Decorating & Design
The 16 Best Decorating and Garden Books To Read This Summer
Published on May 30, 2025
The latest crop of design books captures the spirit of the summer season, with titles on waterfront living, country estates, stunning designer gardens and global style. Some offer an escape to destinations including Italy, the Caribbean, France and Spain. Others showcase glorious gardens and outdoor sanctuaries. Mix a cocktail or mocktail and scroll through these must-read summer design books, full of dreamy escapes that inspire.
Natural Living by Design
Australian designer Melissa Penfold’s latest book, Natural Living by Design, hopscotches around the world to peek into the homes of creatives. Tour Spanish farmhouses, converted English barns, Tangier villas and sun-bleached Greek homes that emphasize wellness.
The World of Peter Dunham: Global Style from Paris to Hollywood
Peter Dunham is one of Hollywood’s favourite interior designers (notable clients include Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Drew Barrymore, Hilary Swank and Minnie Driver). His first book reveals not only his own homes that are full of his signature boho fabrics and wallpaper, but also his favourite projects.
Cocoon: Creating Homes with Heart
Craving a break from the tech-driven modern world? Interior stylist, designer and writer Ali Heath is too, so she sought out low-key home sanctuaries that emphasize unplugging. Tour English cottages, Tasmanian boathouses, converted Spanish fishing shacks and London townhouses in her latest book.
The Waterfront House: Living with Style on The Coast
Dive into designer Phoebe Howard‘s collection of Caribbean homes if you are thirsty for the coastal look. With their stunning views and water-inspired palettes, these practical and pretty spaces are made for indoor-outdoor living.
Fans of major colour will appreciate the wit and whimsy from designer Cara Woodhouse. In her latest book, she emphasizes eye candy and moody maximalism with quirky accents, plus there are tips on pattern mixing, stone selection and home office ideas.
Patina Homes & Gardens
Steve and Brooke Giannetti (an architect and interior designer/blogger, respectively) left their beloved Patina Farm to refurbish an 1850s-era log cabin. This book showcases their new homestead, plus seven other homes including a seaside villa, a Tudor estate, a Spanish revival remodel and an English cottage designed in the couple’s signature rustic style.
Glorious Gardens: Private Edens of the World’s Leading Interior Designers
We know designers have great taste and houses. This book captures how that aesthetic spills into their outdoor spaces as well, like in Veere Grenney’s magical hideout in Tangier, Morocco. Each garden in this book is a reflection of its creator’s design philosophy, resulting in spaces that are heady and memorable.
Relaxed Elegance: Rooms For Living Well
Known for her “Park Avenue meets Palm Beach” look, designer Brittany Bromley‘s rooms are polished, but also made for modern family life. Her signature moves include bright lacquered walls and upholstering furniture in bold, patterned fabrics.
Italian Interiors: Rooms with a View
Italian interiors combine the romance the country is known for — think historic Venetian palaces, mid-century apartments in Milan and sun-filled villas in rural Sicily — with cutting-edge furniture design. In this book, Milan-based writer Laura May Todd invites readers inside 50 residences by influential Italian tastemakers.
Isabel López-Quesada: Town & Country
Designer Isabel López-Quesada is one of the most prominent Spanish designers in the business, and she has a knack for making spaces feel liveable yet cool. She takes readers inside a variety of spaces, including escapes in Spain, Portugal and Greece.
Aerin Lauder Living With Flowers
Aerin Lauder’s love of flowers has deep roots. In this book, the businesswoman and style icon brings the garden inside with classic Gracie floral wallpaper and different arrangements. See inside her own homes, and learn her favourite secrets for integrating flowers into interiors.
Traditionalists will sink their teeth into this book, which is full of design staples like botanical prints, rush baskets, tailored stripes and well-stocked bars. Author Caroline Gidiere‘s tips for living well include table settings, outfitting a guest room and being party-ready.
The Young Man and the Tree
Private escapes full of lushly layered foliage, flowers, elaborate garden follies, pools, pavilions and fountains are the stock-in-trade of high-profile landscape designer Fernando Wong. Fans include David Netto, Miles Redd, and Amanda Lindroth, and the book’s forward is penned by Martha Stewart.
For The Love of Renovating
Known as the Brownstone Boys, Barry Bordelon and Jordan Slocum made their name revamping historical Brooklyn properties. Mine their knowledge for your own projects and get practical information on refurbishing historical details and refinishing furniture.
Elizabeth Roberts Architects: Collected Stories
If clean and minimal is your mantra, you’ll embrace the work of architect Elizabeth Roberts. This book details 18 projects for Hollywood stars, fashion designers and media moguls living in soigné townhouses, modern mountain retreats and restored farmhouses.
The Design of a Country Estate: Purple Cherry Architects & Interiors
Award-winning designer Cathy Purple Cherry goes big in this book, detailing what it took to build an impressive coastal estate (with four full kitchens and 13 bedrooms). Breaking down the creative process gives readers valuable insight into what it’s like to develop a comprehensive project from scratch.