Four Art and Design Books for Your Spring 2023 Reading List

Our America, by Ken Burns

For more than 40 years, award-winning filmmaker Ken Burns has told a compelling array of stories about America through a lens broadcast across our movie and TV screens; but this collection offers a lush, inside look at U.S. history and the American experience through some of Burns’s favorite photographs. The images, captured by both well-known and anonymous photographers, highlight almost 200 years of the country’s existence through people, communities, conflict, and natural environs throughout the decades, and altogether, it celebrates America’s diversity in perspectives and places.

Out now, $75, Rizzoli.

The Artistry of Flowers: Floral Design by La Musa de las Flores, by María Gabriela Salazar

Just like art, the right floral arrangement can elevate any living space—take it from renowned floral designer María Gabriela Salazar. In her thoughtful guide, Salazar delves into a range of colors, shapes, and textures to show readers unique ways to appreciate and design their own florals and flowering plants at home, indoors and out. With exquisite photography from Ngoc Minh Ngo, this exploration of education and artistry provides a wealth of insights and instruction that empowers and inspires creativity.

Out 3/14/2023, $50, Rizzoli.

Think Like a Decorator: To Create a Comfortable, Original, and Stylish Home, by Leslie Banker

What does it take to decorate successfully? According to interior designer Leslie Banker, it’s all about creating a story for your space and its residents—and this book provides plenty of answers on how to do it. Featuring the knowledge and ideas to teach readers what’s essential, what isn’t working, ways to solve issues, and more, this manual also includes a host of other notable designers’ advice with informative and entertaining Q & As, all in service of creating a happy home.

Out 3/28/2023, $45, Rizzoli.

Lodge: An Indoorsy Tour of America’s National Parks, by Max Humphrey with Katherine O’Shea-Evans

For fans of “parkitecture” and armchair travel, this tome is a dream destination that features 10 bucolic National Park lodges from Arizona to California (and several states in between). Inside, the authors delve into why these structures were made, noteworthy architectural aspects, era-specific furnishings, people involved in the projects, and what was happening in society at the time of their construction. It’s a fascinating look at their stories infused with hints of pop-culture history and a bit of wit throughout.

Out 4/4/2023, $40, Gibbs Smith.

First published in the print edition of Boston Home’s Spring 2023 issue.