Alexa Hampton

From Alexa Hampton, one of today's greatest interior designers and owner of Mark Hampton LLC, comes a beautifully photographed memoir about her journey into design and the inspirations that shaped her iconic style. The anatomies of my chosen surrounding are rich with meaning, authentic and borrowed, and are a snapshot (or many snapshots) of a lifetime spent in the world of design. In her newest book, Alexa Hampton takes you on a journey through her life's work: her beautifully appointed pre-war apartment on 59th street in Manhattan. She highlights the art, textiles, and objects in her spaces, along with the design and fashion tastemakers who inspired their use. In doing so, she acknowledges some of the big movements, auctions, and people that rocked the world of design and made an indelible mark on her. An intimate look into Alexa's personal design process, including the countless updates and redecorations of her own home, this book is a personal history of interior design and a love letter to an iconic home.

At an early age, Alexa Hampton learned the language of good design, the vocabulary to speak it, and the elements that define it. As the daughter of interior design legend Mark Hampton, she traveled the world by her father's side, touring the great architectural landmarks and discovering beauty, training her eye. Now one of America's most influential designers herself, Alexa Hampton provides a tour of stunning residences from her own portfolio. Eighteen classic spaces illustrate in rich detail the elements that govern cultivated design--contrast, proportion, color, and balance. Among the residences are a landmark 1912 McKim, Mead & White restoration on Fifth Avenue in New York City; an eclectic house by the sea layered in textures, patterns, and colors; a contemporary apartment distinguished by simple geometry and clean lines; and Hampton's own apartment, filled with an exquisite collection of architectural elements. Hampton also explains how she tailored each space to meet her clients' needs while retaining a timeless aesthetic, and she provides design expertise on everything from fabric schemes to the particulars of paint. From a French neoclassical tour de force of architec-ture, artwork, and design to a Queen Anne summer cottage furnished to showcase the house's graceful nineteenth-century dimensions, the spaces here speak the language of design--a language that, under Hampton's tutelage, anyone can master.

Interior designer Leslie Banker grew up learning the trade by her decorator mother s side. The most important thing her mother taught her was that thinking like a decorator means focusing on developing the story of the space and its inhabitants. That story is what gives a place style, depth, character, and its own unique look, as well as most importantly makes the people who live there happy. Think Like a Decorator shows readers how to do just that. Banker teaches readers how to drill down and articulate what appeals to them. She explains how to drop anchors for the project, whether it s a favorite paint color or an inherited family piece, and what is essential to living comfortably in a home (hint: enough chairs at the dinner table). Banker also covers how to identify what is not working currently (the pile of backpacks that grows at the end of each day in that neglected corner) and how to solve the inevitable issues that will arise (the paint color that turned garish on the wall). Witty and entertaining, with Q and As from noted designers including Alexa Hampton, Tom Scheerer, Amanda Nisbet, Katie Ridder, and Christopher Spitzmiller, Think Like a Decorator is, ultimately, about how to live happily and well at home.

"An essential text for all students of design . . . and] inspiration and intel for those simply interested in the art and practice." --Alexa Hampton, from the foreword From the nation's top college for interior design comes a definitive design school in a book and a fabulous reference for decorating the home. In the past decade, New York School of Interior Design, which was founded in 1916, has drawn a large crossover audience of passionate decorating enthusiasts and hobbyists--many of them private homeowners who know that thinking like a professional is the surest way to achieve a magnificent home. This lavishly illustrated and highly detailed interior design bible provides a comprehensive education on home design and decor, from color theory principles to space-specific considerations (choosing furniture for a living room) and collaborating with architects and other professionals for the best results. Built on the Home Study Course that is the foundation of the school's curriculum, this book offers an unparalleled mastery of the key elements of enduring design, rendering it the only book you'll ever need.

The celebrated designer and author of The Language of Interior Design takes readers deeply into her process of selecting the details for elegant, classic homes with inviting living rooms, bedrooms, dining rooms, kitchens, and other spaces. In her first book, Alexa Hampton shared the basics of interior design--Contrast, Proportion, Color, and Balance--to rave reviews from readers and the media. In Decorating in Detail, Alexa shares the development process for eight elegant homes in locations from New York City to New Orleans. Walking readers through each room, she describes how she and the homeowners chose all of the elements, from textures to fabrics to furniture. Sidebars on the best placement for lamps, outlets, and more (inspired by her popular Wall Street Journal "Where-to" column) and Sharpie drawings that show how she visualized the room's transformations help the reader build an unprecedented understanding of interior home design as a whole.