NOVEDADES

Published on the occasion of a major exhibition at Nakanoshima Museum of Art in Osaka, Japan, this volume explores the deep and transformative relationship between Louis Vuitton and Japan, which has produced myriad innovative collaborations that have defined the brand and revolutionized contemporary fashion. This fresh perspective on the global impact of the luxury powerhouse follows Louis Vuitton’s journey from pioneering trunk innovations to its outsize influence on global street style, especially in Japan. In the volume, the Maison’s history comes to life, from the evolution of its Monogram logo (which took inspiration, in part, from Japanese design) to the ingenious flat stackable trunk and patented lock innovations, alongside the brand’s bold expansion into Japan. The authors consider the house’s groundbreaking artistic collaborations most notably with artists Takashi Murakami (with his iconic “Monogramouflage”) and Yayoi Kusama (with her signature polka-dot motifs) which transformed Louis Vuitton’s visual identity.

Meticulous reproductions of sublime paintings showcase rikka, the oldest and most traditional form of flower arranging, which is linked to the Ikenobō school, Japan’s first and largest school of ikebana. The images presented here perfectly illustrate the main principles of ikebana—harmonious juxtaposition of flowers, balance between foliage (leaves, fronds, reeds, etc.) and branches, and naturalistic compositions for display. Several schools and styles of ikebana have evolved over the centuries. The rikka style is characterized by the use of erect branches and flowers to display a marked verticality in order to express the beauty of a natural landscape in a single vase. The floral arrangements in this collection date back to the Ikenobō Grand Master of Kyoto’s Rokkakudō Temple and his disciples from the Ashikaga Shogunate (1336–1573). These flower arrangements were officially documented by Igai Sansaemon in 1673 in artworks printed xylographically and then hand-colored using the gansai watercolor technique. The reproductions are accompanied by authoritative text by one of the world’s leading authorities on Japanese art.

This volume presents a new collection of Takada’s most recent projects, pushing further his continuing reflections on reconnecting the natural world with the built environment. Featuring breathtaking photography of his buildings and interiors, along with sketches and nature-inspired imagery, the book guides readers through Takada’s global work and innovations. The climate positive residence Sunflower House in Italy has a rotating roof and floors to manage sun exposure and heat gain; the Landmark by Lexus pavilion in Melbourne has 1,000 native Australian plants growing on its facade that granted it a carbon neutral certification; the Palm Frond Retreat at Balmoral Beach in Australia is designed for the inhabitants to use different parts of the house depending on the season and time of day, creating positive impact within homes. Each project illustrates Takada’s study of how the present ecological constrains weigh on the architectural design processes and how the reality of our densely built habitats changes the perception we have of buildings and cities, offering a compelling look at environmentally conscious architecture today and to the future evolution of the practice.

Wright has captured the attention of design aficionados with his breathtaking architectural spaces informed by the spirit and lessons of historical, vernacular, and modern styles for today. Each of the presented residences—from a Queen Anne–style house and a seaside Shingle-style cottage to a modern beach house, a Frank Lloyd Wright–inspired retreat, and a McKim, Mead & White city apartment—is paired with Wright’s painted and penciled sketches, along with floor plans, all of which demonstrate his facility with the history of ornament and contemporary currents. Wright frequently collaborates with the country’s most esteemed interior designers, including Bunny Williams, Cullman & Kravis, Brian J. McCarthy, and the late Amy Lau. Sophisticated yet approachable, Wright’s architecture will tour the reader through the legacy of great buildings and outstanding craftmanship reinterpreted for the contemporary sensibility.

Every garden possesses its own unique beauty, just as every place holds a mysterious equilibrium within it. This is the premise advanced by Anna Scaravella, a renowned expert in landscape architecture who views every project as a new opportunity to explore the alchemy of plant culture and design. Scaravella’s unerring instincts and aesthetic rigor bring her to the nexus of garden and landscape, resulting in the creation of places that are not only marvelous but also energy-conscious and environmentally sustainable. This splendid volume of photography takes us on a journey through ten gardens from northern to southern Italy: from the garden of Villa Albera in Lombardy to the hills of Piacenza with Villa Bellaria, on to Bagno Vignoni in Tuscany, and then even further south, to marvelous Ostuni. Scaravella has crafted magnificent oases of peace and beauty and invited us to visit and admire them by her side.

Gardens Illustrated is today’s most popular gardening periodical, thanks to its lavishly photographed features on contemporary, forward-thinking gardens that focus on irresistible plants and clever designs. Through these gardens, each selected by the magazine’s editors for a truly exceptional trait, readers will visit the best new gardens from the United States, United Kingdom, and around the world. The scales range from small city spaces aiming to bring biodiversity deep into the built environment to country estates photographed with a new lens on ecology and sustainability, and were created by today’s top garden designers, including Andrea Cochran, Arabella Lennox-Boyd, Peter Korn, Dan Pearson, Andy Salter, Tom Stuart-Smith, Andy Sturgeon, Urquhart & Hunt, and Keith Wiley.

The arrival, in 2021, of Australian global pop star Troye Sivan’s richly layered Melbourne home introduced the world to Flack Studio, a wildly creative, multidisciplinary practice of designers and architects well established in Australia. Launched in 2014, the studio is driven by an adventurous sensibility that embraces historical research and contemporary innovation. Furniture, lighting, textiles, fittings, and vivid colour coalesce into a holistic yet idiosyncratic experience. A deep sense of materiality, a passion for contemporary art, and an embrace of local community and makers are hallmarks of Flack’s projects, which include homes and restaurants throughout Australia, Los Angeles, Seoul and the Ace Hotel in Sydney.

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.

When first published, Desert Images was a watershed project in the nascent environmental movement—bringing together two titans of American literature and art in their heyday. Still resonating all these decades later, Muench’s evocative photography and Abbey’s fiery, poetic text remain an unsurpassed tribute to this extraordinary American landscape. Those who imagine that the desert is merely a monotonous vista of sand and rock will be surprised by the variety of landforms, plants, and other natural phenomena shown on these pages. As Abbey wrote, “For some of those who have learned not only to live in but also to love the desert, it offers rewards greater than its visual appeal to the sense of beauty—the promise implicit in all that rugged wildness, that open, unfenced, untrammeled space—the sense of adventure, the reality of freedom, the hope of a refuge.” This photographic and literary passport to a great American wilderness will be treasured by all those who cherish the natural world.