Her areas of research include: contemporary ornament, design and literature, and the relationship between architecture and textiles. She is the author of Contemporary World Interiors (Phaidon Press, 2007), Design for Life (Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, 1997) and (Whitney Library of Design, 1993); co-author of Inside Design Now (Princeton Architectural Press, 2003); and editor/author of Pentagram: Profile (Phaidon Press, 2004). Yelavich is a Fellow of the American Academy in Rome, which awarded her the Rolland Fellowship in Design in 2003-04. She is a contributing editor to Patek Philippe International Magazine and a frequent contributor to design publications. She lectures widely and served as guest critic in the New Materials and Textiles graduate program at Nuova Accademia di Belli Arti in Milan from 2007-2010.