We had a blast interviewing Merline Clark Leaming, the grande dame of modern interior design in the West. Merline started her career in 1950s Salt Lake City with her husband, George, and brother, Howard Clark, by designing modern wrought-iron furniture. Merline's brilliant eye and revolutionary modern design style launched an interior design and real estate empire that brought SLC into the 21st century ahead of its time. She also launched the careers of many of America's most talented interior designers.

In keeping with Merline's taste for clean lines, we kept the book spare and modern. She chose the cover's dreamy lipstick-red linen, reminiscent of her favorite "Fire and Ice." The black lines on the cover depict one of Clark-Leaming's early wrought-iron designs. The 12" x 12" book makes a stunning ornament for a vintage Knoll coffee table.