Book Review: Mary McDonald's "Interiors"

Inspiration is all around but books and magazines are a great place to start! We recently started carrying a few of our favorite books in the store - books that feature work from our favorite interior designers. To give you a little taste and inspiration, we will be starting a new feature called "Book Review" where all of our employees talk about their favorite book. Jen, who works in the store to arrange the floor,  will start this new feature off with Mary McDonald's book, Interiors.

If anyone thinks interior designers are not artists they need to be introduced to Mary McDonald! Creativity is bursting out of her! From her custom painted wood floors to 19th century embroidered tablecloths used as bedspreads, her ideas are endless.

In Mary’s book, Interiors, she says, “The first thing to do when you are ready to decorate is to think of all the things and places that you love.”

She does just that. She not only meets her client’s needs but she reflects their personal style better than they could ever imagine.  When Mary’s friend wanted his bachelor pad revamped she drew inspiration from his love for fashion.  She had his living room curtains fashioned from men’s vintage pin striped suites, and his bed pillows made from vintage silk ties. The woman is brilliant!

Mary McDonald is known for her ability to mix old world with the new world.  While reading her book I was amazed that she could effortlessly freshen a historic space using modern touches.   She described this natural style best when she said, “There’s a poetry to layering the new and the old with an insouciance that makes it seem as if everything just fell into place.”

Our homes should be uniquely our own, and Mary McDonald’s Interiors inspires us do just that.

- Jen

[photos from Mary McDonald's Interiors - The Allure of Style]