New Coastal: Inspiration for a Life by the Sea

In this middling coffee table book, interior designer Weir (New Rural) takes readers inside beachside homes in the United States and her native Australia. Weir focuses as much on the homeowners as on their abodes, discussing how each found their way to the coast. For instance, she shares how Daimon Downey, the former vocalist for the band Sneaky Sound System, became burned out from touring and decided to settle in New South Wales, where he bought an apartment that he painted in pastel blues and pinks to match the “sorbet tones” of the neighborhood’s art deco buildings. Weir also reports on the character of the coastal communities featured, as when she describes the tensions in Montauk, N.Y., between longtime bohemian residents and finance industry newcomers and observes that “nature feels very close” there. Unfortunately, Weir offers little commentary on the homeowners’ design choices, and what remarks she does include are vague (“There is something of an extra radiance to its beauty,” she writes about one western Australia bungalow). The human focus provides a welcome change of pace from standard interior design outings, but it comes at the cost of substantive discussion of the homes themselves. The result is a mixed bag. (July)