Interiors of a Storyteller - by Stephanie Sabbe (Hardcover)

About the Book

Whether through the construction of a new-old home or giving new life to a forgotten historic structure, Sabbe shares how studying the past has both informed and given her work purpose, all while witnessing the architectural history of her own hometown being demolished daily. Sabbe's riveting tales of attempts at preservation and heartbreaking stories of letting go are as inspired as her inspired beautiful designs. Through nine beautifully photographed projects, she weaves a story of comfort and belonging, and ultimately, of creating home.

Book Synopsis

"Stephanie Sabbe's Interiors of a Storyteller weaves memoir with interior design and is recommended for Southerners, designers and fans of storytelling of all stripes."--BookPage

Nashville-based interior designer Stephanie Sabbe's career path was laid out before her at the ripe age of 8 years old when an elementary school teacher (dressed as a fortune teller) looked into her crystal ball and declared it so. Sabbe has spent the past 30 years pursuing said career and is now one of today's most celebrated interior designers with work in dozens of publications, including Southern Living, House Beautiful, and Veranda.

Whether through the construction of a new-old home or giving new life to a forgotten historic structure, Sabbe shares how studying the past has both informed and given her work purpose, all while witnessing the architectural history of her own hometown being demolished daily. Sabbe's riveting tales of attempts at preservation and heartbreaking stories of letting go are as inspired as her inspired beautiful designs. Through nine beautifully photographed projects, she weaves a story of comfort and belonging, and ultimately, of creating home.

Review Quotes

Stephanie Sabbe's Interiors of a Storyteller weaves memoir with interior design and is recommended for Southerners, designers and fans of storytelling of all stripes.

Stephanie Sabbe's Interiors of a Storyteller is as much a memoir as it is a book about design. Sabbe is from West Virginia, but she built her career as an interior designer in Nashville, Tennessee. Her affinity for Southern storytelling is clear: Woven throughout the photographs of beautiful homes are personal stories about an absentee dad, a dying mother, even an FBI raid of an uncle's marijuana crop. "The world around me was literally going up in smoke," she writes, "and I lay in the treehouse with a smile on my face, staring up at the sky, dreaming of my next construction project." The home that immediately follows the story of the burning crops reminds Sabbe of her West Virginia treehouse. The Writer's Cottage, as Sabbe describes it, is an elegant place that Sabbe designed while envisioning former first ladies Laura Bush and Michelle Obama staying there one day, perhaps on a writers' retreat together. The book's final chapter details where Sabbe sourced materials for each project, so inspired readers might be able to replicate some of her designs. Each home is different, but one cohesive element is the presence of books. "Books, books, and more books," Sabbe writes. "My clients as a whole are a pretty literate group." Interiors of a Storyteller will delight Southerners, designers and fans of storytelling of all stripes.

--Laura Hutson Hunter "BookPage"

About the Author

Acclaimed interior designer Stephanie Sabbe is one of the country's most celebrated design talents. Named a House Beautiful "Next Wave" Designer and Traditional Home's "New Trad," she has been featured in Veranda, Southern Living, The Wall Street Journal, and many more. When not in her Nashville design studio, Stephanie is chasing her four kids--Remi, Wells, Georgie, and Cora--or giving a hard time to her husband of 18 years, Bryan. You can find her at her design shop Heirloom Artifacts or on Instagram @sabbeinteriordesign.