4 New Books That Celebrate Women in Design
Watercolor Botanical Garden
Author: Rachel Eskandari
Painting succulents and roses can be almost as therapeutic as growing them. Eskandari—an Arizona-based artist, instructor and owner of Pink Puddle Studio—takes readers on a step-by-step journey through the process of painting bright, evocative watercolors of florals and botanicals. From selecting tools and mixing shades to creating gradients, even novices can dip their brushes into this cheerful and relaxing discipline. Releases Sept. 28, $25. (rockynook.com)
A Room of Her Own: Inside the Homes and Lives of Creative Women
Author: Robyn Lea
Artists, designers and makers invite us inside their personal sanctuaries for an intimate look not only at their aesthetic sensibilities, but also at the ideals and values that inspire and drive their creative mastery. Author and photographer Robyn Lea showcases rooms and vignettes—from studios and kitchens to bedrooms and gardens—of famous female juggernauts across multiple disciplines, including painting, interior design, writing and culinary arts. $45 (thamesandhudsonusa.com)
Bunny Mellon Style
Authors: Linda Jane Holden, Thomas Lloyd, Bryan Huffman
Born Rachel Lambert Mellon and known colloquially to the world by her nickname, “Bunny,” the legendary horticulturist and gardener is recognized as one of the greatest style icons of the 20th century. Learn how a passion for botany, art and architecture, paired with a rarefied gift for creating natural beauty, catapulted Mellon from designing the White House Rose Garden and Louis XIV’s Potager du Roi in Versailles to becoming a trusted source of design advice for everyone from Hubert de Givenchy to Jackie Kennedy. Available for pre-order (release date is Oct. 12). $60 (gibbs-smith.com)
Woman Made: Great Women Designers
Author: Jane Hall
Men tend to receive much of the glory in the realm of design. Releasing on Sept. 29, “Woman Made” highlights the extraordinary, varied and often under-recognized women who forged some of the most beautiful and iconic pieces known to modern interiors and architecture. From Ray Eames to Zaha Hadid, this 264-page tome underscores the work of 200 female creatives who pushed boundaries, challenged sociopolitical gender norms and crafted objets d’art that remain archetypal representations of style. $60 (phaidon.com)
