If spending more time at home has inspired you to change up your décor, add this new book to your required reading: Decorate Happy: Bold, Colorful Interiors. By interior designer Anthony Baratta, the 240-page book highlights 12 homes he recently designed—and also offers tips and tricks he’s picked up throughout his almost four- decade long career.
“As always, the emphasis is on color and inventiveness with a nod to classic American design,” he says. He adds, happiness is, “the common thread among the homes I design,” Baratta offers these tips for fusing your own home with joy:
Go with what you love. “I think the best way to fill you home with joy is to make it a personal expression of yourself and your family,” he says. “I must say that the biggest decorating mistakes come from attempting to be trendy. Trends get tired really fast.”
Add color. “Fill your home with lots of color—but colors that you like and you look good in,” he says. And don’t worry about other people’s opinions. “If you like a certain period of furniture or piece of art, then go for it.”
Mix and match. “I like including furnishings from all different periods and price ranges,” he adds. “Don’t leave out your hand-me-downs and your yard sale finds. They create the special sauce that makes a home happy.”
Find it locally at rizzoliusa.com.
