Thomas O Brien Library House

Thomas O’Brien’s name has long been synonymous with vintage elegance, modernism, and warm, livable design, so it’s no surprise that his luxurious homes in Bellport, Long Island, have attracted significant attention. Thomas O’Brien: Library House captures the gorgeous architecture, interiors, lush gardens, and myriad collections of the effortlessly formal and classic home and design studio (The Library) next door to his celebrated Academy house. In describing the process of imagining and building this dream project—a new house that looks as if it had been built over generations—the book also provides a view into how the author and his husband and fellow AD100 designer, Dan Fink, live and work. Stunning original photography documents this incredible, historically detailed residence and showcases O’Brien’s keen design sense and his expert eye through a lifetime of collecting art, antiquities, furniture, books, tableware, textiles, and more. Including behind-the-scenes stories about the extraordinary property and exclusive insight into O’Brien’s passion for gardens, this new book is an obsessive design companion and an aspirational guide to living a beautiful life in a beautiful home.

“One of those designers whose interior and furniture designs look discovered, not created . . . both comfortable and exquisite, calm and eclectic.” —Apartment Therapy Designer and merchant, collector and tastemaker, Thomas O’Brien has made a career of translating cool notions of modernism into an easy and generous array of modern styles that anyone can attain. Now he introduces readers to a range of those styles—from casual to formal, vintage to urban—alongside stunning photography and charming design stories. O’Brien carefully describes the design process of his chosen projects, including a downtown New York City loft, a traditional Connecticut estate, and a converted schoolhouse in eastern Long Island. Each home explores a view on the modern design spectrum he has created, as well as the individual choices that make the design unique and its mix essentially American. He explains not only what was at work to create a given style, but how readers can import those practices to their own homes and personal design sensibilities. Important design principles such as architectural authenticity, color relationships, correctness of scale, and informed collecting are threaded through a practical narrative that reads like a master class in interior design. American Modern is an inspiring design volume that will redefine the way readers think about modern interiors. “O’Brien carefully describes the design process of his chosen projects. Beautiful imagery and a unique layout describe his approach to design in a new and innovative way.” —LIFEMSTYLE “It’s like getting a glimpse into the studio paintings of a great master . . . I especially love how all of his spaces feel so gender neutral, the perfect balance.” —Cottage Farm

House of Splendid Isolation is a newly reissued novel from Edna O’Brien, the author of Girl—“one of the most celebrated writers in the English language” (NPR’s Weekend Edition). The heartbreaking dilemmas and the noble and bloody history of Ireland come vividly to life in the tale of Josie, a widow living in a solitary house outside an Irish village, whose home becomes the hideout of an IRA terrorist.

Beginning with new evidence that cites the presence of books in Roman villas and concluding with present day vicissitudes of collecting, this generously illustrated book presents a complete survey of British and Irish country house libraries. Replete with engaging anecdotes about owners and librarians, the book features fascinating information on acquisition bordering on obsession, the process of designing library architecture, and the care (and neglect) of collections. The author also disputes the notion that these libraries were merely for show, arguing that many of them were profoundly scholarly, assembled with meticulous care, and frequently used for intellectual pursuits. For those who love books and the libraries in which they are collected and stored, The Country House Library is an essential volume to own.

A visual delight and an inspiration for every bibliophile with a growing home library, this dream-and-drool design book features some of the most jaw-dropping book collections of homeowners around the world. NAMED ONE OF JO’S FALL FAVORITES IN MAGNOLIA JOURNAL Interior designer Nina Freudenberger, New Yorker writer Sadie Stein, and Architectural Digest photographer Shade Degges give readers a peek at the private libraries and bookshelves of passionate readers all over the world, including Larry McMurtry, Silvia Whitman of Shakespeare and Co., Gay and Nan Talese, and Emma Straub. Throughout, gorgeous photographs of rooms with rare collections, floor-to-ceiling shelves, and stacks upon stacks of books inspire readers to live better with their own collections. Praise for Bibliostyle “Featuring enviable private libraries and packed floor-to-ceiling shelves, this beautiful volume makes a compelling case for books as décor.”—New York “Freudenberger spotlights the splendid, enviable personal libraries of literary figures whose owners obviously care about their book collections and have actually read them, too.”—The Boston Globe “This is a coffee table book that makes you think as well as admire and desire.”—Sydney Herald “Offers a look into the fabulous homes of book lovers the world over, showcasing how their interior design is built around the tomes they love most.”—CN “The photographs of rooms with rare collections, floor-to-ceiling shelves, and stacks upon stacks of books will inspire readers to live better with their own collections.”—Publishers Weekly “Nina Freudenberger teams with Sadie Stein of The New Yorker and photographer Shade Degges of Architectural Digest to showcase beautiful photographs of the private libraries of book lovers from all over the world.”—BookRiot

Heather Clawson's wildly popular blog Habitually Chic collected the finer things in life: high fashion, fine art, interior design and arresting architecture. Now she narrows her vision in this stunning photographic collection that offers an intimate look into the workspaces of the world's foremost cultural generators. Clawson showcases the studious, workshops, offices and creative sanctuaries of cultural icons, including Jenna Lyons and Frank Muytjens of J. Crew, James de Givenchy of TAFFIN and potter Jonathan Adler, along with many more.

The first book to focus on the solo residential work of the visionary interior decorator Stephen Sills. Simultaneously classical and modern, Stephen Sills’s design work is a dialogue between past and present. Filled with luxurious fabrics, furnishings from across centuries, and unusual finishes, his work is polished, seemingly effortless, and quietly rich, with a muted color palette that serves as a brilliant foil for modern art. In this striking, meditative volume, the follow-up to his best-selling book Dwellings, Sills presents sixteen breathtaking homes, gorgeously photographed by the legendary François Halard, in locations as varied as a penthouse on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue, a modern Aspen retreat, an estate on the North Shore of Long Island, and his own country house in Bedford, New York (dubbed the "chicest house in America" by Karl Lagerfeld). Common to them all is a sense of atmosphere, point of view, and soul—the sense of a master craftsman at work.

Design authority Wendy Moonan takes the reader on a tour of some of New York City's finest residential rooms--past and present. The selection of interiors is about the "wow" factor--New York residential spaces that elicit gasps of pleasure and surprise when first seen. Some are very grand, others sparingly modern or eclectic. All are exceptional and, Moonan promises, unforgettable. Groundbreaking rooms include Brooke Astor's elegant library by Albert Hadley; Gloria Vanderbilt's sublime patchwork bedroom; Donald Judd's dramatically spare art-filled loft; Adolfo's opulent and magnificently red entrance hall; a Peter Marino-designed penthouse with sweeping midtown views; and Jamie Drake's stunning dining room for the mayor's residence, Gracie Mansion. Other illustrious interior designers and architects represented in the book include Mario Buatta, Robert Couturier, Albert Hadley, Denning & Fourcade, Mark Hampton, Philip Johnson, Charlotte Moss, Thomas O'Brien, Paul Rudolph, Bunny Williams, and Steven Gambrel. New York is the epicenter of interior-design innovations. Residents embrace myriad styles--from pure period historicism to bracing modernity. Moonan investigates the city's best residential spaces and presents them here, a book for the libraries of design lovers and professionals in the field.