Dreamhouse: Interiors by Penny Drue Baird

Innovative ideas abound in this classic retrospective of interior design, even as it leans toward the designer’s most dramatic examples, such as a barn in Bucks County, Pa., converted to a “guesthouse and entertainment center for their farmhouse.” With its grand yet rustic dining table illuminated by vintage carriage lights, and custom wrought-iron banisters made from farm tools, this is no average living space. Yet the book also includes a historic manor house in which a casual family room has a kid-sized kitchen and armchair tucked into the corners and a patterned sofa to hide spills. Most of the selected homes feel lived in rather than staged, in spite of the spotlessness. A 1920s Park Avenue apartment in N.Y.C. gives off a decidedly Liberace vibe, gold leaf and all, but the book also shows off a refined terracotta plaid set of chairs for a client with a more traditional tastes. The sampling of styles, locations (New York; Palm Desert, Calif.; Paris; Los Angeles), and types of homes displays Baird’s range and ability to satisfy any client. (Apr.)