At Home With Young Huh
The Celebrated Designer’s First Book Starts Close to Home
Photos by Jacob Snavely
Young Huh, Salt Point resident, has a lot to say about how a room makes you feel. The AD100 and Elle Decor A-List designer, whose work has graced the pages of The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and every shelter magazine worth reading, has finally put it all down on paper. Her first book, A Mood, A Thought, A Feeling: Interiors, is exactly what the title promises: a deeply personal, visually stunning argument for designing spaces that resonate on an emotional level.
The book unfolds in three parts. “A Mood” is the one you’ll return to again and again, a look at decoration through the lens of feeling rather than function. Huh identifies seven moods, convivial, peaceful, joyful, cozy, romantic, verve, meaningful, and shows what each looks like when translated into a room. A convivial space buzzes with energy, like an artist’s salon; lighting draws people in, seating keeps them there. A peaceful one is the room you retreat to with a book and a cup of tea on a grey afternoon, wrapped in warm textures and quiet color. It’s an elegant framework, and Huh wears it lightly.
“A Thought” showcases three recently completed houses, among them a chic forever home, a whimsical old house full of accumulated character, and an airy Park Avenue penthouse. Then comes the section Dutchess readers will feel especially at home in. “A Feeling” is Huh’s own love letter to her historic country house in Salt Point, where she has lived for four years, photographed through the seasons from the pattern-filled rooms to the gardens beyond.
“Being surrounded by nature is the most wonderful part of living in Dutchess County,” she says. “We are surrounded by waterways and lush and varied landscapes. My husband and I love going for hikes and picnics or just watching our flowers grow. But if ever we want a change of pace, we can go look at amazing art, visit historic houses, and eat at world-class restaurants all within a short drive.”
A Mood, A Thought, A Feeling: Interiors is the rare design book that feels like a conversation rather than a lecture. Available at Oblong Books.
