Recently I was thinking about the homes of creatives and how their homes are a true reflection of who they are and the work they do. Some of the more inspiring homes I see in magazines are homes of creative individuals. They have a certain something. An unadulterated vision. Not always perfect but so appealing in their quirkiness. (Above we see the home of John Derian.)

After doing a bit of research I found that Rizzoli published  The Inspired Home: Nests of Creatives by Kim Ficaro and Todd Nickey It’s a fresh eye comparing a variety of approaches to living, rather than the depiction of a particular style. The book presents 17 houses belonging to creative people whose quarters reflect their personal and rather inspired approaches to living.

Kim Ficaro is a prop and interiors stylist, and Todd Nickey, is an interior designer and co-owner of Nickey Kehoe, a very cool design shop in Los Angeles and New York City.  For this book, they stepped back and used their vision to record the work of others. They used the very talented Ditte Isager to do the photography. Her home is also included in the book.

They discovered a great selection of creative types, from designers and tastemakers to writers and musicians. The homeowners passions, aesthetics, and sensibilities are reflected in their surroundings for us to observe and sometimes take note for their rejection of the norms in “designed” spaces. Some good old fashioned rule breaking never hurt anyone I say. Some great examples below for inspiration.

Hand-painted wallpaper brightens mornings in Allison Shearmur’s Los Angeles home.

The living room of Shearmur’s home is stately and minimal. The bookshelves contain an amazing array of art books as well as smaller collected pieces.

A modern chair sits beside an old wallpapering table in the white-and-gray New Hope, Pennsylvania, home of Richard Ferretti and James Gager.

An artful, orderly array of cabinets adjacent to the kitchen in the Ferretti/Gager home. 

In Doug Lloyd’s Hamptons retreat, floor-to-ceiling sliding doors blur the boundaries between indoors and out.

Another great book I found was Interiors by Martyn Thompson.

Martyn is an expat from Australia currently residing in NYC who began his photographic career over 30 years ago starting with shooting his own fashion line. However, his images grabbed more attention than his clothing line and thus he began working for the likes of Architectural Digest, W, Vogue, as well as capturing imagery for Tiffanys, Ralph Lauren, Hermes, and Gucci.

A book was born when many people had suggested that he publish a book of the interiors work he had shot for creatives the world over, then, talking one day with the co-author, Kirsten Willey, she offered to put it all together and so the book was set in motion. Here are some more great, unusual interiors.

Highland Lodge in Scotland by Designer, Suzy Hoodless

Vincent Van Duysen, architect, Belgium

Liddie Holt Harrison, Model, England

Francisco Costa, fashion designer, New York

Lesley Crawford, film and set designer, Sydney

So many great interiors. I showcased only a select few from these two books but hopefully it gave you a taste of what was to be found inside: deeply personal and memorable interiors. I’d recommend purchasing one or both of these books for when you need a bit of design inspiration that falls outside of the status quo.

Images courtesy of : Nests by Ditte Isager,  Interiors by Martyn Thompson.

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