Books for Christmas: interiors - Telegraph The most magical constituent of English decoration is "gentle slow-roasted time," says Ben Pentreath, architect and shopkeeper. He loves faded rugs, Regency mahogany furniture, dining rooms, rush matting and Ravilious mugs filled with dahlias. His houses, and those of his friends in the book, are restrained and comfortable, their walls lined with bookshelves and hung with charming paintings. Not one of these spaces has seen the hand of an interior decorator, nor is there (Pentreath's bête noire) any modern fitted kitchen. Apart from the odd bright resin lamp by Marianna Kennedy, these lovely interiors could be straight out of Trollope. Far from the arid "greige" of most hotels, with their identical suites, every room in Kit Kemp's eight small luxury hotels is unique. She goes in for flamboyant colour, unusual fabric combinations, original paintings and some fun ideas - a chimney piece piled with china watering cans and beaded African zebras - to bring life to her interiors. She has a lot to teach the tyro home furnisher: there are 10 ideas to every page. And she makes one feel less timid about one's own spaces, gently urging us to get a bit bolder and "go for it." Her book shows us just how to pull it off. Things we Made Roman and Williams, Rizzoli, £47.50 Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch, the couple behind New York's hottest design firm, Roman and Williams, are the main exponents of the newest look on the block - rough luxe. Old tiled, beamed or brick industrial buildings are furnished with reclaimed raw wood, taxidermy, Sixties leather sofas, fur throws and shiny black painted walls. The book contains detailed concept drawings and great photography - mostly of their restaurants and hotels. Rough Luxe Design by Kahi Lee, The Curated Collection, £80 It is big in the United States, but here in Britain we have also seen the rough luxe style - most often in cafes and restaurants (and cool areas of East London). It's a style that mixes reclaimed industrial materials with Seventies furniture, raw wood and rusted metal. Kahi Lee shows the work of many of its exponents, along with interviews and analysis. New Paris Style by Danielle Miller, photography by Richard Powers, Thames & Hudson, £24.95 It is generally accepted that Paris is a stuffy city that lags behind London in everything cool - from music to nightlife. But that is not true of its interior design - this is where Paris rocks. Danielle Miller shows 27 great Parisian flats, every one modern, interesting and full of good design ideas that we would do well to copy on this side of the Channel. Georgia O'Keeffe and her Houses: Ghost Ranch and Abiquiu by Barbara Buhler Lynes and Agapita Judy Lopez, Abrams, £35 Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986), known for her paintings of hugely magnified flowers, was one of America's best-loved artists. In 1940, needing solitude to paint, she bought Ghost Ranch, a long, low adobe mud house in the desert of New Mexico: "at the tail end of the earth... and I like it." Its picture windows overlook rocky mountains and azure skies, and within, this house and its successor, Abiquiu, are calm, minimal and beautiful. Strong photography, an informative text and O'Keeffe's paintings of the houses and desert bring her vividly to life.