Beautiful - by Mark D Sikes (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

This New York Times bestselling book from interior designer Mark D. Sikes is a celebration of American style today, showcasing chic and accessible ideas for every home. Modern and unfussy, Mark D. Sikes's interiors are classic takes on California indoor/outdoor living, with natural fibers and crisp coloration, informed and influenced by the fashion world where he began his career. In eight chapters, he explores approachable, stylish looks, from "Blue and White Forever," which features indigos, stripes, batiks, and wicker in casual rooms such as porches and pool houses; to "Timeless Neutrals," presenting semiformal rooms filled with chinoiserie, gilt, glass, mirrors, banquettes, and French chairs; to "Garden Greens," featuring happy, casual family rooms and kitchens inspired by the garden with treillage woodwork, rattan, and cotton. There are also "Beautiful Brights," colorful rooms that are eclectic, layered, and fun, with chintz, florals, and Middle Eastern influences; and "Sun Faded Hues," rustic coastal rooms with weathered fabrics and furniture. Each chapter presents light-filled images of the designer's looks and offers the reader inspiration and advice. As famed film director Nancy Meyers writes in the book's foreword, this is a book that shows design lovers "how classic can look fresh, how style and comfort go hand-in-hand."

Review Quotes

"The book is filled with elegant, comfortable rooms layered with Sikes' trademark design elements -- cheerful blue-and-white porcelain, wicker and rattan, and fabrics in stripes, batik, and ikat patterns."
--Papercity Magazine

"A showcase of chic ideas for every home, Sikes's interiors are inspired by classic California living."
--The Society Diaries

"This is a book I know I will turn to again and again and I have no doubt that you will, too."
--La Dolce Vita

"Organized by color, each chapter examines Sikes' passion for certain colors . . . and demonstrates how the designer uses these colors to imbue a home's interiors with personality and style. Alongside images of Sikes' work, there are photos of vignettes and mood boards, all of which provide the reader with ample design inspiration."
--Peakofchic.com

"Sharing a glimpse into his world of California cool is his first book, Beautiful: All-American Decorating and Timeless Style. . ."
--Modern Luxury Interiors (Atlanta)

"Fall must haves."
--La Dolce Vita

"We wrote about Mark Sikes in our prior summer issue and we continue to be inspired by his work. This is his first book--and it is a comprehensive look at his distinctive style, which derives from classic American motifs and traditions. Sikes presents ideas that are useable and adaptable for virtually any home, even if much of his aesthetic references classic California indoor/outdoor living, where he lives full time. He is an advocate for using natural fibers, choosing vivid colors, all the while remaining true to fashion as an inspiration, an arena where he began his successful career. Given his strong Hollywood connections, he had Nancy Meyers, the famed film director, write the foreword. She emphasizes that Sikes knows 'how classic can look fresh, how style and comfort go hand-in-hand'."
--Milieu Magazine

"Fall's Must Read Deisgn Books"
--Forbes.com

"Mark D. Sikes makes America Beautiful (Rizzoli) again."
--Vanity Fair

"Meanwhile, his newly published first book, Beautiful: All-American Decorating and Timeless Style, has an entire chapter dedicated to -- what else? -- blue and white. ($37, amazon.com) 'It works with everything, ' Sikes says, 'modern, eclectic, traditional.'"
--House Beautiful

"The book offers a fresh take on American style."
--Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles

"Reese Witherspoon has "Beautiful" at the top of her stack"
--New York Post

"Casually chic and unfussy, the applauded style of interior designer Mark D. Sikes is marked by his compositions of things with a forever appeal to make rooms livable. In Beautiful: All American Decorating and Timesless Style (Rizzoli), he chats companionably through eight chapters as he dissects his approachable style. "Blue and White Forever" features indigos, stripes, batiks and wicker found on porches and in pool houses. In 'Timeless Neutrals, ' chinoiserie, gilt glass and mirrors are married compatibly with Frencg chairs and furnishings. There are happy family rooms and kitchens in the "Garden Greens" chapter and color to make you smile in 'Beautiful Brights.' Most of all, this is a book for people who like to really settle into their spaces."
--360 West Magazine

"His buzzy blog--Mark D. Sikes: Chic People, Glamorous Places, Stylish Things (markdsikes.com)--inspired the idea for his first book. Rather than organizing chapters by projects, Sikes (whose clients include Reese Witherspoon and film director Nancy Myers) grouped them around his favorite color stories, such as 'Blue and White Forever' or 'Red My Way.' It's proof of how any type of hue can transform a room."
--Serendipity Magazine

About the Author

Mark D. Sikes began his career in visual merchandising at Banana Republic/GAP. After two successful decades, he launched his interior design business and immediately attracted national publicity in publications from Veranda to Architectural Digest. His lifestyle blog--Chic People, Glamorous Places, Stylish Things--has become an inspiration and resource for design lovers all over the world.

Nancy Meyers is the director and screenwriter for several Hollywood blockbusters, including Something's Gotta Give, The Holiday, and It's Complicated.