Patina Modern: A Guide to Designing Warm, Timeless Interiors

Home designers Mitchell and Guzmán (Time for Dinner) offer a fresh approach to modern style in this clever guide. The authors aim to create “rooms that are both spare and warm. Layered and clean. Current and timeless,” and that are meant to be lived in, and write that the function of a home “is twofold: to signal the aspirations of how we want to live on our best day, as well as to provide shelter to us, both practically and emotionally.” Four core principles will help readers achieve that combination of function and beauty: “great ingredients,” or materials that will withstand the test of time; “decorating by mood” and choosing between “clean, romantic, earthy, sexy, or jolie laide” for a room; imagining a space from bird’s-eye view, which helps with “putting it all together”; and “borrowing from the best,” or gathering inspiration from magazines, monographs, and other designers. Three houses in Brooklyn and the Hamptons show the ideas in action, and a nine-item manifesto— “don’t be scared of using black” and “create rooms with multiple purposes” among them—will help jump-start the decorating process. These practical, stylish tips go a long way in taking the intimidation out of the design process. (Oct.)