There are people for whom the images of memory are not just things they have experienced themselves, but also the pictures they have seen.  In galleries.  In museums.  And in magazines.

Pictures that are so close, so clearly remembered, that they feel they were in those spaces.  That they experienced them in a very personal way.

Many images by photographer Oberto Gili are in my files, both paper and mental.

“I try not to change anything and not to style,” Mr. Gili told me.  He has shot the homes of friends and strangers and says neither is better or easier, but “The difference is if they are interesting or not.  An uninteresting person will for sure live in a dull house.”

He has favorites, as I have favorites (the pool, the flag, the cows), but will he click and tell?  “I could name many, but I go down to two – Richard Meier and Isabella Rossellini.”  I remember them well.

If you are an Oberto Gili fan, you will be thrilled with his new book Oberto Gili, Home Sweet Home: Sumptuous and Bohemian Interiors.  Bill was shaking his head and smiling as I kept saying, “Oh, it’s so beautiful.”  All images courtesy of Rizzoli New York and are, of course, by Mr. Gili.

I missed meeting Brooke Giannetti when I was in Los Angeles a while back.  My schedule was hectic and she was busy with business and children and our paths did not cross.

But I have read her blog, Velvet and Linen, for a long time and I liked her already.

Brooke and her husband, Steve, own Giannetti Home where they offer up interesting antiques and beautiful (and sensible) architecture and design services.  I’ve always enjoyed their aesthetic as it seems so genuine.

I’ve watched Brooke spiff her kitchen, build a chicken coop and become friends with Penelope Biachi (which brings about a little envy.)  And, now she’s written a book, Patina Style.

There is no doubt that the interiors are beautiful, but the bonus is the amount of really helpful advice that you will find here.  Her thoughts on paint are worth the price of admission alone, but there are also great sections on using architectural salvage, furniture placement and display.