Monacelli Press

The South Fork of Long Island extends only forty miles, stretching east into the Atlantic Ocean from the Shinnecock Canal to the majestic bluffs at Montauk Point. Dotting the coastline are the stylish Hamptons—Southampton, East Hampton, Westhampton Beach, and Bridgehampton—and villages of Sag Harbor, Amagansett, Watermill, and Sagaponack. The landscape in which these towns sit is unique in the United States. It is not one landscape but a collection of them—dune, farmland, woods, bays, swamps, ponds, marshes, pine barrens, and a high ridge, the moraine left by the glacier that long ago swept across the continent. All is bathed in an extraordinary silvery light that, at once warm and crisp, washes over both land and sea. Acclaimed photographer Jake Rajs has created a compelling portrait of the Hamptons, juxtaposing privet hedges and pumpkin fields, crashing surf and serene coves, fishermen and polo players, contemporary houses and modest shingled cottages. Most important, he has captured the light throughout the day, from misty dawn to the vivid colors of sunset.

In the aftermath of World War II, New York emerged as a world-class city and the de facto national financial capital, becoming a magnet for moguls and strivers. At the same time the city remained a collection of small towns made up of people going about their daily rounds. No other publication captured this twin identity as successfully as Look magazine. In the pre — television era, the editors of Look recognized the great demand for photographs of all kinds — politicians, titans of industry, and unsung heroes, glamorous events and intimate moments, society matrons and showgirls, violent crime and courtroom drama — that provided entertainment and diversion to voyeuristic subscribers to the magazine. Reaching a peak circulation of nearly 8 million in the late 1960s, Look was a national publication with a focus on the fascination and allure of New York. The magazine's New York images-more than 200,000 in all-were donated to the Museum of the City of New York. Only in New York draws from that astonishing archive to present the tapestry that was New York in the 1940s and 1950s.

The Ballets Russes was a phenomenon of the early twentieth century, permeating daily life wherever the company traveled and leaving a lasting impact on dance, theater, and the visual arts. Sergei Diaghilev, impresario from 1909 until his death in 1929, fused the most avant-garde, groundbreaking movements in dance, choreography, art, design, and costume into unique and stunning productions. The work was exciting, and always new, and it stretched the limits of the possible in art. The color, form, and material in costume and set design astonished audiences, transforming every corner of Western culture in the twentieth century. Fashion and decor designers and visual artists in particular — including Coco Chanel, Natalia Goncharova, Mikhail Larionov, Leon Bakst, and Pablo Picasso — found inspiration in the Ballets Russes. Designers and artists moved past old boundaries and created costumes and set designs for these extravagant productions, bridging the gaps between tangible and abstract artistic genres. The Ballets Russes and the Art of Design explores these revolutionary icons and ideas, illuminating Sergei Diaghilev's profound revitalization of the arts, which continues to influence us today. Ten essays by internationally recognized experts and 200 color and black-and-white illustrations — many from private collections and never-before-published — discuss a broad range of topics, including set and costume designs, graphic design and poster art, photographs and postcards, Diaghilev's presence in the media, and private and museum collections of Ballets Russes treasures.

Interior designer Richard Mishaan believes that all good furniture and art can be combined successfully regardless of style, period, or price. Drawing on his international background and love of travel, he combs the world to find exquisite, unique pieces for his clients. Mishaan skillfully brings together furnishings and objects from myriad periods — Italian neoclassic, seventeenth-century French, African tribal, Art Deco, Biedermeier — in a contemporary fusion style that has become his signature. Mishaan approaches his projects with the knowing eye of a curator, integrating art and objects into the flow of everyday life. A proponent of introducing an element of luxury into all spaces, even the most utilitarian, the designer shares his inspiring ideas for how to infuse every room — from well-appointed formal dining and reception spaces to private spheres for relaxation and work — with personality and generosity of spirit. This lavish color presentation showcases dozens of completed projects, from elegant townhouses to pied-a-terre apartments, spacious second homes, and corporate offices. Mishaan's extensive knowledge of the fine arts, architecture, and modern and historic furnishings is revealed in engaging commentary that details his creative process, discloses his most valuable tips, and explains how his experiences have informed the creation of his own custom furniture and retail line. A directory of the designer's favorite sources from around the country and around the globe encourages those interested in creating eclectic and sophisticated interiors of their own to begin.

In the work of interior designer Suzanne Tucker, art and artifact collections are displayed to best advantage for daily enjoyment by their owners, custom-mixed wall colors are set off by richly sensual textiles and forms, and inherited pieces are blended with newly found treasures to bestow a subtle aura of age and permanence. She uses her extensive knowledge of antiques and the decorative arts to create finely detailed, inviting rooms that perfectly complement both their architectural setting and their owners' personality. Always looking to the bones of a structure first, Tucker works from the outside in to ensure that a house remains true to the conventions of its style while its functions suit a contemporary lifestyle and sensibility. Superb interior architecture, delicate finishes, and fine furnishings are introduced and layered to form spaces that are balanced, fluid, and comfortable, whether in historically significant properties or modern wine country estates. She brings her perceptive ability to create truly unique, tailored spaces — amassed over years as the protege of the legendary Michael Taylor as well as from her own extensive travels and twenty-three years as a principal of her firm — to each project. She maintains that even the most exquisite pieces of furniture and art can, and should, be arranged throughout a space in an accessible way to serve the needs of the people who inhabit it. This lavishly illustrated presentation showcases Tucker's diverse and site-specific styles in twenty projects, ranging from formal Mediterranean-style villas to sophisticated city apartments and airy Napa Valley retreats to rustic mountainside houses. Personal, engaging commentary reveals her spirited nature, many sources of inspiration, creative process, and valuable tips that can be applied to interiors of any age, style, or mood.

The Lost Vanguard documents the work of modernist architects in the Soviet Union during the years following the 1917 revolution and civil war. In little more than a decade, some of the most radical buildings of the twentieth century were completed by a small group of architects who developed a new architectural language in support of new social goals of communal life. Rarely published and virtually inaccessible until the collapse of the Soviet regime, these important buildings have remained unknown and unappreciated. Richard Pare's photographs reveal the powerful forms of these structures, some still in use but many now abandoned and decayed. Massive industrial complexes like the Dnieper River Dam and MoGES, which supplies electricity to the city of Moscow; vast communal houses for workers, including Ginzburg's Narkomfin; commercial buildings and government offices; and smaller clubs and theaters were all built in this brief period.In an incisive essay, architectural historian Jean-Louis Cohen surveys the history of the period, providing a context for the emergence of this startling new architecture in parallel to contemporary experiments in Europe.

Bringing Paris Home invites the reader to re-create the panache of French interior style in an American setting. Author Penny Drue Baird shares her love and knowledge of French history and decorative arts and describes the design elements essential to an elegant French interior — architectural details, furniture, paint and wall covering, fireplaces, lighting, and tabletop settings. A special chapter on shopping offers tips on finding treasures in the famed Marche aux Puces in Paris. Penny Drue Baird's highly engaging text, filled with reminiscences and anecdotes, brings the charm and pleasure of Paris to life. Lavishly illustrated with Parisian scenes and completed interiors by Baird, Bringing Paris Home is an essential resource for capturing the atmosphere of Paris.

More than any other element of interior design, color sets the mood of a room. Once the palette is limited to a single color, the effect can be dramatic and powerful or sublime. «Monochrome» features projects by more than twenty internationally known interior designers who have created rooms based around one color. Included are a blue bedroom by Vicente Wolf, a silver dining room for Baccarat by Philippe Starck, an ivory loft apartment by Lee Mindel of Shelton Mindel, and a purple bedroom by Benjamin Noriega. Neutral shades — grays, taupes, and beiges — and crisp, contemporary whites are featured in projects by M Group, Anthony Todd, Noel Jeffrey, and Michael Gabellini. John Saladino, who is renowned for his cool, subtle tones, has written an introductory text. He touches on the different approaches to color over time and describes the effects created by using a single color in different textures and patterns of fabric and finishes.

Accompanying a major exhibition organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (and traveling throughout the world), this exquisitely designed and produced catalog explores the formal aspects of Richard Meier's architecture. Over his thirty-five-year career, Meier has produced a body of work that is recognized for its unceasing pursuit of the ideals of modernism and its sensitive handling of urban contexts. This volume, illustrated with exceptional duotone photographs and Meier's own drawings, is the first to cover his entire career. Included are twenty-four of the architect's masterworks, including the Smith House in Darien, Connecticut; the Douglas House, on the shores of Lake Michigan; the Museum for Decorative Arts in Frankfurt; the Canal+ Headquarters in Paris; the Museum of Contemporary Art in Barcelona; and the Getty Center in Los Angeles. Current projects -- the Federal Courthouse in Phoenix, Arizona, and the Church of the Year 2000 in Rome -- are also presented. Dozens of Meier's original sketches -- most never before published -- illustrate all of the designs. Essays by noted historians and scholars offer readings of the work focused on themes of abstraction, light, and space, and a fully illustrated chronology completes the comprehensive presentation of Meier's buildings and projects.