Collected Interiors

Designer Philip Mitchell calls his approach modern maximalism, a style that gathers collections, family heirlooms, contemporary art, and carefully chosen accessories into rooms full of character, color, and a sense of the people who live in them. Rather than starting from scratch, he works with what a homeowner already owns and asks how to add to it, so that cherished possessions multiply into something richer.

Each project begins by finding a shared thread among unrelated objects, whether a common finish, material, scale, hue, texture, or line. From there Mitchell builds relationships between the pieces, combining antiques, vintage collectibles, and contemporary works, from inherited furniture to modern art, so that each room feels lived in and layered with memory. The book tours nine homes through detailed photographs, ranging from an Upper East Side pied-à-terre to a classic cottage on the water in Nova Scotia.

Mitchell's own narrative runs alongside the images, and each home is followed by practical takeaways on blending new and old, mixing colors and patterns, and assembling an eclectic mix that belongs to its owner.