ARQUITECTURA Y DISEÑO

En una época en la que la moda estaba dominada por hombres, Gabrielle «Coco» Chanel reescribió las convenciones sobre la feminidad a través de creaciones basadas en la simplicidad, la practicidad y una elegancia relajada. Su legado, de la petite robe noire al icónico Chanel n° 5, se mantiene como un patrimonio fuerte y distintivo, renovado y reinterpretado por el gran Karl Lagerfeld y, posteriormente, por Virginie Viard y Mathieu Blazy, quienes han logrado que la marca siga siendo sinónimo de elegancia y estilo atemporal.

The works of Christo and Jeanne-Claude are monuments of transience. Gigantic in scale, they are always temporary, created to exist only for a limited time and to leave unique, unrepeatable impressions. “From the smallest of the Packages made in Paris in the early 1960s, to the delicate pattern of hundreds of branches embraced by a translucent fabric veil... in Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s works there is nothing abstract, nothing imagined; it is all there―corporeal and tangible.” (Lorenza Giovanelli)

Designing private residences has its own very special challenges and nuances for the architect. The scale may be more modest than public projects, the technical fittings less complex than an industrial site, but the preferences, requirements, and vision of particular personalities becomes priority. The delicate task is to translate all the emotive associations and practical requirements of “home” into a workable, constructed reality. This publication rounds up 100 of the world’s most interesting and pioneering homes designed in the past two decades, featuring a host of talents both new and established, including John Pawson,Shigeru Ban, Tadao Ando, Zaha Hadid, Herzog & de Meuron, Daniel Libeskind, Alvaro Siza, and Peter Zumthor. Accommodating daily routines of eating, sleeping, and shelter, as well as offering the space for personal experience and relationships, this is architecture at its most elementary and its most intimate.

A unique collection of photographs by Yuriko Takagi, showcasing her poetic and surrealist look at Dior haute couture creations. An important addition to the library of leading artistic photographers working to interpret the fashion house’s oeuvre. Takagi is an icon of Japanese photography, her enchanting and otherworldly images are built with a unique and careful consideration of shadows, the result of a career-long contemplation of natural light—a theme that plays a pivotal role in her work for Dior. This book features exclusive shootings by Takagi of the most emblematic Dior haute couture designs. Takagi delivers her personal reinterpretation of the essence of Dior, opening a profound dialogue between her artistic conception and the codes of the House. Her photographs capture an ephemeral, intangible quality of the subjects, and her signature technique of layering images, in this case of flowers and architectural motifs over toiles of dresses and models, creates a dreamlike atmosphere. The result is a collection of great poetry, a surrealist promenade through Dior’s eras, and a unique observation of the inventiveness of the House over the decades.

French artist, designer, and talented antique hunter Marin Montagut celebrates the joy of collecting everything from textiles to barware to architectural details, taking readers inside a dozen private homes, flea markets, and unusual ateliers to discover the most whimsical treasure troves in France. From a film prop house’s array of leather sporting goods and playing cards to a travel buff’s vintage maps and globes, and from a sculpture studio’s Grecian plaster casts to an amateur designer’s spiral staircase models, and from Montagut’s own wonder wall assemblages to a cook’s haven filled with porcelain dessert molds and copper pots—objects, when presented together as a series, create unforgettable interiors that radiate charm. Inspiration comes in repetition: wooden zigzag rulers with engraved numbers aligned on a wall in a herringbone pattern create an artful space. The spare wooden forms of capipotes—devotional statues used in religious processions, their eyes turned heavenward in ecstasy—and silver ex-votos can be the point of departure for the theme of an entire room. Montagut’s mood boards for each chapter provide endless ideas for the home.