Thanks to Instagram, interior designers are no longer just employed by the stars—they also have become stars in their own right. This fall, a bevy of glossy books celebrating the work of prominent designers will hit shelves. Offerings range from the debut monographs of midcareer creatives like Brigette Romanek and Jake Arnold to a career retrospective of industry veteran John Stefanidis. Here are CULTURED’s picks of the best of the genre to help you up your design game.
David Netto by David Netto
Design Ethos: Design nerd meets bon vivant.
The Clientele: Jerry and Jessica Seinfeld, Lauren Santo Domingo, Renee Rockefeller, and Nathalie Farman-Farma
What to Expect: A Harvard architecture school dropout turned celebrated interior designer, Netto has also earned a reputation as a sharp design writer and historian. Now, he turns his keen eye (and pen) toward his own work with a compilation of 20 projects ranging from sleek city abodes to spacious country homes. Photography sits alongside watercolor renderings by artist Mita Corsini Bland.
Release Date: September 5
Price: $75
Interiors by Studio Shamshiri
Design Ethos: “California bohemian, East Coast glamour, and classic European panache.”
The Clientele: Maison de la Ruz, Anne Hathaway, and Beck
What to Expect: The firm’s first monograph pegs itself as a “master class in design” as it bounces between contemporary properties and midcentury homes designed by the likes of architects Rudolph Schindler and A. Quincy Jones. Snapshots of each project are accompanied by a close examination of choices that either modernized historic buildings or rooted new builds in classic design.
Release Date: September 5
Price: $75
Redefining Comfort by Jake Arnold
Design Ethos: Muted, livable luxury.
The Clientele: John Legend and Chrissy Teigen, Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom, Aaron Paul, and Rashida Jones
What to Expect: In his first book, Arnold compiles nine projects, each representing a key element of his personal design philosophy. Unlike many books, which showcase only the finished project, the designer takes readers back to the start of each process, mixing in sketches, swatches, and inspirations alongside the realized interiors.
Release Date: September 5
Price: $60
Synchronicity by Kelly Wearstler
Design Ethos: Uninhibited West Coast maximalism.
The Clientele: Cameron Diaz, Gwen Stefani, Bergdorf Goodman
What to Expect: Wearstler guides her legions of fans through seven recent projects, each thoroughly explored by design editor Dan Rubinstein. From a Los Angeles home filled with art by the likes of Hank Willis Thomas to the hybrid 1920s-contemporary build of the Santa Monica Proper Hotel, the tome uses full-page photography to capture even the smallest details.
Release Date: September 26
Price: $60
Interiors by Laura Gonzalez
Design Ethos: The Parisian pattern mixer.
The Clientele: Christian Louboutin, Cartier, Dar Mima
What to Expect: For her debut monograph, Gonzalez eschewed a list of her most recently completed abodes in favor of a career highlight reel. On display in this fabric-wrapped Italian hardcover is a mix of residences and boutiques, including the Cartier mansion in New York, Paris’s Saint James hotel, and Gonzalez’s own country home in Mainneville, France.
Release Date: October 3
Price: $75
Star Style by Martyn Lawrence Bullard
Design Ethos: Modern Hollywood luxe.
The Clientele: Kylie Jenner, Ellen Pompeo, and Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani
What to Expect: The forward is written by Cher. This alone summarizes much of what one needs to know before flipping through the pages of Bullard’s monograph, which includes an eclectic array of projects and cameos from several Kardashians.
Release Date: October 3
Price: $75
A Designer's Eye by John Stefanidis
Design Ethos: Eclectic, colorful, and exquisite craftsmanship.
The Clientele: Ann Getty, the Duke of Westminster, and Lord Rothschild
What to Expect: The publication follows Stefanidis’s career from its London origins in the 1960s to more recent projects. It combs through imagery taken for magazine features and previously unpublished photography from the designer’s personal archive. The spreads—which spotlight Stefanidis signature elements like bronze door pulls or oak shutters—are accompanied by his musings on the design process and steadfast decorating rules.
Release Date: October 3
Price: $75
Liveable Luxe by Brigette Romanek
Design Ethos: “Gucci meets Gap.”
The Clientele: Molly Sims, Maison Margiela, and Beyoncé
What to Expect: In Romanek’s debut monograph, the designer offers an inside look at projects that embody her unique blend of the high-end and the accessible, including her own home in Laurel Canyon. Fans of Gwyneth Paltrow’s breezy California style will be happy to see a section dedicated to the Goop founder’s Montecito home and a forward penned by the star.
Release Date: October 10
Price: $45
