What's in Their Library: John Stefanidis

For over three decades, John Stefanidis has been one of the world's leading designers. Comfortable working in both the traditional and the contemporary design idioms, the Egyptian born, London based designer creates interiors that are sophisticated, informed, and timeless. And while many of his interiors reflect the aesthetic of his adopted country, the Mediterranean never seems far away.

The erudite Stefanidis has compiled a varied and rich list of his favorite books, and you might be surprised to see that design related books comprise only a very small portion. Shakespeare, Thackeray, and contemporary writers all figure prominently here. But I think this brings up an interesting point: perhaps we should broaden our horizons and look beyond the confines of design for our inspiration. Literature, history, and music, for example, can be such rich fonts of ideas and should not be ignored.

Mr. Stefanidis was also kind enough to share with us a photo of his London library, painted in his signature shade of blue. As he explains, “When I moved to my current home in London I had to find space for my many books. The built-in bookcases were carefully designed to improve the proportions of the rooms and painted a bright Mediterranean blue so that the books become an intrinsic part of the decoration.” I think he accomplished this quite successfully, don't you?



As he could not limit his list to ten, we are including Stefanidis' top 13 books. I would say that John Stefanidis is a bibliophile in the truest sense of the word!

John Stefanidis' Top Thirteen Book List:


1. An Illustrated History of Furnishing by Mario Praz
An essential handbook to the past in design and decoration



2. The Odyssey by Homer
An inspiration that is dateless, ancient and eternal


3. Electa - Editrice series of Bernini, Borromini, Palladio, Bramante, etc.
Architecture on which to base a career not to say a life



4. C.P. Cavafy: Collected Poems
Alexandrine poet –matchless evocation of place and atmosphere; crosses parameters of history



5. The Collected Proseby Elizabeth Bishop
US poet of sublime sensitivity


6. One Last Look by Susanna Moore
US novelist – the most talented of writers who evokes moods and place in a way that is unrivalled



7. The Ballad of the Sad Cafe by Carson McCullers
Wistful charm and sadness in wonderful prose


8. Splendeurs et miseres des courtisanes by Honore de Balzac
Parisian life in 19th Century; descriptive writing at its best with an understanding of human nature which is unparalleled – if you read in the original French!



9. If This is a Man by Primo Levi
The best book on the Holocaust because it is written in sparse and pertinent prose by a survivor


10. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Realism and high romance – pulls the heart strings and turns readers into passionate Russians.



11. Vanity Fair by Thackeray
A moral tale with Becky a force of life and a celebration of exuberance.



12. Eugene Onegin by Pushkin
Unrecquited love and heartbreaking revenge.


13. The Tempest by William Shakespeare
The epitomy of imaginative fantasy that grips the heart with sweetness and charm as opposed to the terror of the tragedies.

What's In Their Library: Christopher Spitzmiller

I've long been a fan of Christopher Spitzmiller, and the reasons are many. His lamps became design classics within no time (I'm still dreaming about owning a pair of Butternut Gourd lamps. Or would I rather own a pair of Pear Gourd lamps? Tough decision.) His gracious and well-edited apartment, featured in Elle Decor back in Dec. 06, is one of my all-time favorite homes. Spitzmiller is also a connoisseur of fine living, enjoying design, cooking, and gardening. And the icing on the cake is that he's got to be one of the most photogenic people in design.

If you'll recall from the Elle Decor article, Spitzmiller has an enviable library; in fact, it's a magnifying glass-worthy library. I've added a few tomes to my collection based on titles in Spitzmiller's shelves. I asked Chris to provide me with a list of his ten favorite books, and he generously provided me with not only the list, but with an explanation of why these books appealed to him.

So, here's what is in Spitzmiller's library:

"My Top Ten Book list includes six books on interiors, three cook books and one book on gardening. There is some overlap of interiors in many of the books. My list focuses on the well lived life. Not only should your rooms be beautiful, but there should be something good to eat on the table. And a garden should not only be pretty, but after spending an hour out there working, it should also make you a better person!"


Legendary Decorators of the Twentieth Century, Mark Hampton (1992). This book includes Mr. Hampton’s insightful short synopses of the careers and styles of every major decorator. It also incorporates his charming watercolors of their works. This book is hard to find and often expensive, but well worth the price.

Summer Cottages & Castles, Scenes from the Good Life,Patricia Corbin and Ted Hardin (1983). This work has some really charming pictures of ‘Rock Cliff’, the Newport mansion that was decorated by William Hodgins. It also has more photographs of Sister Parish’s ‘Summer House’ in Maine than I have seen anywhere else.

Where Muses Dwell: Homes of Great Artists and Writers,Massimo Listri (1996). This is an obscure book covering some very notable interiors, including the interior of Knund Lyne Rahbek’s home in Copenhagen, which is my favorite. Also included are John Soane’s house, now a museum in London, and lots of other continental and English interiors.

An Affair with a House,Bunny Williams (2005). This book presents Bunny’s well thought out plan for restoring her country home spanning a period of many years. In the book she writes about taking on one major project each year. Having recently found myself the owner of a very old home, with at least five or six major projects to take on, I asked her if this was really true. “Oh, yes,” was her reply, “for the first five years I had no furniture in my living room!”


CZ Guest's Five Seasons of Gardening,CZ Guest (1992). Every good house needs a garden. In this book, CZ presents her refreshing, matter of fact and no nonsense approach to gardening, both indoors and out. There are also tons of pictures of the inside of ‘Templeton,’ her house in Old Westbury, Long Island


Consider the Oyster, M.F.K. Fisher (1941). “An Oyster leads a dreadful but exciting life.” With this sentence, Mary Frances begins her cookbook which reads more like a good novel than anything else I’ve ever read. It is one of the most delightful books you can put your hands on.

Glorious Food, Christopher Idone (1982). Filled with visually stunning pictures of delicious meals presented in wonderful New York interiors, this is a book I try to buy whenever I see it. I can never have too many copies -- it makes a great gift!

Lost Desserts, Gail Monaghan (2007). Gail’s book will show you, step by step, how to create some of the most over-the-top, eye popping, mouth watering desserts you have ever seen or tasted.


Private New York, Chippy Irvine and Alex Mclean (1990). This book has some really stunning pictures of a wide range of uptown and downtown New York interiors. Wade McCann’s small, concise kitchen provided the inspiration for my own, proving that a humble kitchen can be an elegant one too!


Manhattan Style, Esten, Gilbert and Chinsee (1990). Similar to Mark Hampton’s book, this one contains some really beautiful pictures of New York interiors representing all the best decorators.