Book Review: HEIRLOOM MODERN by Hollister Hovey, photos by Porter Hovey

I'm very lucky to be on the press list for some of our favorite publishers of shelter books, but sometimes I get a little backlogged in my reading and reviewing. So, welcome to Book Week on ::Surroundings::!

photo via Hollister Hovey

Heirloom Modern: Homes filled with objects bought, bequeathed, beloved, and worth handing down written by Hollister Hovey, photography by Porter Hovey, Rizzoli, New York, 2013

Long-time blog-celebs/sisters Hollister and Porter Hovey published their first book earlier this year. The Hovey sisters are well-known for their quirky "antiquarian" style (including a feature The New Antiquarians in The New York Times). While much of their postings are a little dark and foreboding for my tastes (just cannot with the taxidermy!), HEIRLOOM MODERN hits the right tone of mixing the old with the new, honoring and savoring the past while living in the present. 

Photo by Porter Hovey, via Rizzoli

What I do love about this book is the honor they pay to their late mother, Lana, and how incorporating many of her prized possessions (such as the Hermes scarf pictured above) into their own home (a shared apartment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn) keeps her with them at all times. 

I share this view as well and have many items that belonged to generations of family members. The trick, in design, is to showcase it without letting it all take over. This book features an eclectic mix of homes and is sure to inspire anyone who's tastes run to the traditional, lived in and well-loved.