High Vibe Design: Redefining Maximalism - Hardcover

Bikoff, Sasha

Hardcover

ISBN 13: 9798217034048

Verlag: Random House LLC US, 2026

Inhaltsangabe

Embrace abundance in every room of the house with this unapologetically exuberant guide to maximalist decor from interior designer Sasha Bikoff, featuring stunning photographs of the fantastic and inspired homes she creates.

“Maximalism isn’t about excess for its own sake. It’s about intensity. Atmosphere. World-building. Each space is designed to transport you—to tell a story, spark a feeling, or pull you into a moment that lives outside the ordinary. It’s a little like falling in love.”

Step into a world of curated excess, where every project begins with a feeling. High Vibe Design invites you to explore the art of creating vibrant, eclectic interiors that tell deeply personal and transformative stories. Whether it's the specific vibe of 1970s Italian modern meets gritty 2000s or the blend of Marie Antoinette and Studio 54, each design is a celebration of individuality.

Sasha Bikoff’s bold design perspective brings together colors, textures, patterns, and objects to create balanced and yet wildly imaginative interiors that embrace the joy of living fully. From a hallway lacquered in marigold and bedecked with a mirrored ceiling, to sculptural drawer pulls cast from megalodon teeth, to a color drenched living room in a hypnotic deep-blue palette that goes from floor to ceiling, Sasha weaves her intensity into every detail of the spaces she designs.

In High Vibe Design, she delves into her process of layering meaning, building suspense, and creating rhythm and tension within a space to bring a next-level vibe to any room. Filled with photographs of her incredible spaces, her personal tips and tricks, and key design takeaways, it's a guide to maximalist homes infused with meaning, not just crammed with stuff. Whether you're a designer, a collector, or simply looking for dopamine-infused inspiration, High Vibe Design will unlock an entirely new way to think about interiors.

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Sasha Bikoff

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Introduction

First things first, let’s throw out all the rule books and the buzzwords (I’m looking at you, farmhouse chic and industrial loft). Because when it comes to design, I refuse to color inside the lines.

As a self-taught interior designer, I’ve always preferred to let my instincts lead. Like when painting on a canvas, I build layer upon rich layer, crafting spaces that tell fantastical stories and evoke make-believe worlds, blending elements from fashion, film, architecture, heritage, art, travel, and nature.

(And color. Always color.)

You might be wondering how exactly I do it—and more importantly, how you can do it in your own space. And now you hold all my secrets in your hands.

But for you to really understand the method behind my madness, I need to take you way back to where it all began: New York City in the 1990s. It was the height of minimalism, when Calvin Klein and Donna Karan, revered for their understated aesthetics, ruled design. My childhood apartment followed this trend—it was stark, white, and almost institutional. While my mother was a beautiful and artistic woman (a ballet dancer, a pianist, and my best friend), she had never learned how to express herself through design. And it showed. Our sterile decor left me feeling like something was missing inside.

I found that missing piece at my Persian grandparents’ homes, where every visit felt like stepping into another world. My glamorous grandmother, always decked out in couture and diamonds, would sashay around with a cigarette in one hand and a glass of Chardonnay in the other. Every last detail in their Sands Point, Long Island, home—puddling silk taffeta draperies, European antiques, Persian relics and rugs—screamed old-world exuberance. Meanwhile, their second home, in Miami, was right out of the movie Scarface, complete with red lacquer accents, black leather curved furniture, and Versace textiles.

As a theater kid who loved to sing in all the school plays and in the choir, I felt right at home in these dramatic environments, like I had been transported into a movie or a Broadway show.

My grandmother was an original tastemaker and a maximalist before the term was ever fashionable—and I was riveted by her every move. How she would cook feasts fit for a king, served up on fine china and George II silver. How she would spend hours singing and dancing for the flowers and veggies in her garden, which she would harvest to create glorious arrangements and bountiful baskets. Observing my grandmother gave me a sense of belonging, and laid the foundation for what I was to become.

At thirteen years old, sick of the white walls in my bedroom, I went shopping with my uncle, and he bought me a stainless-steel canopy bed from the Conran Shop, an iconic modern design store on the Upper East Side. I had always dreamed of owning a canopy bed (though in my dreams, it was more gilded and rococo). Next stop was the Garment District, where I had a field day picking out two shades of pink silk chiffon, which I dreamily draped over the austere steel bed frame. The juxtaposition of hard and soft was a revelation. It felt electric.

But my work wasn’t done. I went out and chose four different shades of pink paint, which I used to cover the walls of my room with lines from love poems I was learning in English class. When my mother walked in, not knowing what I had been up to, she responded in a way I will never forget. Her face lit up. Beaming with pride, she told me she had never seen anything like it before. Her support was no surprise—after all, this was the same woman who let me go to school on class picture day wearing my brother’s big T-shirt with a belt just because I thought it looked cool. But that day in my bedroom, she instilled a confidence in me that was life-changing. I knew in that moment that I could do anything. It was my introduction to the power of expressing myself through design, without fear or limitations.

In college, I went to Paris to study art history and fine arts. When I wasn’t painting or crafting clay ceramics, I was wandering through museums and window-shopping at my favorite fashion boutiques. I lived in the apartment of a famous decorator, which looked like a jewel box. There was red fabric everywhere—on the walls, the ceiling, the windows—and everything matched, from the carpet to the lampshades and headboard. I was awed by the way seemingly disparate pieces, like Indian-inspired patterns and classical French antiques, could so seamlessly coexist in one space. The decor was completely unexpected, and I loved every inch. My neighborhood, Saint-Germain-des-Prés, was known for its beloved antique shops and galleries, which I frequented. And I never missed a weekend at the Saint-Ouen marché aux puces (flea market), where I would get lost in taking pictures of everything that intrigued me.

In Paris, I became obsessed with the history of design and couldn’t wait for the chance to apply all the knowledge I was absorbing to an actual interior. But alas, as a student, I didn’t have the resources—a space of my own, let alone a budget—to get my hands dirty. So instead I focused on teaching myself everything I could about design, biding my time.

Finally, after years working as a gallerist in Chelsea, I landed my first project with the most challenging of clients: my mother. She asked me to design her new apartment in the Dakota building, a legendary Upper West Side landmark. I didn’t have any instructions or technical know-how. Armed with only my creative instincts, I walked into the D&D Building, a to-the-trade-only design resource center, where I visited every showroom on every floor, taking pictures, grabbing fabric samples, and letting my imagination run wild.

The design of my mother’s apartment unfolded as a manifestation of her journey, and the pivotal life moments she was now reclaiming as a single woman following her divorce from my dad—immersing herself in ballet, attending the opera, taking childhood trips to Iran, studying at the Sorbonne, dancing at Studio 54. By decorating her apartment, I was able to share in her story and build a world that celebrated both her passions and her independence.

I credit my mother for my career, for everything I have become, and for molding me into the designer I am today. That first design project set the precedent for my creative process (and also prepared me for all the tough New Yorker clients to come!).

But back to my creative process and how I come up with my looks: I always start with a story and a setting. When I first walk into a space, I slowly take it in, considering the architecture, history, and surroundings. And then I allow my mind to concoct an inspiration that is fantastic, wild, and unexpected. Whether it be Ballets Russes meets Studio 54, a futuristic Italian city on Mars, 1980s South Beach filtered through Memphis Milano, or a disco-drenched Versailles, the setting is always extraordinary and one of a kind—and I roll with it 100 percent, immersing myself in the story and becoming a character. The goal is always to excite and ignite a sense of creativity. It’s to pay homage to the past while celebrating the future.

I want this experience for all my clients. And I want it for you, too. So step inside my world. I’d love to show you around.

—Sasha Bikoff

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Random House LLC US
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2026
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 13: 9798217034048
• Einband: Gebundene Ausgabe
• Anzahl der Seiten: 304
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Van Ditmar Boeken, VDB Sales; sales@vanditmar.nl; ; Papendorpseweg 99; Utrecht; 3528 BJ; Niederlande