I realize that not everyone who is passionate about interiors knows the names of published designers. They don’t catch their breath when they hear of a new magazine feature or book by someone who has inspired them, perhaps for their living room rug or for whole rooms, over the last 15 years.
But I do have a short list of creative people who make my pulse quicken each time I see their work, and New York-based architect Gil Schafer is one. His new book, Home at Last: Enduring Design for the New American House is his third, and it continues to capture so beautifully Schafer and his team’s work and their process. One thing that I enjoy about his books is that he lays out his clients’ objectives clearly and details how he and his team address and improve upon them. (The editorial phrase is mine; I doubt Schafer would present his suggestions this way.)
The home pictured here is one of eight in the book. Each project offers beautiful inspiration through a wealth of pictures, but it is the text that reveals the depth of process, talent, and personal investment of Schafer and his firm. On a personal note, please don’t skip the introduction, in which Schafer details his delight in marrying for the first time at 57 and how it’s broadened his perspective.
“These recent years have expanded my understanding of the ways a home can tell a story about you—your family, your passions, your story—and of course, the story the architect wishes to tell must never interfere with that.”
The architect could, if he’s like Schafer, delight and inspire you by detailing his process and sharing the outcome—homes sensitive to their settings, perfect in their proportions, with the families’ needs firmly in mind. This third book—and the previous two—are design library must-haves.