BELLAS ARTES

Poolside with Slim Aarons offers images of jet-setters and the wealthy, of beautiful, glittering people living the glamorous life. Yet this collection of stunning photographs of the rich and well-connected “doing attractive things” in their favorite playgrounds has a twist: The main character is pools, and everything that goes with them. Pools bring with them images of magnificent, suntanned bodies; well-oiled skin; bikini-clad women; yachts; summer cocktails; sumptuous buffets; spectacular locations; and most of all: fun. Poolside is not so much a who’s who of society, aristocracy, and celebrity—although C. Z. Guest, Lilly Pulitzer, Cheryl Tiegs, Peter Beard, and many who have appeared in Slim's previous books are here—as it is about leisure time and how the rich make use of it. This is a more intimate peek into very private lives, to which photographer Slim Aarons was given unprecedented access in the fifties, sixties, seventies, and eighties. This coffee table book is perfect for sharing, displaying, and gifting.

Richard Mishaan is renowned for his masterly integration of textiles, palettes rich in complementary shades, natural materials forged by artisans, surfaces bedecked with talismanic curios, a strategic sense of when and where to place a mirror, and a deep knowledge of both the fine and decorative arts. His many influences, including his upbringing in Colombia, coupled with his idiosyncratic perspective, explain why his sophisticated clientele return repeatedly as their lives evolve. In Richard Mishaan Design, his working methods are revealed in projects as varied as the conversion of a 400-year-old barn in the Hamptons into a warm, inviting family home and the transformation of an ultra-modern, glass-walled New York City apartment into a comfortable yet sophisticated aerie. Here too are show houses, which he uses as experimental laboratories, working out such diverse design ideas as updating legendary designer Renzo Mongiardino’s aesthetic and achieving a chic look on a tight budget. He has also designed rooms in bespoke hotels, ranging from the Rat Pack–influenced Shelborne South Beach in Miami to the Tcherassi, a renovated 250-year-old mansion in Cartagena, Colombia.

For 30 years, Italian-born Pietro Cicognani has been designing highly customized and exquisitely crafted country houses, city apartments, outbuildings, pool houses, and even garden plans for an A-list clientele. In the first monograph of his work, some 20 of his notable projects are featured, including a converted barn complex on Long Island, a sprawling estate in upstate New York, a chic minimalist town house in Manhattan, and a romantic seaside house and elaborate garden in the Hamptons. Whether new construction or gut renovation, each project is designed in collaboration with the finest artisans, craftspeople, and exceptional interior designers. Illustrated with photographs by Francesco Lagnese, as well as site and floor plans and drawings, the book includes a foreword by Isabella Rossellini, whose country home Cicognani designed.

From charming bungalows to sleek minimalist houses and apartments to restorations of iconic Mediterranean Revival residences to a garden dotted with oversized insect sculptures, the homes showcased in Palm Beach Living are as distinctive as they are representative of the ever-evolving design trends on the nation’s most exclusive barrier island. Some of the homes incorporate the exuberant colors of the island’s flora; others opt for a soothing, more neutral palette to contrast with the surrounding landscape. All embrace indoor-outdoor living, and each reflects the unique aesthetic of the owner. Guided by native Palm Beacher Jennifer Ash Rudick, with photographs by Nick Mele, “a modern-day Slim Aarons,” readers are granted an intimate look at the best in tropical living. This gorgeous coffee table book highlights the work of renowned architects—from the legendary Maurice Fatio and John Volk to Daniel Kahan, Fairfax & Sammons, Jeffrey W. Smith, and David Fox & Chris Stone—superb landscape designers, including Mario Nievera, Jorge Sánchez, and Fernando Wong, and such world-class interior designers as Tom Scheerer, Amanda Lindroth, Mark D. Sikes, Jonathan Adler, Frank de Biasi, Mimi McMakin, the late Carleton Varney, and Kim Coleman.

In The New Classic Home, beloved designer Paloma Contreras focuses her sought-after expertise on one of the most desired yet difficult tasks in decorating: how to design a space that successfully mixes traditional and modern elements. How does one bridge the gap between such different concepts? By walking readers through her four main techniques—color, texture & pattern, scale & proportion, and tension—Contreras demonstrates how to successfully pair seemingly disparate pieces from different eras and styles to create harmonious, timeless, and balanced interiors. With spectacular color photography and personalized design tips, The New Classic Home divulges how to blend vintage pieces into even the most contemporary settings, highlight favorite elements of any architectural style, freshen classic silhouettes, and create layered, interesting spaces that always include an element of modern surprise with a touch of elegant antiquity.

The mid-19th and early 20th centuries heralded new means of transport and equipment and, with them, new and original ways of exploring the world. Transatlantic liners, automobiles, long-haul airplanes, zeppelins, and express trains unfurled new horizons and changed travel itself into an adventure. Distant lands were no longer solely accessible to aristocrats, explorers, and adventurers. Instead, the world opened up to new groups of people eager to circumvent the globe. And for many of these new globetrotters, traveling was synonymous with Louis Vuitton, the French label whose iconic and functional luggage trunks could be found on nearly every boat, plane, car, and train around the world. In this beautiful book, author Francisca Mattéoli recounts 50 tales of thrilling travel undertaken in every possible mode of transit, from the hot air balloon to the space shuttle, each lavishly illustrated with more than 300 historical photographs and ephemera from Louis Vuitton’s official archives. Louis Vuitton: Extraordinary Voyages is a journey all its own—an evocative and transporting account of the most surprising and transformative trips taken since the 19th century.