Living Well By Design

Everything that surrounds you affects you, so surround yourself only with things you love.

Melissa Penfold’s book Living Well By Design is beautifully written and photographed with images of her own home as well as projects of quite a few designers around the world.  Her eye for design and thoughtful explanations of design elements stress the importance of embracing your home’s setting, which not all designers think of. Her down to earth advice and pointers are delivered with a gentle touch. Penfold believes there is a difference between furnishing a room and decorating a room- and that difference is style. She grew up in beautiful Australian homes and was exposed at an early age to fine art, antiques and design. 

Decorating is an autobiography, and a home should feel like a portrait of the person who lives there. Home is the ongoing story of a person and should be decorated with things that please the eye, soothe the senses, and and move us in some way.

The remote Greek island of Symi. Architect Dimitris Zographos created this magical outdoor space from what was previously a ruin. Note the mosaic paving.

Throw open the windows and doors, and roll up every blind to bring in natural light during the day. It will make everything just seem fresher. 

The wall of metal framed windows and doors in this room designed by Rachel Halvorson allows the garden to have an aesthetic impact on the interior. 

Above: The kitchen in Bunny Williams’ recently decorated two bedroom apartment in a 1920s Gothic Revival building in New York. The cabinetry is painted in a dark custom color from Donald Kaufman Color. 

Buy only what you love and you’ll be surprised how well everything works together over the years. 

 

order your copy here, and one for a friend too!

About the author

Melissa Penfold is a longtime design columnist for the Sydney Morning Herald and contributor to major Australian publications which include Vogue Living, Belle, House & Garden, Marie Claire, and Harper’s Bazaar. She lives in Australia and this book includes images of her own home. 

 

Photo credits: Abbie Melle

 

 

 

 

 

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