There’s a dreamy, almost hypnotic quality to flipping through Aerin Lauder’s new book, “Living with Flowers.” It’s packed with floral prettiness, from a simple arrangement of calla lilies (which Aerin’s grandmother Estée carried on her wedding day in 1930) to the exquisitely patterned Louis XIII carpet and 18th century wallpaper from her New York apartment.

At its heart, Living with Flowers is meant to be both an approachable guide and source of inspiration for everyone to incorporate their beauty into everyday life. Not one to gatekeep, she includes all the details for her favorite florists, ceramic artisans, makers of table linens and cakes featured within in the book’s endnotes. We chatted recently with Aerin about the book’s unexpected cover, the Victorian language of flowers and why faux and decorative blooms are just as beautiful as fresh.

Flowers in all forms have been an important of your life since you were a girl. Why was this the right time to publish Living with Flowers?

Over the years, I discovered that flowers are not just for special occasions, they can be part of my every day. Whether I am placing a single stem in a bud vase on my nightstand, arranging peonies for a summer lunch, or selecting flowers that match the mood of the season, I love the way they bring effortless beauty to any setting. I wanted to create Living with Flowers to share that passion and make floral design feel approachable. Flowers do not have to involve complicated arrangements or rules; this book is about simple, elegant ways to incorporate flowers into your home and lifestyle. I draw inspiration from nature, travel, and personal moments, and I hope this book encourages others to do the same.

We imagine it wasn’t easy to choose a cover. Tell us about the image you selected, which celebrates flowers as part of the decorative arts.

Believe it or not, I knew almost immediately that this would be our cover image when we shot it. I love the effortless, yet elegant and aspirational feel and how the flowers on the cover are somewhat abstract. I think many people expect a book about flowers to have fresh flowers right on the cover. Instead, we chose something slightly more surprising and unexpected; there are no fresh flowers. The flowers on the cover are only on the beautiful wallpaper and on my dress.

The Language of Flowers section is so interesting. How often do you refer to it? What’s your favorite ‘message’ flower to send?

I always knew that different flowers had different meanings, but I was so inspired by the endless messages that can be relayed. It is something that I consider much more often now, when putting together an arrangement or sending a gift. Roses have always been one of my favorite flowers and I love that depending on the color, the meaning also changes. Pink roses symbolize grace, happiness and gentleness, while white roses represent new beginnings, purity and innocence, and red roses symbolize passion and romance. The original inspiration for the AERIN Beauty collection was a pink rose, and it is still very iconic to the brand today.

There are many great ideas that readers might take away from the book. What do you think is the most valuable gem? And the most surprising?

My grandmother had this incredible quote where she said that “one exquisite flower in a simple container can be as magnificent as a roomful of flowers,” and I believe that is so true. I think readers will be excited to learn that flowers don’t have to be fussy or complicated. They can be simple and still, just as beautiful. On that note, another one of my favorite takeaways is the many unexpected ways that readers can incorporate flowers into their daily routines and lifestyles. Even if they don’t have access to fresh flowers, there are still so many ways to add a touch of nature from faux flowers and floral-patterned wallpaper to beautiful hand painted dinnerware and so on.

Summer is a very social season. What are your dos and don’ts on bringing flowers to your host or hostess?

You can never go wrong with flowers. They are always a great gift for everyone to enjoy. Especially in the summertime, I love cutting flowers fresh from my garden or picking up an arrangement of colorful cosmos from a local farmstand in Long Island.