Best Design Books

Best Fashion Books: Fifty Dresses That Changed the World

October 10, 2014

“Can a dress really change the world? Well, perhaps not in an ‘ending famine and promoting world peace‘ kind of way, but there are plenty of iconic dresses which represent turning points in culture and society over the past century.” London’s Design Museum is the world’s leading museum devoted to contemporary design in every form from furniture to graphics, and architecture to industrial design. Since its opening in 1989 it has worked to place design at the center of contemporary culture. The Design Museum’s mission is to celebrate, entertain and inform and is working to place design at the centre of contemporary culture. Everything around us is designed and the word ‘design’ has become part of our everyday experience. But how much do we know about it? Fifty Dresses that changed the World imparts that knowledge listing the top 50 dresses that have made a substantial impact in the world of British design today. From the 1915 Delphos Pleated dress to Hussein Chalayan’s 2007 LED dress, each entry offers a short appraisal to explore what has made their iconic status and the designers that give them a special place in design history. Published by Conran Fifty Dresses that changed the World…

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FASHION

In Your Face, the incredible Mario Testino photobook

September 30, 2014

Mario Testino, born in Lima, Peru moved to London in 1976 where he made his home and where he began his career. Testino is one of the world’s most influential and respected photographers. He travels extensively shooting for Vanity Fair, American, British, and French Vogue. Other clients include Burberry, Versace, Dolce & Gabbana and Michael Kors. His vision has made him a much sought-after creative partner in the fashion and beauty industries today. Testino work has been featured across the globe in magazines from Vogue to Vanity Fair and he has contributed to the success of many leading fashion and beauty houses through. Mario Testino‘s boundless talent with a camera must be maddening for other photographers working in a highly competitive field, but he remains one of the most revered stars in his profession. Often imitated and never equaled, Testino is graced with a natural ability to float effortlessly from studio to backstage to after-party, producing stunning shots in any kind of situation. From royals to mega-celebrities, Testino has shot some of the world’s most inaccessible subjects, always with an ease that betrays the complexity of the task. “In your face” (published by TASCHEN) Testino captures you at your best—and that is what makes him the best.” This…

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Interior Design

So Chic, the incredible design book by Elle Decor

September 25, 2014

Margaret Russell is editor in chief at Elle Decor which she helped found. She has spearheaded an award-winning re-design of the publication and shifted coverage to portray an increasingly diverse array of talents through images and articles that blend striking graphics with incisive, personality-driven text. “SO CHIC is destined to enter the pantheon of cult design books.” We are always curious and fascinated by how the other half lives. What kind of furniture does Julianne Moore have in her Chelsea loft? Is Ralph Lauren’s Montauk compound English country-style or modern rustic? How does Roberto Cavalli entertain at his medieval villa near Florence? Elle Decor has the answers. Our new book, “Elle Decors Ravishing Rooms” unveils the amazing homes of these chic trendsetters wherever they live, from Manhattan to Malibu to Marrakech. Lush photographs capture the dazzling decor and idiosyncratic style of the featured homeowners and personal interviews reveal the stories behind the design. This gorgeously illustrated book presents a rare glimpse into the world of high-style interiors. Featured homes include: Candace Bushnell in Greenwich Village; Cindy Crawford in Malibu; Leonardo Ferragamo in Florence; Sarah Jessica Parker in Bridgehampton; Donatella Versace in Milan; And, much more!Not only does “Elle Decors Ravishing Rooms” offer an intimate…

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Lifestyle

‘Bookbook’ the Ikea book that parodies Apple

September 18, 2014

Launched recently, the presentation of 2015 IKEA catalogue comes in a video format and parodies Apple. The video was posted on Ikea Singapore’s Youtube page and at time of press had seen more than 700,000 plays. “Introducing the 2015 IKEA catalog. It’s not a digital book or an e-book. It’s a bookbook.” The catalogue for IKEA‘s 2015 collection is presented as if it were the latest tech offering from Apple in this short movie revealed on one of the Swedish homeware brand’s YouTube channels. “Content comes pre-installed via 328 high-definition pages of inspiring furnishing ideas. To start browsing, simply touch and grab. Right to left to move forwards, left to right to move backwards.” “The commercial goes on to illustrate all the positive “features” of said Bookbook, including its lack of a charging cable and completely full battery life at all times, of course. The 7.5 by 8 inch “interface,” or the size of the pages in the catalog itself, can expand all the way to 15 inches… when you open it up and look at a spread.” in PC Mag. Created by ad agency BBH, the spoof-style movie announces the launch of the IKEA “bookbook” – a 328-page catalogue that includes features such as “eternal battery life” and…

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Art

The Craft and the Makers * Gestalten New Release

September 18, 2014

The Craft and the Makers * Gestalten New Release – Craftsmanship is an expression of quality, passion, and mindset. This book is a showcase of crafted products created by small manufacturers as Herve Van der Straeten, Boca do Lobo, Frank Leder and many more. A Book filled with Tradition and Attitude. A showcase of crafted products created by small manufacturers. Craftsmanship is in more demand than ever and small manufacturers are experiencing an overwhelming renaissance. We are increasingly looking for products that last and have their own histories; things that meld form, function, and emotion into a compelling entity. This desire will continue to shape our attitudes toward consumer and luxury goods as well as innovation for the foreseeable future. See also: Book Presentation: Piet Boon Styling by Karin Meyn with Video Boca do Lobo is one of the companies that inspired the book “The Crafts and the Makers”, more than ever, a symbol of exception, and perfection. Boca do Lobo results with the support of twenty-five talented artisans from the North of Portugal, the craftsmen have always drawn inspiration from its roots, its craftsmanship and its heritage to transmute tradition into creation. To make this sensual and poetic experience last forever, Boca…

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Interior Design

Ideas: a Inspiring design book by Kelly Hoppen

September 10, 2014

Kelly Hoppen is a celebrated british interior designer and one of the most influential interior designers of the world. The proudest point in her career came in 2009, when she was made an MBE for her services to interior design. Devoted to making her design ethos accessible to the masses, Kelly Hoppen shares her extensive knowledge in her popular Kelly Hoppen Design School. Kelly Hoppen: Ideas (published by Jacqui Small LLP) is an indispensable source of inspiration and advice for anyone undertaking home design or redecoration, whatever the scale or budget. Through tapping into this world-renowned designer’s exceptional talent and professional experience, creating a home for the way you live becomes not only achievable, but an exciting design prospect. Kelly explains how she works and offers creative solutions for every aspect of design and decoration -from evaluating and reconfiguring space and layout, to planning the lighting, choosing materials and furniture and adding individual touches. Through photographs and plans Kelly explains the creative process involved in turning a concept into reality. She considers every element of a home –from walls to windows, floors to doors, stairs, lighting and more- giving you the know-how to make informed decorating decisions and think beyond the obvious solutions. The room-by-room master…

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Interior Design

The inspiring Design Book by Alexa Hampton

August 28, 2014

Alexa Hampton has been president of Mark Hampton, LLC, interior design company, since 1998. She has been named one of Architectural Digest’s AD100 top interior designers every year since 2002 and has been included in House Beautiful’s list of America’s 100 Best Designers every year since 1999. Alexa Hampton is also the designer of a growing stable of eponymous licensed products for the home, a frequent keynote speaker at design events and conferences, and a member of the board of the New York School of Interior Design. In 2012, she became the first female designer to win the International Market Centers’ Design Icon Award. The Language of Interior Design is a inspiring design book (published by Potter Style). In this book the interior designer provides a tour of stunning residences from her own portfolio and organizes her discourse about design in 4 main aspects of design – Contrast, Proportion, Color and Balance. Contrast “creates tension and ‘action’ that keep the eye engaged and moving around the room.”, Proportion “serves as the grammar of the design: it establishes the spatial relationships between the various elements of a room and defines the structure or backbone of a space”, Color “provides the descriptive adjectives…” and Balance “underlies the entire composition; it gives each item…

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PHOTOGRAPHY

The incredible Beatles Photobook by Harry Benson

August 21, 2014

Harry Benson has photographed every US President since Eisenhower,the Civil Rights movement,and was next to Robert Kennedy when he was assassinated. As well as The Beatles, he has shot some of the biggest personalities of the last 50 years, including Michael Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor and Her Majesty The Queen. In 2009, he was made Commander of the British Empire (CBE). “These photos convey a really happy period for them and for me. It all comes down to music, they were without a doubt the greatest band of the 20th century, and that’s why these photographs are so important.” – Harry Benson In early 1964, Harry Benson was getting on a plane for a foreign assignment in Africa, when he got a call from the photo editor of London newspaper The Daily Express. He was now going with The Beatles to Paris to document French Beatlemania and what followed was the biggest (ticket to) ride of his life. Benson was warmly welcomed into The Beatles’ inner sanctum, resulting in some of the most intimate photographs ever taken of the band, then on the cusp of world domination. In Paris, he took the famous photograph of the Fab Four having a pillow fight at the…

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Interior Design

Black and White, a Inspiring Design Book

August 7, 2014

Celerie Kemble is a principal in Kemble Interiors, a design firm cofounded by her mother, Mimi McMakin. Celerie has been featured in almost every major design magazine and has been listed for more than ten years in House Beautiful’s annual “Top Designers” list. She was chosen by Elle Decor as a top female designer in their first “Women in Design” issue. Black and white décor is at once dramatic and understated, modern and classic, apparent in the work of iconic designers such as Dorothy Draper and Madeleine Castaing but just as present in design today. And the inspiration is all around us—from nature (a zebra’s stripes, tree trunks rising from drifts of snow) to old Hollywood movies and fashion to black-and-white photography and patterns we encounter in our everyday lives (crossword puzzles and the pages of our favorite novels). In Black and White a inspiring design book (published by Potter Style), acclaimed interior designer Celerie Kemble trades in her signature vivid palette for this iconic aesthetic, highlighting the black and white work of design stars and peers, including Bunny Williams, Thomas O’Brien, Mary McDonald, Victoria Hagan, Mark Hampton, Delphine Krakoff, Brad Ford, Philip Gorrivan, Carrier and Co., and Miles Redd, and welcoming you into more…

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Art

The essential Taschen Architecture Book by Philip Jodidio

August 6, 2014

Philip Jodidio studied art history and economics at Harvard. His books include TASCHEN’s Architecture Now! series, and monographs on Tadao Ando, Norman Foster, Richard Meier, Jean Nouvel, and Zaha Hadid. He is internationally renowned as one of the most popular writers on the subject of architecture. Beyond the fundamental notion of shelter, what defines a house? The broad-ranging selection of extraordinary dwellings in the Architecture Now (published by TASCHEN) Houses series shows the concept to be infinitely malleable: one house seems to hover above the ground, another is embedded in it; some have stark minimal lines, others have tropical gardens; some are palatial, others monastic—all of them displaying remarkable structural and aesthetic mastery. From postmodern castles to hi-tech cabins, the Architecture Now! Houses series is a connoisseur’s choice of the world’s most remarkable new houses. “This beautifully visual title brings together a broad-ranging selection of extraordinary dwellings from across the globe. From houses that seem to ‘float’ above the ground, to tropical gardens and palatial properties, all of them display remarkable structural and aesthetic mastery at its best.” Magazine, United Kingdom By Helena Morais. * Best Design Books will continue to update you about Architecture, Interior Design, Photography, Best Sellers and much more. Don’t forget to subscribe this blog and to follow us…

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Lifestyle

The refreshing Summer book: Beaches, 100 ultimate escapes

August 1, 2014

Sabrina Talarico, a freelance travel journalist, is a member of the executive committee of the Italian National Order of Journalists. Stefano Passaquindici is the chairman of the Italian Tourist Press Group. Together have written a refreshing book ideal for the Summer: Beaches, 100 Ultimate Escapes (published by Universe). This beautifully illustrated volume offers an exclusive tour of 100 of the most breathtaking beaches in the world. Ranging across all the coasts of the world—the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, the quaintness of Love Beach in the Bahamas, and the metropolitan shoreline of Copacabana in Brazil—this beautifully illustrated volume offers an exclusive tour of 100 of the most beautiful beaches in the world; each one a trip of a lifetime. With locations selected by some of the world’s most qualified and sophisticated travel journalists and photographers, this book offers a unique perspective for travelers everywhere by introducing far-off destinations that are not necessarily on the more familiar tourist itineraries. “The beaches featured in the book are divided into categories: ‘Fun Beaches;’ ‘Protected Beaches;’ ‘Legendary Beaches;’ ‘Natural Paradises;’ ‘Sports Beaches’ and ‘Unreachable Beaches.’ So the reader is introduced to beaches such as Copacabana, Marina di Ravenna, Cape Range, Rabida, Ipanema, Waikiki, Wineglass Bay, Jhonny…

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