architect design™

Just in time for the Christmas shopping season Phaidon has released a book perfect for the architecture lover on your list, Drawing Architecture by Helen Thomas.  Above is a recent rendering by Grafton Architects done with computer software in 2013. Unlike most computer renderings, notice how soft and beautiful it is.  This transforms what is ordinarily a cold lifeless drawing into an art form; I'd hang this on my wall!
Showcasing over 250 drawings by architects from Bernini to Frank Gehry and Michelangelo to Renzo Piano, the book highlights how styles have changed but the way architecture is represented has mostly stayed the same.  Above is a sketch completed by set designer Ferdinando Galli da Bibiena in 1732 of a piece of scenery for the baroque stage. Notice the clever way the elevation and plan are represented together.
Lastly I wanted to share a rendering from 1939 by architect  Ernesto Bruno la Padula of one of my favorite buildings in Rome, the Palace of Italian Civilization. While this was completed after the building was complete, these types of renderings are instrumental in working with clients.
Author Helen Thomas is a trained architect and writer who works at the London V&A museum in London that I just had the pleasure of visiting (lucky her!). Definitely add this book to your shopping list, perfect for any lover of architecture or even just drawings.
All images courtesy of Phaidon

Kelly Wearstler's Malibu house definitely fits into her aesthetic with these highly refined marble built-ins in her living room which are astounding. Wait until you see the adjoining fireplace!!!
The London home of textile designer Neisha Crosland is highly undecorated, which I love to see, and reflects her fun personality. Those double oak leaf chandeliers I want so badly!! Such a fun idea to upholster all of the dining room chairs differently too.
Italian architect Piero Lissoni's minimal home in Tuscany will soothe and calm your senses.  This metal staircase may be my favorite thing I've seen in awhile: simple yet elegant.  I wish our codes in the USA would allow an open rail!
Many of the designer's homes pictured are familiar to us but I love to see how they evolve over time. Case in point are both Miles Redd's NYC townhouse and Stephen Sill's Westchester country house which have been published multiple times.  There is always something new to see as the spaces are constantly changing as the owner's grow; these are the design laboratories of great minds.
Making House from Rizzoli is a great look at some of our favorite top talent's private spaces - it's human nature to be nosey, right?  Time to dive right in and see how they're living!
Photography in the book by Richard Powers

Soon to be released (April 11, 2017) is "How They Decorated", a fascinating book by P. Gaye Tapp with forward by Charlotte Moss and published by Rizzoli.  I've been eagerly awaiting this book both because the subject is endlessly fascinating and because over the years I've become friends with Tapp through our blogs; You may know her better as Little Augury.
I've been studying my preview copy of the book and have been totally engrossed by these fascinating women who were each famous for their (many) style(s) which were well documented throughout the 20th century. Split into 4 sections the book categorizes these style setters (NOT trendsetters) by "The Fashionably Chic", "The Unconventional Eye", "In the Grand Manner", and "Legacy Style".  One of my favorite parts of the book is that they are covered not only by never-before-seen photographs but also charming sketches by Jimmie Henslee, Christian Berard, and Jeremiah Goodman which give the FEEL of a space more than a photograph ever can.
I (and Gaye) say these women were STYLE setters and not TREND setters because they marched to the beat of their own drummer.  They didn't follow trends, they set them.  Big difference; there is very little to be said of a trendsetter but so much to learn from a stylesetter.
So often lately I hear 'blogging is dead' and 'who cares about blogs'. I believe this may in part be a backlash to their popularity 10 years ago and also because so many blogs were created, following the TREND, that had no substance and nothing to say. Every business website one visits has a 'blog' section and those are indeed incredibly dull; they have nothing to say. However blogs still MATTER because they are written for the most part (at least the good ones) by people who are passionate;  Interested enough to put their thoughts and research out into the online universe, generally for free, because they're passionate about their subject.  Whether it be architecture, travel, history, style, or interior design;  Passion, Knowledge and Interest transcend trends. When bloggers cover a subject it's a 21st century technique of passing content - magazines for our century!  I have learned so much about the history of 20th century design through Gaye's blog and her book is a distillation of her many years of research on the topic. I bet if asked she could write another 10 volumes on stylish women (and I would eagerly await each tome)!
Images Copyright from How They Decorated: Inspiration from Great Women of the Twentieth Century by P. Gaye Tapp, Rizzoli NY 2017

If you purchase one design book from the large selection out this fall it must be Cecil Beaton at Home by Andrew Ginger with forward by Beaton expert Hugo Vickers. This large tome on the most famous taste-maker of the 20th century is a must for any design library.
Each chapter is devoted to a different time period, and corresponding house, in Beaton's life and reads mostly chronologically. Some of the images you will undoubtedly be familiar with but there were many I had never seen before. I loved Beaton's watercolor of Ashcombe seen above, later inhabited by Madonna and Guy Ritchie.
Beaton was a harbinger of today's media obsessed culture where every moment is photographed for instagram or facebook, so we are lucky to enjoy may snapshots he took of his friends enjoying his homes.
This isn't just a pretty coffee table book but rather a lavishly illustrated biography of Beaton's personal life and one that cannot be missed!
I highly recommend you get your copy today or gift this holiday season to the design-ophile in your life!

Just in time for the winter season is a new book that is sure to bring a breath of warm weather to everyone's Christmas List: Palm Beach Chic from Vendome Press.
Chronicling the houses of the storied resort town, the large coffee table book features a huge number of houses ranging from the historic to the very modern.
 I hate those book reviews which ruin the whole book for you so I'll feature a number of images on one of my favorite houses in Palm Beach featured in the book, Villa Artemis.
Built in 1916 by architect F. Burrall Hoffman (who also designed Vizcaya) for Mr & Mrs. Frederick Guest, the house is most known for a number of images by society photographer Slim Aarons of daughter CZ Guest at the home (one seen above).
Although the house has been greatly modified since the Guest's time as owners, architects Ferguson & Shamamian recently worked on restoring and adding to the house with the present owners and it was decorated by designer David Kleinberg. This storied house has become even MORE fabulous thanks to this duo!
Notice the charming watercolor of the front door by talented artist John S. Coles in one of the bedrooms.
The white stucco house with Mediterranean blue accents is my ideal palette for a tropical climate such as this; classic but interesting.
While the grounds have been heavily redesigned, they still feature the same vistas made famous by Slim Aarons. The work in the gardens even won the prestigious Palm Beach Preservation Foundation's award.
The renovated pool house is where the family spends most of their time. I love the black and white palette.  
 The formal rose garden matches the neoclassical tone set by the house; formal but not fussy.
Two last images from the book I have to share are from the home of designer Lars Bolander and his wife. The open storage in the kitchen was designed to display their collection of cookbooks and china -why not be surrounded by all of your beautiful things?!
 This may very well be my favorite kitchen I've ever seen!
For more on these houses as well as plenty of others check out your own copy of Palm Beach Chic from the Vendome Press by Jennifer Ash Rudick!
All images unless noted are from the book by talented photographer Jessica Kewicki Glynn. 

It seems shelves are inundated lately with Interior Designer monographs (the new calling card of many) and occasionally you'll come across one which is actually inspiring.  Or at least that's how I felt when I was sent a copy of 'Carrier and Company, Positively Chic Interiors'.
The work of husband and wife duo Jesse Carrier and Mara Miller is inspirational because it is NOT a calling card of monotonous work like we see from so many decorators, but rather appears to reflect the tastes of the homeowner. No 2 projects look alike. Don't believe me? Check out their awesome website HERE.
Jesse and Mara are setting the backdrop for their clients, spaces to grow into. The factor tying together all of their work are clean lines and good taste. Good taste may be a dirty word to some decorators and 'tastemakers' but is something that is actually valuable to clients; that's what they hire us for afterall: our taste! That's basically what we're selling these days with the growth of online shopping and big box stores offering a range of services. Competition is fierce!
I love that the book features tons of different baths and kitchens covering many styles.  This versatility is much like most magazines, perhaps why so many in the industry have turned to them to work on their own homes such as Anna Wintour who wrote the forward to the monograph and Jay Fielden.
 Frequently published I think you'll find a lot of new work to ogle in this book -seen with fresh eyes.
The work is tailored to the client, to the location, and is thoughtfully appropriate. These aren't statement interiors but rather spaces to be lived in. As Anna Wintour writes in the forward "Each and every interior here embodies a real sense of personal charm; these are homes whose high style comes from a very human-scaled sense of warmth and joy".
From spare and modern to richly traditional there is a project here for everyone.
Pardon the photograph above scanned from the book but it so exemplifies my own taste that I had to include here.  Be sure to get your own copy of one of this seasons best design books; Carrier and Company Positively Chic Interiors from the Vendome Press!
Many thanks to the Vendome Press for my copy of this book -views expressed are my own.

While Roberts modestly claims in the book to not have a trademark style I would disagree.  Each house has the style of its' homeowner graciously pulled together by the talent of the designer.
I hate those blogpost spoilers you so often see that share every image in the book; why purchase the book then? Seen highlighted in this post is one project seen in the book out of many that was previously published by House Beautiful (seen HERE).
The house was originally designed by noted architect H.T. Lindeberg (about whom I have blogged many times HERE) in the Locust Valley section of Long Island and retains all of the era's charm and graceful proportions.
The book is split into HOW Roberts works and starts practically, with the room's floorplan (seen above). Nothing fancy is needed.  The designer sketched the furniture to scale over a drafted floorplan to see how the room functions and what scale of furniture was required.
 The house is a charming brick structure. The room in question is the side wing seen above.
A true sign of any designer's talent is how they live themselves. The last few chapters of the book are devoted to Robert's own homes and the sneak peaks are delightful, particularly his private dressing room seen below where all of his interests collide.
The book Markham Roberts, Decorating the way I see it, is a delightful read full of Robert's obvious charm, modesty, and wit with a peak at some of his many projects which don't scream 'decorated' but rather are gracious homes where people can actually LIVE.
All photography in the book and this post by Nelson Hancock