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This Is The House That Jack Built

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There’s a new book on my radar and I want to share it with you.  “This is the House That Jack Built” named from the nursery rhyme, gives us a look at the contemporary art and design collection of the very private art collector, Maja Hoffmann.  Art directed by Beda Achermann and photographed by François Halard, both have created images of Hoffman’s collection located in her homes in tight vignettes with text of the nursery rhyme  woven throughout the book.

“This Is The House That Jack Built” plays down Hoffmann’s actual houses while (like the nursery rhyme) conveying the centrality of the idea of home, yet one is struck by the breathtakingly original interiors furnished with the best examples of 20th-century design. Hoffmann’s eye for architecture and furniture is as discerning as it is for paintings, and she manages to create spaces where the art, despite its importance, doesn’t overshadow the life of a room. ~T Magazine

Get a good look of the book here.

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Designed in California

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Commune was established in Los Angeles in 2004 by four like-minded souls—Roman Alonso, Steven Johanknecht, Pamela Shamshiri, and Ramin Shamshiri— with a common mission: to enhance life through design and to blur the lines between disciplines, eras, and styles. California is for those who refuse to conform and who live for freedom of expression, indoor/outdoor living, and that golden sunshine glinting off the waves of the Pacific. 

Commune perfectly captures this spirit and embodies a new California style that freely mixes old and new in its layered, highly personal interiors that embrace color, pattern, and texture. This book is the first monograph of Commune’s work, featuring its designs for private residences, hotels, commercial spaces, and restaurants, as well as the works they specially commission from virtually everyone in the artisan craftsman movement in California today.~ abramsbooks.com

Check out this interview with Roman Alonso, one of the founders of Commune featured in T magazine here.

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Gardens Are for Living

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With spring upon us and summer just around the corner it’s time to get on the good foot and get your outdoor space in order.  Who better to get some fabulous ideas than from landscape designer Judy Kameon and her new book Gardens are for Living.  Her Los Angeles based firm Elysian Landscapes, has designed many incredible outdoor spaces including, The Parker Hotel Palm Springs and many homes in and around Los Angeles that really help her clients relate to the areas around their homes. She takes interior design outside, creating inviting spaces for entertaining and relaxing.

Not only does she have a great eye, but she also has a line of outdoor furniture called Plain Air inspired by mid century modern design.  I encourage you to check out this book or even check into The Parker to see what I mean.

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Remodelista Book

remodelistaI just ordered this and looking forward to receiving Julie Carlson’s, editor of Remodelista design blog, first book :  Remodelista: A Manual for the Considered Home .  

Remodelista.com is the go-to, undisputed authority for home design enthusiasts, remodelers, architects, and designers. Unlike sites that cater to all tastes, Remodelista has a singular and clearly defined aesthetic: classic pieces trump designs that are trendy and transient, and well-edited spaces take precedence over cluttered environments. High and low mix seamlessly here, and getting the look need not be expensive (think Design Within Reach meets Ikea). Remodelista decodes the secrets to achieving this aesthetic, with in-depth tours and lessons from 12 enviable homes; a recipe-like breakdown of the hardest-working kitchens and baths; dozens of do-it-yourself projects; “The Remodelista 100,” a guide to the best everyday household objects; and an in-depth look at the ins and outs of the remodeling process. In a world of design confusion, Remodelista takes the guesswork out of the process.~via amazon

I ordered mine here.

 

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OUTSIDE the LINES

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On Saturday I took my little guy to a super fun book launch party at MOCA | The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.  He got to color on a huge wall of images from the book with a bunch of arty kids while OBEY artist,  Shepard Fairey spun records.

Outside the Lines Coloring Book, a very cool collection of illustrations from more than 100 creative masterminds, including animators, cartoonists, fine artists, graphic artists, illustrators, musicians, outsider artists, photographers, street artists, and video game artists, curated by Souris Hong-Porretta. Tons of the artists were present at the event to sign copies of the book.

The only bummer was that the book SOLD OUT at the MOCA Store before I was able to buy one for my guy and needless to say that led to a major meltdown temper tantrum.  I tried to explain to him I would get the book online and did once I got home.  I bought several copies because this would make a killer gift for a little person.  They haven’t arrived yet, but I’m thinking I should probably keep one for myself as well.

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Axel Vervoordt : : Living with Light

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 Belgian designer/art dealer Axel Vervoordt and his design company whose bespoke interiors impeccably blend antiques and contemporary art have a new book. Axel Vervoordt : : Living with Light explores the Vervoordt design principles and philosophy of living in harmony with natural elements – light, as well as water, metal, wood – and blending the power and influence of nature with the inspiration of art.

“Light is law. It is power, force and life. Light is an energy that helps create the world and define our experiences.” – Axel Vervoordt

Axel Vervoordt : : Living with Light will be out in October , but available here for pre-order.

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The Portrait Machine Project Book

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I’m fascinated by Carlo Van de Roer‘s The Portrait Machine Project.

From the artist: This project explores the idea that a camera can reveal an insight into the subjects character or the relationship between the photographer, subject and viewer. These portraits are made with a Polaroid aura camera developed by American inventor in an attempt to record what a psychic might see. 

 The subject is connected to the camera by sensors measuring electromagnetic biofeedback. It translates these readings into information about the subjects character and how they are seen by others. The camera generates a printed description of these views of the subject which are also depicted as color in the Polaroid. 

 The aura camera has undertones of pseudo-scientific authority and attributes associated with a less mediated type of photography. It’s a modified land camera that uses instant film and has only one button, implying minimal mediation from the photographer.

The Portrait Machine Project Signed Limited Edition is available on Exhibition A here.  You can watch a short video here from  Van de Roer’s kickstarter to find out more about the process. 

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: : Whitewash : :

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Photographer Nicholas Alan Cope‘s monograph captures the dramatic light and shadows produced by the Southern California sun on the landscape of Los Angeles modern architecture.

In the foreward written by Designer Rick Owens: ” I moved to Paris from Los Angeles 10 years ago and haven’t been back since. But this is exactly how I remember it. Bright hot incessant clear light, casting blackety-black shadows from Brutalist blocks that take the history of architecture and silently reduce and contain it like lunar tombs. Or Aztec temples morphed into foam-core cartoons.

This kind of light makes decisions easier, more black and white. Good vs bad, pure vs impure, aspiration vs collapse. Determined grim optimism vs self indulgent despair. The suggestion of an old Hollywood monolithic black-and-white movie set encourages self invention and self consciousness as you make your way down an imaginary long white staircase. There’s not another living soul on the set and the spotlight is on you, wiping out any flaw or imperfection, hallucinating yourself into who you wanna be… 

Exactly how I remember it…” ~Rick Owens, November 2012

For more information and to purchase Whitewash from powerHouse Books see here.