I am a huge design book lover! A few reasons:

1. They’re beautiful on the outside = perfect for styling.

2. If you have a collection, the range of points of view can be much wider than what you see circulating online.

3. Seeing architectural or design details on an actual page just hits different!

I’ve been collecting them over the last ten years or so, and wanted to share a few of my favorites lately. I asked Hailee, a designer here at JS, to share her faves as well!

(All books are linked below each image xo)

Jenni Kayne… need we say more? Okay. This book is filled with more contemporary and clean homes using natural organic materials. These spaces are so calming! - Hailee

I first came across Kelly Wearstler’s work when I saw Cameron Diaz’s kitchen that she designed (years ago, before I ever went to design school). The few images I saw sent me down a rabbit hole of learning everything I could about KW. Her work is on another level! The images in here are full of texture, pattern & bold architecture. - Andrea

MORE BEAUTIFUL: ALL AMERICAN DECORATION BY MARK D. SIKES

One of the greats, Mark D Sikes! Filled with traditional layered and colorful patterns! For the grand-millenial lover. - Hailee

Nobody pulls off effortless like Amber Lewis. I love how she mixes clean lines with antiques & natural materials. I pull this book often for inspiration! - Andrea

For anyone loving a timeless style with a touch of French country. Beautiful images, one of my favorites. - Hailee

This book just came out in November 2022, and I’m making my way through it right now! Jean Stoffer has a way of making every space personal. This book shares a lot of her path to design, growing a business & raising a family! - Andrea

One of the first design books I ever purchased. “Luxury Minimalism” - Nancy Braithwaite designs on the principle that every piece should be thoughtful and carries it’s own weight in a room. You’ll love this one! - Andrea

Love the vintage throwbacks of people and places in Italy. Gorgeous colorful images to transport you to another place and time. - Hailee

ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTION

Okay, okay, this isn’t technically a “book”, but consider it “living scripture” in the world of design ;). Every month being able to see what’s going on right now with amazing projects around the world, and let it spark something new for you! - Andrea

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL ROOMS IN THE WORLD: ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST

Don’t want to commit to the magazine subscription? AD curated rooms from 10 different editions & nine countries, all into one gorgeous book. - Andrea

Welcome to the laundry room at #mamashouse!

This room was a really fun project to work on because the transformation feels drastic but most things we changed or added weren’t earth shattering. It’s the culmination of all the little things that make the biggest impact. Look at me just sharing life philosophy :)… anyway I’ll walk you through everything below, as well as sharing some before pictures… starting with this one!

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I need to be better about before pictures, I don’t have many…. But anyway, this laundry room is about 20 years old, and is probably one of the hardest working rooms in the house. The cabinets & tile were in good shape, but just outdated. My client (aka mom) loves turquoise, but it can be an overwhelming real quick. We compromised on a softer minty hue that freshened things up but still had personality. Using that as a jumping off point for design, I worked on replacing or adding to this room.

Here’s a list of everything we did to this room:

Painted Cabinets

Painted walls white (chantilly lace by BM)

Replaced Hardware

New countertop, sink & faucet

Added a backsplash

New hanging bar

Stenciled flooring - this was actually a very time intensive project (that my mom did herself!), and I would only recommend if you really love DIY (like her).

Replaced fluorescent lighting with a chandelier

…. See what I mean? All these individual improvements make a huge difference when all is said and done! Now let’s get looking at some pretty pictures.

Love this view forever!

Everything feels bright, fresh & happy. The utility sink gets used a lot since it’s right off the garage, & it’s so nice to have everything easy to clean and wipe down when messes are made.

Let’s do one more before & after so you can really visualize the transformation…

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Sources:

Backsplash

Art print

Hanging bar

Faucet

Rug

Tile stencil

Chandelier

Hooks - Hobby Lobby