Meg Braff makes the case for rooms that are as beautiful as they are alive.
There are rooms that simply make you feel better the moment you step inside them. Meg Braff has spent her career designing exactly those rooms, and Gracious Interiors: Thoughtful Decorating for Beautiful Living is the most complete expression of that talent yet.
Braff’s philosophy is as clear as her color palette. “Good interior design is about helping people make the most of their homes,” she writes, “so that they can enjoy their loved ones in a place that is beautiful, functional, and full of distinctive details.” That belief animates every page of this book and every room within it.
Organized around four ways of living—Country, Summer Escapes, Chic Retreats, and an intimate look at Braff’s own Locust Valley home—the book moves through nine full residences with the ease of a personal tour: a breezy Nantucket getaway; a comfortably elegant house on the coast of Maine; an Antigua escape perched above the Caribbean Sea; a warmly inviting Palm Beach retreat. Each project is distinct in setting and character, but all share the same conviction: that a well-decorated home is not a luxury but a form of daily nourishment.
Braff’s signature is the confident layering of pattern, color, and personality. Bold wallpapers, vivid chintzes, lacquered finishes, tailored upholstery, and artful accents combine in rooms that feel simultaneously polished and genuinely alive.
What sets this volume apart is its generosity. Braff is not guarding a formula; she is sharing a philosophy. Her interiors revel in charm, liveliness, and the particular kind of beauty that comes from rooms designed for real living. For admirers of American decorating, East Coast style, and the enduring case for color, Gracious Interiors is a deeply satisfying addition to any design library.
