Kit Kemp - (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Known for her distinctive design style that effortlessly combines vibrant colours and eclectic patterns, Kemp has become a global icon in the world of interior design.

With her unapologetic use of color, exquisite layering of pattern, and an eye for the unexpected, Kemp has revolutionized contemporary interior design. In her first Rizzoli book, she invites readers into her imaginative world, revealing how she transforms interiors into richly woven stories of texture, craft, and individuality.

Kemp's spaces are more than just rooms--they are experiences, each one a vibrant tapestry of art, antiques, and bespoke details that surprise and delight. Her signature aesthetic is a masterful blend of craft and sophistication, where embroidered headboards meet hand-painted wallpapers, where ikat-covered cushions blend with twentieth-century art, and where every corner holds a moment of magic.

Brimming with stunning photography and boundless inspiration, this essential volume is more than a design book--it is an invitation to break free from the ordinary and create interiors that reflect personality, passion, and a true sense of place. Whether drawn to playful pattern, soulful craftsmanship, or the art of storytelling through interiors, this book will inspire readers to make every space as individual as those who inhabit them.

Review Quotes

ELLE DECOR'S 17 New Design Books We're Reading This Spring: "The legendary Firmdale Hotels founder and British designer Kit Kemp finally gets her first Rizzoli monograph. Kemp's interiors have always read like narratives, and this book invites you into that imaginative world with sumptuous photography by Simon Brown and a case for color, craft, and character."

MANSION GLOBAL's 7 Inspiring Design Books for Spring: "If you've ever stayed at one of the luxurious Firmdale hotels, you've been enveloped by Kit Kemp's expert interplay of color and pattern--it's wow with a side of whimsy. In "Kit Kemp: Design Stories" ($60), she showcases her design projects that highlight the power of pattern and craftsmanship. Kemp's superpower is finding inspiration in the past but using it to create something brand new. It can be your superpower, too."

THE ENGLISH ROOM'S Best Spring Book Releases for Design Lovers: "Kit Kemp brings bold pattern, color, and that fearless British charm I adore."

"Internationally acclaimed designer and hotelier Kit Kemp dares us to adopt a fearless approach to decorating, filled with daring colors, plenty of patterns, and bespoke antiques, in her latest book. Every page serves as an invitation to think more vividly and personally about our interiors through stunning photography and invaluable advice from Kemp herself." -- VERANDA

"With her fearless use of color, exuberant layering of pattern and reverence for craft, Kit Kemp has long treated interiors as expressive, joyful narratives. Her first Rizzoli monograph invites readers into spaces that unfold like stories--rooms where embroidered headboards meet hand-painted wallpapers, ikat cushions mingle with 20th century art, and bespoke details surprise at every turn. Brimming with vibrant photography, Design Stories is both a manifesto and an invitation: to embrace individuality, to design with confidence and to create homes that delight precisely because they reflect the people who live in them." -- MODERN LUXURY: INTERIORS

"Experiential, vivid, imaginative, textured, and beyond the ordinary is the magical world I discovered within KIT KEMP: Design Stories." -- HELLO LOVELY STUDIO

"Her fifth book, "Design Stories," details the making of the most recent hotel, Warren Street in TriBeCa, as well as other colorful, textured projects, including two by her daughters Willow and Minnie, who now work alongside her as design directors." -- NEW YORK TIMES

"With her unapologetic use of color, exquisite layering of pattern and an eye for the unexpected, Kemp has rewritten the rules of contemporary interior design. Kit Kemp: Design Stories (Rizzoli) invites readers into her imaginative world, revealing how she transforms interiors into richly woven stories of texture, craft and individuality." -- DUJOUR/DUJOUR.COM

"With her fearless use of color and instinct for layered patterns, Kit Kemp has redefined contemporary interiors as joyful expressions of personality and craft. In Kit Kemp: Design Stories, she opens the door to her imaginative world, revealing how embroidered textiles, hand-painted wallpapers, and eclectic art assemble to create spaces that feel both sophisticated and unexpected. Rich with stunning photography, the book captures rooms that are not merely decorated but thoughtfully composed, each one telling a layered story. This volume is more than a showcase of rooms; it's a call to create interiors that tell personal stories, celebrate individuality, and transform everyday spaces into extraordinary expressions of self." -- CURATED TEXAN

"From her own home and her daughter's mews house in London, to her stylish Firmdale hotels in Barbados, London, and New York, through to the headquarters of the Bloomsbury Group in Bedford Square, London, the book gathers some of her most remarkable and beautiful projects. Readers can explore each space up close, from sumptuous textiles with delicate appliqué details and artistically vibrant upholstery inspired by folklore and the English countryside, to bespoke decorative objects created by gifted craftspeople and artists, and elegant tableware developed with luxury brand Spode, known for its finely crafted collections; the result is a series of stylish, memorable interiors that are welcoming, inspiring, and uplifting! An understated invitation into Kit Kemp's artistic world that is full of imagination, unexpected modernity, and playful chic. Every page encourages readers to embrace personality, craft, and color in their own spaces, and to see interiors as living stories rather than static rooms." -- MY MODERN DARCY

"The title of designer and hotelier Kit Kemp's fifth book is apt, because her remarkable rooms unfold like a richly told, intricately layered tale you want to read further. This book shares the imaginative art, craftwork, custom furnishings, and immense creativity that go into projects ranging from residential homes to hotels to showhouses, Kemp's own home in Barbados, and even a caravan. It's an exuberantly colorful, sophisticatedly whimsical, almost dreamlike journey." -- FREDERIC.COM

About the Author

Kit Kemp MBE is an internationally acclaimed British interior designer, author, and the founder and creative force behind the Kit Kemp Design Studio and the award-winning Firmdale Hotels, which she established with her husband, Tim, in 1985, and which includes eleven properties across London and NYC. Giles Kime is Country Life's Executive and Interiors Editor at The World of Interiors magazine.