What's In Their Library: John Stefanidis

For over three decades, John Stefanidis has been one of the world's leading designers. Comfortable working in both the traditional and the contemporary design idioms, the Egyptian born, London based designer creates interiors that are sophisticated, informed, and timeless. And while many of his interiors reflect the aesthetic of his adopted country, the Mediterranean never seems far away.

The erudite Stefanidis has compiled a varied and rich list of his favorite books, and you might be surprised to see that design related books comprise only a very small portion. Shakespeare, Thackeray, and contemporary writers all figure prominently here. But I think this brings up an interesting point: perhaps we should broaden our horizons and look beyond the confines of design for our inspiration. Literature, history, and music, for example, can be such rich fonts of ideas and should not be ignored.

Mr. Stefanidis was also kind enough to share with us a photo of his London library, painted in his signature shade of blue. As he explains, “When I moved to my current home in London I had to find space for my many books. The built-in bookcases were carefully designed to improve the proportions of the rooms and painted a bright Mediterranean blue so that the books become an intrinsic part of the decoration.” I think he accomplished this quite successfully, don't you?



As he could not limit his list to ten, we are including Stefanidis' top 13 books. I would say that John Stefanidis is a bibliophile in the truest sense of the word!

John Stefanidis' Top Thirteen Book List:


1. An Illustrated History of Furnishing by Mario Praz
An essential handbook to the past in design and decoration



2. The Odyssey by Homer
An inspiration that is dateless, ancient and eternal


3. Electa - Editrice series of Bernini, Borromini, Palladio, Bramante, etc.
Architecture on which to base a career not to say a life



4. C.P. Cavafy: Collected Poems
Alexandrine poet –matchless evocation of place and atmosphere; crosses parameters of history



5. The Collected Proseby Elizabeth Bishop
US poet of sublime sensitivity


6. One Last Look by Susanna Moore
US novelist – the most talented of writers who evokes moods and place in a way that is unrivalled



7. The Ballad of the Sad Cafe by Carson McCullers
Wistful charm and sadness in wonderful prose


8. Splendeurs et miseres des courtisanes by Honore de Balzac
Parisian life in 19th Century; descriptive writing at its best with an understanding of human nature which is unparalleled – if you read in the original French!



9. If This is a Man by Primo Levi
The best book on the Holocaust because it is written in sparse and pertinent prose by a survivor


10. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Realism and high romance – pulls the heart strings and turns readers into passionate Russians.



11. Vanity Fair by Thackeray
A moral tale with Becky a force of life and a celebration of exuberance.



12. Eugene Onegin by Pushkin
Unrecquited love and heartbreaking revenge.


13. The Tempest by William Shakespeare
The epitomy of imaginative fantasy that grips the heart with sweetness and charm as opposed to the terror of the tragedies.