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It wasn’t until I browsed the Chapters/Indigo decor section yesterday that I appreciated just how rich and current BMV’s latest crop of half-price shelter titles really is. I came home with Nancy Corzine’s Glamour At Home ($29.99, suggested retail $62 CAD), but I could have strained my back carting away Suzanne Kasler’s Inspired Interiors (Rizzoli), Glamorous Rooms by Jan Showers (Abrams), Rooms to Remember by Suzanne Tucker (Monacelli Press), Simple Homes by Mark & Sally Bailey (Ryland, Peters & Small Ltd), Jacques Grange Interiors by Pierre Passebon (Flammarion) or In House by photographer Derry Moore with Mitchell Owens (Rizzoli). These are among the very hottest holiday book offerings so if you’re looking for a deal on some coffee table porn, head to BMV (471 Bloor Street West, 416.967.5757).

Having to choose from the embarrassment of riches made me really consider what it is I look for in a shelter book. First off, I have to love the designer’s style enough to want to spend some quality time immersed in it. Secondly, there has to be enough text to elucidate the design vision — I want some whys and wherefores to go with the pretty pictures. For me the Corzine book scores on both counts.

The designer favours a luxe, somewhat feminine approach but she’s not afraid of colour (blue is an obvious favorite) and she’s quite adept at mixing traditional and contemporary furnishings without being overly fussy. Of the glamourpuss titles on parade this season, Corzine’s is the only one that really embraces mid-century modernism. The rooms in Glamour at Home are all moneyed, grown-up spaces, a little bland perhaps, but mostly chic and sophisticated.

Photos courtesy of Rizzoli New York, © 2009, above left by Ken Hayden, above right by Thomas Loof. Book jacket image by Peter Vitale.