking is a major conduit for longevity. And like any good story, this one touts all supporting players, sharing full credit with the A-list interior designers, landscape architects, craftspeople, and builders whose works help bring each residence to life within the pages. — M.S.

When a home perfectly nestles into its surroundings, while lighting up the eyes of everyone who passes by or is invited indoors, it’s the clear sign of a master architect. Oliver Cope Architect is such a firm, and the practice, run by Oliver Cope, Olivia Rowan, and Rita Marks, gets its moment in the sun with a new book dedicated to the residences it has created in rural and urban settings. “The finished work is like a Rubik’s cube, with all the colors on each of the faces lining up,” writes Clive Aslet in the book’s introduction. “It creates a sense of satisfaction in the viewer, even if he or she does not know precisely how it is done, or perhaps does not actually notice.” The monograph offers a chance to relish in the hidden details, with photography, floor plans, and hand drawings underscoring the firm’s meticulous attention to form, function, and craft. — A.W.

Theater and architecture are intricately linked, argues David Rockwell. “For me, design is about bringing people together and making them feel something,” he writes in this engaging new book about the two disciplines. That ethos naturally extends to the set design work he has done for more than 50 theater productions, as well as the hotels, offices, and restaurants he creates with his AD100 firm, Rockwell Group. The book argues that the central tenets of theater—an engrossing story, an intimate connection with the audience, an emotional journey—inform any and all space design projects, and vice versa. Exciting photographs of Broadway stage sets, crowded restaurants, and hands-on installations by the firm underscore this thesis statement. — A.W.

Midcentury modernism isn’t merely a style characterized by clean lines, open floor plans, graphic use of color, and overt minimalism. Overtones of the movement are both radical and racial, argues author Kristina Wilson, making heretofore largely unexplored connections between race, gender, and modernist decor. Wilson—uniquely qualified to chart the journey, as professor of art history at Clark University and author of The Modern Eye and Livable Modernism—analyzes furniture, art, ads in popular magazines like Ebony and Life, decorating manuals, and other materials to break down the promises of privilege and safety modern design made to white consumers—and the many resulting implications for people of color. — K.B.O.