ARQUITECTURA Y DISEÑO

Célebre por su lema «menos es más», Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886-1969)fue uno de los padres fundadores de la arquitectura moderna y una figura influyente y polémica de la estética y la experiencia urbana del siglo XX. La filosofía de Mies van der Rohe consistía en fundamentar la verdad en las formas puras y las proporciones. Mediante avances tecnológicos y materiales contemporáneos, quiso vestir la arquitectura de una pureza elemental, ejemplificada por el Seagram Building y la Farnsworth House. Hubo quien denunció este planteamiento austero como el precursor de paisajes urbanos planos y genéricos. Otros citan a Mies van der Rohe como el maestro por excelencia de una esencia perdurablemente elegante. Con más de 20 de los proyectos que creó entre 1906 y 1967, este libro presenta el carácter vanguardista de la arquitectura de Mies van der Roge y su influencia en Estados Unidos y Europa.

A sumptuous monograph tracing the life and legacy of fashion luminary Oscar de la Renta. In October 2014 one of the fashion world’s champions, Oscar de la Renta, passed away, a great loss brightened by the innumerable successes of his half-century reign. The acclaimed fashion designer dressed first ladies from Kennedy to Obama, and celebrities from Beyoncé to Sarah Jessica Parker. Renowned for his unique charm, impeccable taste, and original lifestyle, he married the highest standards of French couture with the ultimate motivation that women must look and feel beautiful. In this intimate volume, longtime editor and friend André Leon Talley recounts de la Renta’s journey through nearly 70 iconic dresses, mainly made for private clients, accompanied by fascinating stories of the exquisite craftsmanship and the legendary friends that brought each gown to life. Born in the Dominican Republic in 1932, de la Renta left for Madrid at nineteen to study art, where he rose to prominence as a sketch artist for newspapers and fashion houses. From his apprenticeship under Cristóbal Balenciaga to his eponymous collections, the designer’s simple lines elevated with a flamenco dancer’s flourish reflect his deep connection to his roots and his commitment to transcendence through beautiful garments.

The inimitable style of renowned French interior designer Madeleine Castaing, chronicled in-depth for the first time. While many were drumming to the beat of modernism in the early- and mid-twentieth century, French antiquaire and decorator Madeleine Castaing created her own look that was a unique blend of neoclassicism, Proustian romanticism, and pure wit. Her distinctive aesthetic vision has inspired tastemakers on both sides of the Atlantic, and her devotees--both then and now--are legion. Ocelot carpeting, opaline blue, "coolie" lampshades, and an eclectic mix of neoclassical furnishings ranging from English Regency to Napoleon III all formed part of the vocabulary of "le style Castaing." This lavishly illustrated volume--the first on her work--explores in-depth the elements of her style, and examines how she crafted interiors so emotive that visitors felt that they had stepped into a Balzac novel or a Proustian recollection. Her entire life and career are chronicled, from her early years in Montparnasse, the epicenter of artistic activity in Paris, to her incomparable country house Leves and her legendary shop on rue Jacob in Paris.

The architectural style of the classic American summer, the shingled house can suggest the beach, the countryside, the mountains, and even the city. AD100 architects Ike Kligerman Barkley, one of the most successful firms practicing in a traditional style today, presents 14 houses that celebrate the simple wood shingle's infinite flexibility--ranging from richly historic to sculptural and experimental. The New Shingled House includes examples throughout the fabled seaside resorts of New England--Martha's Vineyard, Block Island, and the Hamptons--as well as houses in California's Bay Area and Point Loma, on a pristine mountain lake in South Carolina, and a Scandinavian influenced family residence in Connecticut. All are characterized by a sense of graciousness and generosity that makes them unique spaces for the owners and enviable spaces for readers. The versatility of the shingle style allows the designers to explore formal ideas and to respond to client preferences and taste. The houses thus achieve the architects' fundamental goal: when their clients enter their new house for the first time, they should feel as though they have always lived there. This stunning visual presentation features new photography by noted interiors photographer William Waldron, who has captured the graciousness and generosity of the elegant interiors and welcoming porches and terraces that make these houses so inviting and timeless.