Interior design lovers and design pros, get ready to celebrate! ‘Tis the season for giving and what could possibly be more thoughtful than the gift of perpetual style? We work with many of the most talented designers in the industry and remain humbled by their creative energy and passion for enhancing the environments we call home. We can’t get enough of seeing the unique ways in which they use our tile collections in great homes as well as beautiful resorts, spas and restaurants. No two installations are ever the same. In our rare moments of down time we love paging through the best in design inspiration (whether there’s Country Floors’ tile or not!) and we’re thrilled to share our latest favorites with you here. Spanning a century of visionary interiors, the masterpiece tomes below have engraved a lasting impression on us by highlighting their various takes on the world of design. Spread joy this holiday season by picking up copies for the design-loving trailblazers in your life, and don’t forget to grab a few for your own library too!
AD at 100: A Century of Style from the Interior Design Industry Leader
In October, Architectural Digest raised a toast to 100 years in publication. This handsome hardback monograph AD at 100 (Abrams) celebrates the design authority’s finest. With a forward by Anna Wintour and 300 breathtaking color photographs, the Los Angeles Times praised this celeb-studded book for being a “survey of how Americans lived – and how American life has changed – over the past 100 years.” Grab your sticky notes because this one is guaranteed to inspire!
The Patterned Interior
by Greg Natale
At Country Floors, we believe in the power of pattern and what they can achieve in thoughtful, layered interiors. A book devoted to exploring the power and importance of pattern by a master of the same – how could we resist?! Greg Natale has been passionate about design for as long as he can remember and is widely known in his hometown of Sydney, and across the globe, for his masterful use of pattern and color. Open The Patterned Interior (Rizzoli) and take a journey with Greg as he visits a few of his most exquisite projects, sharing his vision and approach to uncovering the beauty that lives within every interior. This book isn’t brand new, but we’ve included it here because we feel no design library (or self-respecting cocktail table) should be without it.
On Style: Inspiration and Advice from the New Generation of Interior Design
by Carl Dellatore
If you know someone who’s interested, as are we, in knowing what designers are emerging importantly on the scene and why they may be the influencers of tomorrow – this book is for you. Its author, Carl Dellatore is one we admire. With a career rooted in textiles and a stellar lineup of editorial contributions in shelter mags like House & Garden, Martha Stewart Living, and House Beautiful, Carl has been an enduring presence amid the conversation of home for over two decades. The author of The Fabric Style Book and Interior Design Master Class debuted his latest literary work of art entitled On Style (Rizzoli) in September. Highlighting a fascinating mélange of interiors from 50 premier up-and-coming designers, it’s a study in environment and inspiration that will keep you coming back for more. We’re excited that so many of the featured designers are Country Floors patrons. You guys, you know who you are, please know that we’re watching and cheering for you!!!
A Wandering Eye: Travels with My Phone
by Miguel Flores-Vianna
We gather inspiration for Country Floors tile from our travels and from historical and cultural references that span the globe. We feel we have a kindred soul in this revered author, whom we are privileged to know because of his long and storied career as a shelter journalist. Miguel Flores-Vianna embraces a magical sense of wanderlust in his latest book, A Wandering Eye: Travels with My Phone. An internationally-adored photographer and editor, we treasure Miguel’s work and his singular eye for beauty. If you find yourself falling in love with the world through his lens, be sure to follow his Instagram and pick up a copy of his first book, Haute Bohemians, for more spellbinding charm from every corner of the Earth. You can also enjoy his work, encompassing the curatorial, editorial and photographic, as Interiors Editor of the elegant, extraordinary, phone-book-thick, glossy paged, cloth-covered quarterly Cabana Magazine, a subscription to which might actually be the ultimate design-lover’s holiday gift.
Tham ma da: The Adventurous Interiors of Paola Navone
by Spencer Bailey
Paola Navone is a Milan-based architect and interior designer with an astonishing ability to design transformative interiors. Scouring the globe for inspiration, she lends a unique perspective to everyday design elements, molding the “ordinary” (the English translation for tham ma da) into something altogether new. In truth, you can’t go wrong on your holiday gift list with anything from Pointed Leaf Press. Their editors have a pedigree in the design journalism realm that is second to none.
We’re particularly drawn to Paola’s process because molding the everyday into something exceptional is essential to what we do with tile. There may be nothing more humble than clay, yet touched by the hands of artisans, and placed by the eyes of designers, it becomes something entirely magical. With 55 years in the ceramic tile industry, we remain devoted to providing a dynamic and ever-growing collection, ensuring that the spaces where you share life’s most treasured moments are worthy of their beauty.
We hope the must-gift design books shared here inspire you as much as they inspire us. Which books will be under your tree this year? Drop us a note via Instagram @country_floors to share your favorites!
Images in this post: Rizzoli, Pointed Leaf Press, Architectural Digest, Abrams.