Interior designer James “Ford” Huniford does not do predictability. He does not do generic, either. Or forgettable, for that matter. Over the course of his decades-long career, he has built a reputation and a following for designing homes that are destined to be lived in, rather than merely photographed. (Although they are very often photographed, too.) Now, 32 of his favorite projects are memorialized in James Huniford: At Home, written by Huniford along with Stephen Treffinger, with an introduction by Pilar Viladas.

Chelsea lofts, Connecticut barns, and country homes in North Salem, Woodstock, Watermill, and far beyond have all benefited from his elegant approach. He uses color with great restraint—mustard-colored velvet chairs are juxtaposed against pale green walls in the Upper East Side apartment of editor-turned-beauty executive Linda Wells—and prioritizes nuance and texture over a splashy, aggressive show of style. An overcrowded room is a cardinal sin, and Huniford ensures that pesky side tables and a riot of chairs will never disrupt the flow.

Many of Huniford’s clients are art collectors—convenient, given his ability to offset an Agnes Martin series with a 1940s chair from Saint-Tropez. And they feel especially fortunate to be living in the presence of his handiwork during these most unusual, insular times. “Every day—seriously, every single day—I walk around the apartment and think how lucky I am to have Ford in my life,” says Wells. Now, with this book, his inspired ideas are available to everyone. —Ashley Baker