Rizzoli (RCS MediaGroup)

A passion for luxury and beauty propels the multifaceted work of acclaimed international architect and interior designer Robert Couturier. Robert Couturier's aesthetic is a dialogue between Old World elegance and contemporary design. His masterful approach effortlessly brings eras together, for example a Louis XVI commode with a 1960s lamp. Couturier's name has become synonymous with continental and international style, and he is known for composing adventurous rooms that have a witty flair. All his interiors extol the importance of how a home should stimulate the five senses, from the tactile feel of upholstery to the visual presentation of objects that leads a person through a space. The book opens with a tour of Couturier's country retreat in bucolic Kent, Connecticut. Composed of neoclassical-style pavilions, early American guesthouses, and beautiful gardens, the house features imaginative rooms that are filled with his collections of European art, furniture, and decorative objects. A selection of the designer's other projects — from smart contemporary apartments to romantic Mexican villas to a stately English manor — provides further inspiration.

Gwathmey Siegel has long been the architect of choice for clients who want to combine extravagance with an intellectually rigorous, well-crafted modernism. While the houses for which they are so justly renowned often exceed 20,000 square feet, the apartments they have designed are frequently one-tenth that size. The work, however, does not suffer from this reduction in scale, it rather takes on a stunning intensity — as if the ideas encompassed in the bigger houses are in the apartments compressed into tight, concentrated forms. The seventeen apartments featured in this monograph document the evolution of the firm's design ethos over thirty years of practice from a minimalist modernism to what has sometimes been described as baroque modernism.

Imagining Ground Zero: Official and Unofficial Proposals for the World Trade Center Site documents not only the master plan competition, won by Studio Daniel Libeskind and sponsored by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, but also proposals submitted by invitation of and published by New York magazine, proposals from the exhibition at Max Protetch Gallery, as well as a selection from the more than 5,000 schemes submitted to the competition for the World Trade Center Memorial. This survey features in depth the official scheme for the site, designed by David Childs of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill with the collaboration of Daniel Libeskind of Studio Daniel Libeskind; Reflecting Absence, the winning scheme for the memorial, designed by Michael Arad and Peter Walker; and, as well, the World Trade Center Transportation Hub, designed by Santiago Calatrava, DMJM + Harris, and STV Group.

Albert Pinto is among the most celebrated interior designers at work today. Here he turns his eye to the wonders of the East and a series of interiors inspired by the colors and textures of Morocco, Byzantium, India, and beyond.

New Classicism provides an in-depth look at a form of design that appeared lost forever with the rise of modernism in architecture. But now, with an intense revival of interest in classical design, and with the demise in popularity of the subsequent postmodernism, new vigor has infused traditional forms and motifs. Focusing on thirty-four projects by the best classically oriented firms in the United States and Great Britain, New Classicism examines this burgeoning new vogue for the many varieties of traditional classical design, such as Georgian, Palladian, neoclassical, Greek Revival, Empire and Federal, and even classicized forays into the Gothic.

Following on the runaway success of This is New York, Universe is thrilled to reissue two more titles from M. Sasek's beloved children's travel series: This is London and This is Paris. Like This is New York and This is San Francisco, This is London and This is Paris are facsimile editions of Sasek's original titles. His brilliant, vibrant illustrations have been meticulously preserved and remain true to his vision. With the passing of time facts have been updated where applicable in the back of each book. Perfect souvenirs with timely and nostalgic appeal, the books have an elegant, classic look and delightful narrative that will charm both children and their parents, many of whom will remember them from their own childhood. This is London, first published in 1959, presents impressions of London with its beautiful buildings, historic monuments, bridges, parks, shops and Piccadilly Circus, black cabs, Horse Guards, and famed Underground. This is Paris, first published in 1959, brings Paris, one of the most exciting cities in the world, to life. There are famous buildings, beautiful gardens, cafes, and the Parisians-artists, concierges, flower girls, and even thousands of cats. Take a tour along the banks of the Seine, through the galleries of the Louvre, and to the top of the Eiffel Tower.

»Dostoevskij era uno di quei rari geni che avanzano d'opera in opera, per una sorta di progressione continua, fin che la morte non li venga bruscamente a interrompere. Nessun ripiegamento in quella sua focosa vecchiaia, non più che in quella di Rembrandt o di Beethoven, al quale mi piace paragonarlo; un sicuro e violento approfondirsi del suo pensiero» (André Gide). Fëdor M. Dostoevskij (1821-1881), scrittore russo. Cominciò a pubblicare nel 1846, con Povera gente e Il sosia. Seguirono Umiliati e offesi (1861); Memorie dal sottosuolo (1864); Delitto e castigo e Il giocatore (1866); L'idiota (1868); I demoni (1871-72).

Classic English Interiors is a sumptuous showcase for a distinctive style that is now as popular in Manhattan as in the country houses of England. Written by The Lady Henrietta Spencer-Churchill, the book is divided into two parts. The first half reveals the private and the public side of Blenheim Palace, her ancestral home, explores the country houses of Oxfordshire from which Lady Henrietta drew much of her inspiration and features selections from Woodstock Designs portfolio. Her fascinating text reveals life behind the scenes in some of Britain's most beautiful country houses. Hundreds of specially commissioned photographs show how she has translated the confident sweep of classic English style to produce homes of great elegance; comfortable family spaces; fresh, simple schemes and smart, stylish ones. Classic English Interiors is also an immensely practical book. The second part is an extensive Designer's Lexicon — an inspirational pictorial survey of halls and stairs, windows of all shapes and sizes, seating areas, fireplaces, dining areas, kitchens, walls and floors, beds and bedding, bathrooms and lighting. Here one will find hundreds of ideas for everything from wallpaper friezes to dried flower arrangements; from choosing rugs to displaying cherished collections. Classic English Interiors is both a confident style statement and an invaluable reference work for the home decorator.

This beautifully illustrated guide from top interior designer Lady Henrietta Spencer-Churchill reveals the best of architectural and furnishing detail from England and America's most enduring decorating styles of the last 400 years. A companion volume to her «2001 Classic Design Styles», this book focuses on architectural details from seven distinct historical eras and identifies the vital details of each period. Carved stone fireplaces, marble columns, tapestry wall hangings, eighteenth-century windows, and plain and painted plaster wall finishes, as well as cushions, tassels, and curtains are all detailed with an eye to applying them to our homes today. With in-depth historical surveys of each period, illustrated feature by feature, the book is filled with beautiful photographs and hundreds of creative ideas accompanied by insider tips, practical advice, and inspiration from one of the world's top interior designers.

Questi racconti tesi, asciutti, drammatici, percorsi da una vena sottile di umorismo narrano, in prima persona, alcuni episodi vissuti dall'autore in un angolo sperduto della provincia russa a contatto con un'umanità primitiva e superstiziosa. Essi sono la trasposizione letteraria della durissima «prova iniziatica» subita dal giovane Bulgakov, appena uscito dalla facoltà di medicina e spedito a dirigere un ospedale rurale e ad affrontare, da solo, casi clinici spesso sconvolgenti. Costituiscono inoltre il punto d'incontro della duplice personalità scientifica e artistica di Michail Afanas'evic e testimoniano il suo passaggio dall'attività medica all'attività di scrittore.

Paris based Alberto Pinto is one of the world's most acclaimed interior designers. He creates rooms of unimaginable grandeur, in practically every traditional style. He is the preeminent master of unabashed wealth and opulence. No expense is spared to create the most lavish interiors conceivable for Pinto's clientele. He completely outfitted Mauritzio Gucci's 250 ft yacht and furnished the private apartment of French President Chirac at Elysee Palace. In this new book, the reader is taken through fifteen of Pinto's latest creations. These spectacular environments include a grand mansion on the Champs de Mars with paintings by Hubert Robert in its Louis XIV sitting room; a Left Bank Parisian apartment with landmarked Louis XIV paneling; a New York art collector's townhouse where Roman marbles and Syrian mosaics are juxtaposed with French period furniture; a French-style apartment in Geneva where works by Renoir and Chagall grace the walls; a cottage in the Hamptons accented with antique Dutch and Chinese blue-and-white porcelain; a ranch in New Mexico on land the size of Manhattan; a villa in Marbella and a chalet in Courcheval; a palace in Cairo; and the 14th century Glympton Park estate near Blenheim Palace in England, along with many others. Lavishly illustrated with 200 color photographs, of what only can be described as the most extraordinary interiors of our age, Alberto Pinto: the Classics is the first major publication in English of Pinto's work.

Henri Matisse's work, with its unmistakable grace and mastery of brilliant color, continues to command enormous popular interest, inspiring a new blockbuster exhibition at The Museum of Modern Art in New York in 2003. Hand-held in size, this compact collection manages to be affordable and comprehensive guide to the artist's work. Included are all genres and periods of his work–from the early Fauvist explosions of color and fluid-lined portraits, to the graphic cut-paper collages. Introducing the paintings is an insightful essay by celebrated art critic Robert Hughes. This book is an essential resource for students as well as for all art lovers, and represents an extraordinarily good value. No other book on the artist offers as many images at this low price.

In Classic Design Styles well-known author and interior designer, Lady Hennrietta Spencer Churchill turns her attention to the history of American and European classic interior design traditions including: Victorian, Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Federal Style, Queen Anne, Georgian, Colonial, Empire, and Arts & Crafts. Opening the doors of private homes she decorated in America and Europe, Spencer-Churchill takes us on a room by room tour of one spectacular house decorated in each style. She explains in detail the theory and methods behind the look, how to interpret traditional styles for your own home, and the enduring value and allure of each. Illustrating how to work with an existing room, Spencer-Churchill includes a section on architectural and furnishing details including floors, windows, fabrics and paints. Lavishly illustrated with examples of period styles as timeless and popular as they are diverse, Classic Design Styles is sure to join Lady Henrietta's other decorating books as a perennial favorite.

Painting in the Netherlands during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries offers a compelling visual record of the tastes and values of a prosperous society mindful of its obligation to personal and public standards. This richly illustrated volume examines twenty-six paintings by master artists from this Golden Age of Dutch art and features essays by leading scholars who explore the various interpretations of these works within the context of their culture. A Moral Compass, published in conjunction with an exhibition organized by the Grand Rapids Art Museum, includes individual descriptive entries on each work and artist by Henry Luttikhuizen, guest curator, an introduction by Peter Sutton and essays by Arthur Wheelock, Jr., Lawrence Goedde, and Mariet Westermann. These distinguished curators and art historians provide their insights on the artistic achievement of the Netherlands during an extraordinary period of maritime dominance, material affluence, and moral purpose.

One of the few truly visionary architects of large-scale commissions working today, Thom Mayne's influential firm Morphosis, founded in the early 1970s, has maintained an avant-garde presence among contemporary architecture firms, even as it has garnered high-profile, big-budget commissions from around the world. Since Rizzoli published Volume I of the Morphosis series in 1989, the Los Angeles-based firm has continued to push its intricate modernism into new territories. In the tradition of its four visually groundbreaking predecessors, this fifth volume packs 500 illustrations into a comprehensive tour of Morphosis's activity. New works covered in Volume V include Cal Trans Headquarters in Los Angeles (2004); the San Francisco Federal Office building (2006); the Wayne L. Morse United States Courthouse in Eugene, Oregon (2006); and the University of Cincinnati Student Recreation Center (2006). Projects in progress, such as the New Academic Building for the Cooper Union in New York (expected completion 2008) and the Phare Tower for La Defense, France (2012), will also be featured.

Nella felice stagione creativa di Boldino, nellautunno del 1830, Puskin sperimenta nei Racconti di Belkin un'inedita formula narrativa che sara la base della letteratura russa futura. Antitesi ironica e brillante delle Piccole tragedie, i racconti esplorano tutte le potenzialita dei generi letterari allepoca in voga: la Signorina contadina e una scherzosa parodia del racconto sentimentale, II colpo dipistola anticipa il racconto psicologico, Ilfabbricante di hare inaugura il filone della narrativa fantastica che tanto seguito avra tra i grandi autori russi dell'Ottocento e del Novecento.

Il romanzo che diede a Bulgakov celebrità in vita, prima della fama universale postuma raggiunta con «Il maestro e Margherita». Tutto ruota attorno alle vicende dei tre fratelli Turbin (Aleksej, Nikolka ed Elena) nella tempestosa Kiev del convulso inverno 1919-1920. La città è nelle mani dell'avventuriero Simon Petljura ma si trova anche nella morsa di un duplice accerchiamento, quello dell'atamano (cosacco) Shoropadskij e dei bolscevichi. Le avventure dei fratelli Turbin si susseguono fra malattie, guarigioni miracolose, preghiere, eroismi, fughe, divorzi, amori e amicizie. Sullo sfondo, tratteggiata con rapidità futurista ma allo stesso tempo con potente afflato epico, la Storia di una nazione e di un popolo fotografati in un momento decisivo.

From master event planner and floral couturier Preston Bailey comes a new book celebrating his latest ideas in floral design. A working carousel composed entirely of flowers. A dazzling floor of orchids underfoot. A Renaissance painting adorned with fresh blooms. At the heart of Preston Bailey's spectacular world-renowned events are the flowers — verdant, lavish, unforgettable. From spectacular blooming sculptures that transform a ballroom to the delicate blossoms atop the dinner napkins, Bailey's flower designs are lush, heart-stoppingly romantic, one-of-a-kind. In his fifth book, Preston takes the reader on an exploration of the meaning and importance of flowers, which are undeniably the most important element of his parties. Taking a dozen of his most recent weddings, Preston walks the reader through his inspiration and process, demonstrating how flowers can create a unique event infused with personality. Along the way he shares ideas both large and small that brides and event planners will be eager to replicate, like the Hamptons wedding reception flanked by handmade hedge-like walls of greens, or the simple but abundant tablescape covered in cream-colored roses. From bouquets to centerpieces, ceremony spaces to reception environments, with a special chapter devoted solely to even more ideas for tabletop design, Designing with Flowers is essential reading for amateurs and professionals alike.

A meditation on escaping the chaos of modern life and rediscovering the luxury of solitude. Winner of the Prix M?dicis for nonfiction, The Consolations of the Forest is a Thoreau-esque quest to find solace, taken to the extreme. No stranger to inhospitable places, Sylvain Tesson exiles himself to a wooden cabin on Siberia’s Lake Baikal, a full day’s hike from any «neighbor,» with his thoughts, his books, a couple of dogs, and many bottles of vodka for company. Writing from February to July, he shares his deep appreciation for the harsh but beautiful land, the resilient men and women who populate it, and the bizarre and tragic history that has given Siberia an almost mythological place in the imagination. Rich with observation, introspection, and the good humor necessary to laugh at his own folly, Tesson’s memoir is about the ultimate freedom of owning your own time. Only in the hands of a gifted storyteller can an experiment in isolation become an exceptional adventure accessible to all. By recording his impressions in the face of silence, his struggles in a hostile environment, his hopes, doubts, and moments of pure joy in communion with nature, Tesson makes a decidedly out-of-the-ordinary experience relatable. The awe and joy are contagious, and one comes away with the comforting knowledge that «as long as there is a cabin deep in the woods, nothing is completely lost.»

The first book to celebrate one of the iconic brands of American streetwear. An originator of West Coast street and skate style, Fuct was a cult Los Angeles brand that went on to become one of the most influential American streetwear labels, influencing not only the style but also the graphic and referential approach of countless artists and companies. Driven by the provocative vision of its creator, the skater and graffiti artist Erik Brunetti, Fuct s appeal drew on contemporary skate aesthetics and invoked a situationist slant on brand-oriented consumer culture. Famous for their appropriation of iconic logos, and renowned for collaborations with artists, designers, and companies as diverse as David Mann, XLarge, and Shawn Mortensen, Fuct continues to flirt with controversy as it remains at the forefront of American street fashion and culture. Published to coincide with the brand s twentieth anniversary, with contributions from icons of the street fashion world such as Aaron Rose and Gary Warnett, this beautifully illustrated, comprehensive volume explores the archives of the brand s products and advertising, as well as Brunetti s artwork, sketches, and films that continue to inspire and inform the brand.

Elegant rusticity meets unpretentious luxury in the work of this award-winning architecture firm. Howard Backen, principal of the architecture firm Backen, Gillam & Kroeger, is at the center of a popular movement in home design that emphasizes elegant simplicity and embraces the rustic charm of natural materials. This volume, the first on his work and that of the firm, is an artful exploration of this aesthetic, featuring farmhouses in the Napa Valley, hilltop homes, seaside retreats, and lakeside hideaways. Throughout the work, a sense of intimacy, warmth, and informality pervades. Natural materials, such as wood, stone, and brick, form the foundations, walls, and ceilings of these subtly luxurious spaces, while nature itself plays a considered role that is at once complementary and also intricately conjoined with the work. Sensitive, alluring, and wonderfully resonant with the suggestion of invitation, the work of Backen, Gillam & Kroeger is both thrilling to the eye and restorative to the soul.

This extravagant volume is the magnum opus of today's most celebrated interiors photographer. One of Francois Halard's first assignments, to photograph Yves Saint Laurent's legendary Paris apartment when he was in his early twenties, cemented his reputation as one of the most original eyes of our era. His unique photographic sensibility--old-world elegant and bohemian, accessible and personal--is instantly recognizable. Thirty years later, Halard still captures our imagination with his breathtaking photographs. Included in this highly anticipated volume are Halard's images of the glorious homes of the most important tastemakers, artists, and designers of the twentieth century: Axel Vervoordt, Roger Vivier, Richard Avedon, the Duchess of Devonshire, Julian Schnabel, Schiaparelli, Carlo Mollino, Balthus, Coco Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge, and many more, including Halard's own homes in New York, Paris, and Arles. Photographed in his inimitable «grand manner,» often for «Vogue,» this book also shows for the first time the more intimate «house portraits» that Halard would photograph for himself, where his personal vision shines through. Francois Halard will be a coveted, indispensable resource for all lovers of interior style and a master class in visual education.

Over his sixty-year career, photographer Richard Avedon was renowned for his distinctive, transformative eye. Women were often his subject, through his commercial fashion work for Harper's Bazaar and Vogue, and in his portraiture of both the famous and the unknown. What might have been pictured as prosaic or unattractive through another photographer's lens was presented by Avedon as unconventional but surprising, sometimes revelatory. Through approximately 120 images, Avedon: Women will attempt to explicate Avedon's unique, artistic perspective. The exhibition will be on view at Gagosian Gallery Beverly Hills in the fall of 2013.