Susanna Salk Weekend Retreats

The older I get, the more I live for the weekend. It is a time to stay in bed just a wee bit longer, make a pot of soup, enjoy an extra glass of wine and just hangout with family and friends. Most importantly it’s my time to relax and re-energize for the week ahead.

For the past few days I have been engrossed in my advance copy of Susanna Salk’s new book Weekend Retreats. I have anxiously awaited the arrival of this book for months. In my opinion a good book should, at the very least, provide an entertaining escape. If a book does just that, plus offers beautiful photos and inspiring interiors, it’s a winner as far as I am concerned. Weekend Retreats hits the mark, affording readers with a perfect escape from the ordinary.

I especially love the diversity of this book and the array of designs it presents. Each home is quite different, reflecting the owners' unique tastes and whimsy. Susanna’s own gorgeous home is included in the mix. Weekend Retreats is now available for preorder and is set to be released the first week in April. A huge thank you to Jessica Napp of Rizzoli for providing me a copy of Weekend Retreats.

Photo by Michael Mundy

Q & A with Susanna Salk

This book is very different from a Privileged Life, what did you enjoy most about working on Weekend Retreats?
I loved meeting the owners, even if I didn't get to meet them in real life! Writing the stories of how they fell in love and then nurtured their weekend retreats, was so inspiring. They were all labors of love. And in some many instances they were told not to buy the house but they did it anyway. Their commitment to then creating an intensely personal space and then throwing the doors open to share it with the outside world, is to me one of the great gifts you can give others.

What inspires your creativity and designs?
Seeing what other people do at all levels of creativity: from how they decorate their entry ways to how they dress while on vacation. It constantly reminds me to push my boundaries out and take big and little risks.

Photo by Geoff Spear

What books are currently on your bedside table?
Curtis Sittenfeld's American Wife. It's SOOO good. Also a Gloria Vanderbilt memoir. I just interviewed her and now I want to go back and read everything about her life. She is such a courageous, artistic woman.

What is the one thing in life you cannot live without?
My iphone.

What is your favorite luxury in life?
The ability to let go.

Photo by John Gruen

Who would you most like to collaborate with on a project?
Designer John Derian who can turn a dead branch into a piece of sculpture just by hanging it from a ceiling. Also editor/writer Wendy Goodman. Her enthusiasm is infectious.

Past or present who has most influenced your direction in life?
Past: my grandmother Anne Weld. She had so much style without it ever being forced. She was this classic beauty who thought in such a modern way. Present: My two sons: everything I do is influenced by their curiousity, humor and kindness.

Photo by Miki Duisterhof

How would you describe your personal style?
Evolving! I am still learning how to best express myself. It's definitely gotten edgier as I've gotten older. I try always a mix of high and low and maybe a dash of surprise in between.

Where is your favorite place to retreat?
Our little modern lake house on Lake Waramaug or Sconset in Nantucket

What is your idea of earthly happiness?
Body surfing with my sons and husband on some fabulous beach in Corsica, France.