Best Selling Design Books in 2020

“I have always imaged that Paradise would be some kind of a library.” Jorge Louis Borges

As I sat down to plan my blogging schedule for this week, I realized that as much as I’d like to close the door on 2020 and throw away the key, there have been several highs this past year worth mentioning, despite the overwhelmingly great number of lows. Some of these positives include a greater sense of community and a renewed appreciation for all that’s good in our relationships, but also a heightened interest in making our homes more comfortable, and more appealing. Other highs are maybe less obvious and more personal, but to some of us still important. I’m talking about books and more time to read, and design books in particular. The need to escape in a world that isn’t our own, to be transported and inspired, has never been more present and remains so still, despite there being much hope for the future.

So if you don’t mind, I’d like to look back  with you at some of the best-selling design books of last year and ask your opinion on which ones were your favorite, and what gems have you discovered this past year that haven’t necessarily made it to this list. I’ve looked at Amazon’s Top 100 bestsellers in interior design and decoration and was surprised at how few of the titles I loved were actually on that list. Here is the intersection – Amazon’s Top 100 with Café Design’s preferred ones – in no particular order. (Click on the titles to find out more.) Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love and Baking Biscuits, by Reese Whiterspoon

“Academy Award–winning actress, producer, and entrepreneur Reese Witherspoon invites you into her world, where she infuses the southern style, parties, and traditions she loves with contemporary flair and charm. Reese Witherspoon’s grandmother Dorothea always said that a combination of beauty and strength made southern women “whiskey in a teacup.” We may be delicate and ornamental on the outside, she said, but inside we’re strong and fiery.

Reese’s southern heritage informs her whole life, and she loves sharing the joys of southern living with practically everyone she meets. She takes the South wherever she goes with bluegrass, big holiday parties, and plenty of Dorothea’s fried chicken. It’s reflected in how she entertains, decorates her home, and makes holidays special for her kids—not to mention how she talks, dances, and does her hair (in these pages, you will learn Reese’s fail-proof, only slightly insane hot-roller technique). Reese loves sharing Dorothea’s most delicious recipes as well as her favorite southern traditions, from midnight barn parties to backyard bridal showers, magical Christmas mornings to rollicking honky-tonks.

It’s easy to bring a little bit of Reese’s world into your home, no matter where you live. After all, there’s a southern side to every place in the world, right?”

More Beautiful, by Mark D. Sikes

“The author of Beautiful is back with a new book of his interiors, filled with blue-and-white vignettes, wicker, saturated color, and pretty patterns.

Interior designer Mark D. Sikes burst onto the publishing scene with his New York Times best-selling first book, Beautiful. His new book, aptly titled More Beautiful, picks up where the first left off, in a celebration of classic, all-American decorating. The rooms featured in More Beautiful are divided into five distinct styles, all of which exude the happiness that comes with surrounding oneself with things you love. “Traditional” is chockablock with vibrant color, antique furniture, and heady doses of trim and pattern. “Country” is a new take on the style, where distressed finishes and modern silhouettes mingle for a warm welcome. “Coastal” is streamlined, with natural woven fibers, sun-faded linen and neutrals, and blues and whites galore. “Mediterranean” evokes faraway lands, with a saturated palette, ornate tiles and ikats, and iron details. Finally, there’s “Beautiful”: a peek inside Mark’s own Hollywood Hills home, which nods to all of his favorite design signatures–including Italian wicker, blue and white, Anglo-Indian antiques, and more. With all-new photography by Amy Neunsinger, the book will inspire with rooms that are light-filled and crisply patterned, chic yet comfortable, and just the way people want to live today.”

The Finer Things: Timeless Furniture, Textiles, and Details, by Christiane Lemieux

“With a foreword by Miles Redd, this luxurious decorating resource trains the eye to recognize enduring, quality home goods and to use them to dazzling design effect.

Quality matters. Just as a home’s foundation should be built to stand the test of time, so, too, should the furniture, objects, and elements of our rooms speak to an enduring sense of beauty and comfort. They should outlast trends and our loving day-to-day use. But how does one recognize quality and judge whether something is well made?

Christiane Lemieux set out to answer this question by interviewing the world’s greatest experts. Weaving together the insights and guidance of dozens of wallpaper and paint specialists, textile fabricators, accessories artisans, and interior designers, Lemieux has curated an unparalleled education in recognizing the hallmarks of timeless, heirloom-quality pieces. Hundreds of elegant home interiors—both iconic examples from the past and stunning residences today–represent the range of luxurious and customized environments that can be created with fine décor.”

AD at 100 – A Century of Style

“Architectural Digest at 100 celebrates the best from the pages of the international design authority. The editors have delved into the archives and culled years of rich material covering a range of subjects. Ranging freely between present and past, the book features the personal spaces of dozens of private celebrities like Barack and Michelle Obama, David Bowie, Truman Capote, David Hockney, Michael Kors, and Diana Vreeland, and includes the work of top designers and architects like Frank Gehry, David Hicks, India Mahdavi, Peter Marino, John Fowler, Renzo Mongiardino, Oscar Niemeyer, Axel Vervoordt, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Elsie de Wolfe. Also included are stunning images from the magazine’s history by photographers such as Bill Cunningham, Horst P. Horst, Simon Upton, Francois Dischinger, Francois Halard, Julius Shulman, and Oberto Gili. “

Beautiful, by Mark D. Sikes

“This New York Times bestselling book from interior designer Mark D. Sikes is a celebration of American style today, showcasing chic and accessible ideas for every home.

Modern and unfussy, Mark D. Sikes’s interiors are classic takes on California indoor/outdoor living, with natural fibers and crisp coloration, informed and influenced by the fashion world where he began his career. In eight chapters, he explores approachable, stylish looks, from “Blue and White Forever,” which features indigos, stripes, batiks, and wicker in casual rooms such as porches and pool houses; to “Timeless Neutrals,” presenting semiformal rooms filled with chinoiserie, gilt, glass, mirrors, banquettes, and French chairs; to “Garden Greens,” featuring happy, casual family rooms and kitchens inspired by the garden with treillage woodwork, rattan, and cotton.

There are also “Beautiful Brights,” colorful rooms that are eclectic, layered, and fun, with chintz, florals, and Middle Eastern influences; and “Sun Faded Hues,” rustic coastal rooms with weathered fabrics and furniture. Each chapter presents light-filled images of the designer’s looks and offers the reader inspiration and advice. As famed film director Nancy Meyers writes in the book’s foreword, this is a book that shows design lovers “how classic can look fresh, how style and comfort go hand-in-hand.”

British Decorators at Home, by Jenny Rose-Innes

“British Designers at Home is for anyone curious to find out more about designers, and glean ideas and practical information for their own homes. This engaging and visually enticing book profiles over 20 of the most important names in British design and decoration in their own personal spaces.

Names include: Alidad; Edward Bulmer; Emma Burns; Nina Campbell; Jane Churchill; Octavia Dickinson; Mike Fisher; Veere Grenney; Beata Heuman; Gavin Houghton; Roger Jones; Kit Kemp; Robert Kime; Rita Konig; Penny Morrison; Paolo Moschino; Wendy Nicholls; Guy Oliver; Colin Orchard; Carlos Sânchez-García; Daniel Slowik; Justin van Breda; Sarah Vanrenen and Philip Vergeylen.

Each designer has been profiled and photographed at home – alongside details of their working life and the story of how they became interested in design, they talk at length about the house itself and the thinking behind its design and decoration. From the unexpected to that classic British look, this is an exciting look at modern British interiors.”

To this rather short list I would like to add a few other personal favorites released this past year:

The Land Gardeners – Cut Flowers

“When Bridget Elworthy and Henrietta Courtauld established their firm Land Gardeners, which specializes in cut flowers, they revived the tradition of working with the land to produce abundant, seasonal flowers for use in decoration, design, and events. Yet, as beautiful and idyllic as their designs are, soil health and productivity are their main concerns.

Beginning with their philosophy and origins as gardeners, The Land Gardeners provides vital information on everything you need to create your own cut-flower garden, from necessary tools and how to support health to what plants flourish in which seasons and advice on gathering, preparing, and arranging your blooms. In this gorgeous volume, the authors provide a plan for growing flowers in all four seasons.

As beautiful as it is informative, this book explores the joy of gathering cut flowers and the importance of surrounding ourselves with healthy, vital gardens.”

Pietro Cicogniani: Architecture and Design

“For 30 years, Italian-born Pietro Cicognani has been designing highly customized and exquisitely crafted country houses, city apartments, outbuildings, pool houses, and even garden plans for an A-list clientele. In the first monograph of his work, some 20 of his notable projects are featured, including a converted barn complex on Long Island, a sprawling estate in upstate New York, a chic minimalist town house in Manhattan, and a romantic seaside house and elaborate garden in the Hamptons.

Whether new construction or gut renovation, each project is designed in collaboration with the finest artisans, craftspeople, and exceptional interior designers. Illustrated with photographs by Francesco Lagnese, as well as site and floor plans and drawings, the book includes a foreword by Isabella Rossellini, whose country home Cicognani designed.”

A Home for All Seasons: Gracious Living and Stylish Entertaining, by Danielle Rollins

“Danielle Rollins is renowned for her elegant touch. In her second book, she welcomes readers into her world and shows them how to create gorgeous style at home in rooms tailor-made for gatherings, get-togethers, cocktail hours, dinner parties, and intimate suppers.

Traveling room by room through the house, Rollins shares practical advice and design inspiration. Drawing on her background as an expert hostess and noted designer, Rollins delivers a live-your-best-life guide rooted in the function and design essentials that keep a house beautifully humming: the primacy of a useful floor plan in creating spaces people actually live in and use; the necessity of organization for beautiful, stress-free table settings and entertaining; and creating vivid and happy color schemes that flow seamlessly from room to room.

The book will also include more than a dozen entertaining occasions and tablescapes, including Easter brunch in the garden, a fried-chicken buffet supper, and a candlelit Christmas Eve dinner in the living room. With tips for a gracious life, from organizing your china pantry to setting a memorable table, this book is a celebration of the power of opening up your front door and inviting people in.”

Anyway, these are some of the books that really did it for me this past year but chances are I am forgetting some important ones, so please help me out. What were some of your favorite design books in 2020? Can’t wait to compare our lists! As a side note, some of these books were published prior to 2020 but have stayed at the top of the list and, better yet, are now on sale! 🙂

Also, stay tuned for Friday when we’ll have a look at an exciting list of new releases that are happening in the first part of 2021! (Hint: It’s going to be a great year for the coffee table book publishing industry! )