Book Review: Dream Spaces

Author: Victoria Hagan

Publication Date: October 10, 2017

Publisher: Rizzoli

Breathtaking new interiors from this iconic designer, called “the reigning queen of restrained elegance”

In her much-anticipated second book, Victoria Hagan features an exquisite selection of new interiors that embody the “soft modern” look that distinguishes her work.  A major force in the design community, Hagan is the master of juxtaposing old and new, showing luxury through simplicity, and creating homes that reflect their owners’ lives.

In these appealing, timeless projects—including a New York penthouse, a Nantucket beach house, and a Western ranch—formal architecture is loosened up with a generosity of spirit and an appreciation for the whimsies of style. Throughout, Hagan discourses on the spirit of the unexpected detail—a vintage mirror or a unique chair—that adds soul and modernity. After twenty-five years of running a successful business, she shares her philosophy on attaining good taste and expressing an attitude through her work.

Victoria Hagan: Dream Spaces is a beautiful and inspiring collection of this design superstar’s work and a must for every interior design library.

You can’t always compete with nature, but you can at least try to create the perfect collaboration.

I am so associated with interiors that people are often surprised to find out that one of my greatest passions is not even indoors. It’s outside: nature. When I look out and see almost nothing but water and sky, that’s heaven. I adore the color and light, unpredictably changing all day long.

To me, walking the line between contemporary and vintage, familiar and unexpected, is a crucial part of executing the perfect getaway. I don’t want to just give people an escape; I want to give them ways for their minds to wander once they get there.

These interiors designed by Victoria Hagan are bold, clean, modern, and completely breathtaking. Hagan showcases her amazing versatility by including interiors from places all over like New York, Nantucket, and even shows off some of her western charm. She goes from clean, white spaces to cozy log cabin interiors and everything that she designs looks inviting and charismatic. Many of the images included in the book show windows with beautiful views that allow readers to fantasize and image themselves traveling the world and visiting this luxurious locations.

A lot of the interiors shown in this book are open and full of space, allowing me to imagine living in a space like this myself. I would recommend this book to anyone with a love of design because of the appreciation I had for all the small details in the rooms. The fresh white flowers on the nightstand, the towels placed adorningly near the bathroom sink, and even the firewood stacked neatly by the fireplace. Anyone looking for inspiration or ideas for their own dream space or home will find solace flipping through the pages of this book. I wrote down so many ideas and my husband and I spent an hour or more discussing many of the images that we fell in love with for our own dream home.

***A free copy of this book was provided to me by the publishers at Rizzoli in exchange for my honest review***