In her new book, Dream Design Live (Abrams, 2018), Paloma Contreras expresses in book form what she captures so successfully on her blog, La Dolce Vita: a deft balance between aspiration and attainment. Vaulted into the high-octane hemisphere of top designers, Contreras now travels the world and works with clients who can afford the best. But her approach remains informed by her start as a novice who learned the vernacular of design on her own.
As a high school Spanish teacher working to feather her own nest in her downtime, Contreras dove into the world of interiors and started the blog to share her discoveries. Dream Design Live is aimed at the curious, information-hungry amateur that she once was, showcasing elegant spaces but lifting the tablecloth to let readers peek at the hardware underneath. With advice on how to hang curtains, where to place artwork, and how to host a party (savvy readers will hear echoes from early issues of Domino), Dream Design Live is as much a reference book you will want to dog-ear as it is a sleek tome of gracious living that goes at the top of the coffee table pile.
By Kirk Reed Forrester
Don’t miss Contreras’ guide to Houston’s shopping, dining, and siteseeing, “My Hometown: Houston.”