Patrick Sutton, a Baltimore-based interior designer known for incorporating clients’ stories into their spaces, has published his second book, “Tailored Interiors,” released this fall. This volume follows his 2018 book, “Storied Interiors,” and focuses on seven homes that serve as case studies in the design process. He starts with the client’s life, translates that story into plans and colors, then refines it until the house feels both personal and understated.
The projects cover Delaware, Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Wyoming. Among them are a carefully designed country retreat, a home that blends classic and modern styles by the sea, a historic house infused with rich colors and sculptural furniture, and a Jackson Hole property that avoids typical Western styles in favor of a simpler design language. The homes are photographed to highlight their flow rather than capturing isolated moments.
If “Storied Interiors” introduced the idea of narrative design, the new book places that concept more clearly within the realm of practical design. Chapters illustrate how biography, daily routines, and local geography inform the approach. Morning light influences the breakfast nook, a preference for a quiet staircase over a grand one shapes circulation, and a coastal climate leads to materials that prioritize durability over delicacy. Sutton’s method, as presented here, focuses less on a specific look and more on a repeatable process — listening, editing, and adjusting — that can result in various styles while maintaining coherence.
The text is written by Vicky Lowry, who follows each project from early discussions to installation, documenting key moments where preferences, limitations, and site conditions become concrete choices. A client’s desire for calm may result in a limited color palette and a preference for texture over patterns. A need for socializing might lead to a dining room with ample space and forgiving finishes. The book makes a quiet but strong point: rooms are tools for living, and elegance comes from fitting the purpose.
Sutton’s background is present. The son of a travel writer, he moved frequently during his childhood, which sharpened his awareness of space and order. This early experience appears here not as a travel narrative but as discipline — attentiveness to how people arrive, settle, and navigate their day. The outcome is a form of narrative minimalism: fewer actions, greater meaning. The seven case studies also showcase a range of styles. One project embraces crisp minimalism with simple furniture, controlled lighting, and a focus on proportion, while another combines classic shapes with color and form to breathe new life into a historic structure. A coastal home uses familiar materials like stone, linen, and weathered wood but organizes them with modern clarity. Meanwhile, the Jackson Hole property simplifies expected log and lodge styles to achieve a quieter aesthetic.
Production choices reinforce this focus. Photography emphasizes clarity — sightlines, volumes, and how materials interact — over decoration. The narratives highlight the client brief and site, detailing how the design addresses both. “Tailored Interiors” functions as a disguised workbook, clarifying the steps a designer might take: sequence, adjacency, light, acoustics, maintenance, and daily routines that test a design after the camera departs.
The book serves as a gentle critique of the idea of the singular artist in design. For those interested in residential design, the appeal is twofold. The finished homes are visually striking, photographed with enough clarity to attract those who gather ideas through images. But the underlying rationale — the reasoning behind each choice — may offer a more lasting contribution, especially for homeowners and emerging designers who care about practical design.
Learn more by visiting www.patricksutton.com.
