This debut volume presents several extraordinary homes, ranging from a stone-clad villa in Austin to a casual seaside retreat to an art-filled family compound, each of which gracefully balances high style with easygoing comfort. Mohon draws on the heritage of the Mediterranean world to fashion living environments that transport their occupants to an enchanted realm far removed from day-to-day concerns. Intimate foyers beckon from behind carved wooden doors, dining rooms boast dramatically embellished chandeliers suspended above sleekly simple tables, and sitting rooms entice with luxurious blends of color, texture, and furnishings both modern and antique.
Summer house: two words that evoke a sense of nostalgia, a touch of romance, a sigh of relaxation. The screen door open to the breeze off the lake. Sunbeams crossing a cheerfully painted wooden floor. A simple coverlet on a wood-framed bed, with views of the sea beyond. Mismatched porcelain piled high on open shelves in the kitchen. These houses are places of respite, where the boundaries between indoor and outdoor living are blurred, where their inhabitants can step away from the complexities and frenetic pace of daily existence, if only for a few days. They are havens where memories are made.
Designer Nina Farmer has made a name for herself with her classically beautiful interiors. From reimagining century-old homes to more modern dwellings, Farmer has a way of creating looks that celebrate the past and simultaneously live squarely—and stylishly—in the present. In these pages, Farmer introduces readers to the design solutions she has found for creating that special combination: a carefully curated mix of the classic and the contemporary that looks like it was collected over time rather than created all at once.
Architect Adams has long had a passion for design. His appreciation for how things are made had its genesis in his childhood experiences on a farm in Asheville, North Carolina. As a boy, Adams always had a pencil in hand, sketching for hours. Today, it is his understanding of craft and response to place that sets him apart.
Informed by Adams’s deep knowledge of historic precedents, proportions, and details, the homes featured in this book are imbued with soul, whether it’s a charming house in the woods on the lake, a refined contemporary beachside retreat, or a traditional manor house in town. While the homes featured range in scale and style— Tudor, Arts and Crafts, French country, Southern farmhouse—Adams imbues each with natural materials such as bespoke architectural details in millwork and molding, arched doorways, and oversized windows. He brilliantly weaves wood, stone, copper, and other natural substances through the interiors to create an effect that casts a spell inside and out. These are houses that are grounded in the past, designed for the present, and intended to remain beautiful and functional over the long term.
Tuscany’s historical residences tell stories that no mere guidebook can capture. The houses that dot the landscape—from the stately Medici villas to the more humble yet charming farmhouses—are not just structures but also symbols of a way of life, a lasting testament to the fusion of an agrarian lifestyle, picturesque towns, notable architecture, fine craft, and art.
In the book’s foreword, Cabana founder Mondadori writes, “Tuscany is not merely a region; it is a living canvas, a dreamscape that has cradled the imagination of artists, poets, and thinkers for centuries.” The interiors presented in this book are a celebration of the talents of the diverse contemporary homeowners, who are keeping the region’s creative spirit alive. Houses brim with the output of skilled craftsmen, exquisite tapestries, brocades and damasks, objects arranged as if painterly still lifes, fantastical murals, rare books, furniture from a range of periods, and fine porcelain.
A new tower stands out against the city skyline: the Unipol Tower designed by Mario Cucinella Architects, an internationally renowned architecture studio based in Milan and Bologna. The Unipol Tower is a 124-meter elliptical tower in the Porta Nuova area, in the heart of the city. Made from glass and steel, it has a glasshouse on the rooftop serving as a cultural venue. Commissioned by Unipol, the leading Italian insurance company, the tower looks beyond the corporate identity and headquarters of Unipol and has been acclaimed as one of the most advanced architecture projects ever created.