There’s plenty to read in this batch of new books, but feel free to declare any of them your newest pretty picture book.
Architecture and design books out just in time for gift-giving include a crop full of bold architecture and comfortable design. Fans of art will similarly be impressed, as the homes in this group work a variety of art styles into every room. And there’s the Chihuly book, a tidy gift book devoted to glass artist Dale Chihuly’s most important collections.
So, it’s time to shop, and time to do some reading — or shopping.
“Chihuly: On Color and Form,” by the Chihuly Workshop
Fans of Dale Chihuly’s brilliant, hand-blown art glass will want to see the newest book devoted to the man whose art revolutionized the studio glass movement. The 120-page book examines the artist’s five best-known series: the translucent Baskets, shell-like Seaforms, colorful Macchia, sculptural Persians and whimsical Venetians, all considered the building blocks of Chihuly’s entire aesthetic even though they were produced over an 11-year period.
In vivid photography you’ll see the artist at work, concept drawings that later became works of art and the glass art itself, either individual pieces or full-on installations at sites such as the New York Botanical Garden (2017), the Seattle Art Museum (1992) and the Honolulu Academy of Arts (1992). It’s a fun book to flip through, but it might just launch you on a new collecting obsession.
“Beige Is Not a Color,” by Carlos Mota
At the start of his new book, “Beige Is Not a Color,” Carlos Mota declares himself colorful in every way. Photos quickly prove it, showing the handsome Venezuelan-turned-New Yorker in a purple wig, and orange turban, atop a painted elephant and in a shop surrounded by a variety of hues.
The creative consultant, whose eye has informed interior design, products and advertising campaigns for years, has filled a 320-page book with images of places all made more beautiful by color, from a simple bowl of fruit to a bougainvillea vine climbing up the side of a white stucco building. There are racks of hand-dyed textiles in open-air markets in India or exotic chinoiserie screens or murals painted right on a wall.
Mota’s book pays tribute to great interiors by his favorite designers, too, in homes, hotels and public places all over the world. There’s not a beige wall to be found. Instead, be prepared for page after page of saturated color, food for Mota’s soul.
“Edgy Architecture,” by Agata Toromanoff
“How did they do that?” might be the first thing that comes to mind when you evaluate the 50 structures featured in Agata Toromanoff’s tribute to the marvels of great architecture and engineering in challenging locations.
This book’s title employs “edgy” in literal terms as it features homes built on rocky hillsides, wooded mountaintops and steep slopes in all kinds of places. A few examples are the Wein House, a glass-and-concrete home built on an Argentinian sand dune, the terraced X House on the outskirts of Barcelona and the Forest House and Pavilion built like a tree house in Mazamitla, Mexico.
The homes are located all over the world, but what they have in common is a harmonious relationship with nature.
“Beautified China,” by Kris Provoost
Twenty years ago, China was the largest developing country in the world, but no more. The 2008 Olympics in Beijing and the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai proved to be architectural opportunities for China to reshape how it presented itself to the world.
Critics may have winked at the “bird’s nest” Olympic Stadium, but aligned with the renovated and expanded National Museum and the provocative new CCTV station building, it was architecture that signaled to the world that Beijing was moving forward in a modern world. Shanghai was already on its way to becoming the financial center of Asia when the expo brought even more new design to that city.
The buildings represented in “Beautified China” will amaze anyone who hasn’t visited that country’s bigger cities in the past decade or so. There are buildings that don’t seem to have a single 90-degree corner and some that look more like glass and steel sculptures than actual buildings for living and working.
“For the Love of White,” by Chrissie Rucker
Decorating strictly in whites and light neutrals doesn’t seem like such a hard thing to do, until you try to do it yourself. Interior design consists of thousands of details, and every one of them is important.
Chrissie Rucker, who founded the British lifestyle brand The White Company 25 years ago when she couldn’t find white home goods that were well made and affordable, has penned her first book, “For the Love of White.” The book shows dozens of rooms in white and light neutrals, explaining why each was composed the way it was, and then offers tips in “styling details” throughout the book.
The stylish, on-trend color palette works well in any setting, so Rucker divided her book to suit any place you might live: Town, Country or Coast. Even if you don’t want an all-white home, Rucker’s book will likely win you over on the beauty of white, in a perfect sofa, fluffy linens or plain but pristine dishes.
“More Decorating,” by Tom Scheerer
Interior designer Tom Scheerer examines 16 of his latest home projects in his new book, “More Decorating.” They cover a lot of ground — lofts and apartments, city and country homes — all over the world, including one in Houston on the edge of River Oaks. Acclaimed interiors and travel photographer Francesco Lagnese shot the interiors, capturing Scheerer’s classic traditional style.
You’ll marvel at Scheerer’s mix of old and new, the layering of natural materials and careful use of color. It’s the perfect book to snuggle up to on a chilly winter afternoon, but don’t be surprised if it makes you want to start a new decorating project.
diane.cowen@chron.com
2019-11-26 10:00:00Z
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/life/home/design/article/Architecture-design-books-capture-great-style-14861788.php
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