Textbook Tuesday | Beige Is Not A Color

Carlos Mota is the creative force behind so many of the amazing photographs you see in the world of design. He is likely best known for his many years serving as Editor at Large of Elle Décor magazine and style editor for Architectural Digest. However, his editorial work producing and styling feature stories can be found in nearly every major design and shelter magazine (including House & Garden, Interior Design, Vanity Fair, and Vogue, among others).

You can see his love of creating memorable spaces and producing sophisticated events for select clients in everything that he does. Mota is known for expertly working with color, so who better to create a tome dedicated to showing us how we should be living in and with color? ‘Beige Is Not A Color,’ published by Vendome Press, is his response to exactly that.

In his latest book, he has curated some 280 of his favorite images, with the common thread being the beauty of color. Images of exuberant rooms, table settings, wallpapers, floral arrangements, and architectural details are expertly combined with quotes about color and beauty by a host of designers.

The cover, with it’s nod to chinoiserie hand-painted murals, is a piece of art in and of itself:

You’ll find it a visual feast set up not by chapter or ‘topic,’ but instead by colorways which seamlessly blend into the next. I found myself particularly drawn to the pages celebrating all things GREEN! For example, I don’t think we could ever tire of Tory Burch’s mossy velvet heaven (and you can view her chic & colorful dinner party celebrating the release of Mota's book here):

And equally ravishing is Wendy Labrum’s Lake Forest lacquered library of my dreams:

Carlos’ genius can be seen in his every-day images of his own home; I have often obsessed over his all-over patterned bedroom which pops up in his Instagram feed every now and then:

This book is a must for every design lover with a penchant for sophisticated color palettes in all of it ranges. You can order your copy of ‘Beige Is Not a Color,’ here and be sure to follow Carlos Mota’s design adventures on his IG account here. 

PINTEREST    |    INSTAGRAM    |    TWITTER    |    FACEBOOK    |    BLOGLOVIN