Lance Avery Morgan
As things begin to heat up, so does our quest for chic lifestyle inspiration. It’s almost a never-ending quest. That’s why we turn to Rizzoli USA for a selection of some of the most stylish books in the land. Go ahead, indulge, and flip a page, recommends our very own bibliophile, Lance Avery Morgan. In fact, we couldn’t resist, so we’ve chosen an even more to delight.
1. LIVING BEAUTIFULLY IN PARIS
By Mathilde Favier
This sumptuous book guides readers around the private spaces, shops, studios, residences, and kitchens of extraordinary Parisian personalities. Their personal stories, expert perspective with an intimate understanding of the city and its best addresses, present a rarely seen view of Paris’ vibrant core. Go ahead, think of it as a sensory feast and an immersive journey that has been conceived as a scrapbook of previously unpublished photographs and documents of the people who are at the epicenter of the city’s cultural scene. $75. At RizzoliUSA.com.
2. CARTIER: LE VOYAGE RECOMMENCÉ: HIGH JEWELRY AND PRECIOUS OBJECTS
By François Chaille and Hélène Kelmachter
Here’s an insightful exploration of the Maison’s iconic fields of expression: essential lines, geometry, colors, flora and fauna, and influences from world cultures to name but a few. The pieces presented in this richly illustrated volume take you on a renewed journey—a voyage recommencé—into the heart of the Cartier style, where creative imagination and superlative savoir faire transform precious stones and materials into magnificent jewelry. $115. At RizzoliUSA.com.
3. BOHEMIAN SOUL: THE VANISHING INTERIORS OF NEW ORLEANS
By Valorie Hart
It’s time to open the doors to 17 chic residences that are rich with patina, family heirlooms, and history, representing the best of old bohemian New Orleans. The free spirits who own these homes have a passion for all the arts, from music to dance, painting, and fine cuisine and include an artist in a crumbling garret, an eccentric dreamer, a voodoo queen, moneyed wayfarers, world travelers, a resourceful magpie, bon vivants, gypsies, and old souls—all united in their love of the chipped and tattered, romantic, and quite resplendent. $65. At RizzoliUSA.com.
4. TASAKI
By Tasaki and Maria Doulton
Now Japan’s leading luxury jeweler, it’s one of the venerable names in pearls and gemstones in Asia. In fact, the origin of a humble family of pearl farmers and is now synonymous with Japanese luxury. The brand’s first book documents over 70 years of innovation of jewelry design and savoir-faire. Along with Tasaki’s iconic pieces, such as the menacing “Danger” line, are one-off capsule collections by the Tasaki Atelier, including the delicate, feather-like diamond set-pieces executed for the Ritz Paris. $85. At RizzoliUSA.com.
5. ALYSSA KAPITO: INTERIORS
By Alyssa Kapito
Here the designer shares her unique design philosophy and ten of her most outstanding projects that also inspire. An Upper East Side town house is punctuated with modern design pieces and warm beige hues. A medley of natural materials offset with bold artwork defines a sleek duplex in SoHo. Clean lines and a soft palette of blues, yellows, and mauve breathe new life into a grand countryside estate. The several apartments on New York’s Upper East Side in addition to several downtown abodes will have you wanting to redecorate now. $65. At RizzoliUSA.com.
6. ANTIQUE FRENCH JEWELRY
By Geoffray Riondet
This dynamic overview, organized by material and period, allows the reader to distinguish, appraise, and date French jewelry from 1800‒1950. Entries are organized by period, and include primary sources of inspiration and characteristics, designers, materials, gemstones, and types of jewelry. Completed with an overview of the key design houses and artists who have left their mark on the jewelry industry since 1800, along with detailed advice for buying and maintaining pieces, this practical reference handily provides everything you need to know to appreciate antique jewelry in all its facets. $25. At RizzoliUSA.com.
7. COUNTRY HOUSE LIVING
By Nora Murphy
For the author, a country house is less of a place but more of a specific mindset. Think of a warm country vibe where the country breezes and blooms surround us. Featured is her “new” home as well as homes of creatives whose homes embody elegance, joy, soul, and grace coupled with timeless and artful details—each one full of character, no two alike, yet all are so welcoming. $55. At RizzoliUSA.com.
8. SAGEBRUSH AND SOLITUDE: MAYNARD DIXON IN NEVADA
By Anne M. Wolfe
Here’s the first comprehensive publication on the paintings, letters, photographs, and poetry made by Maynard Dixon (1875–1946). This large, landscape format book accompanies a blockbuster exhibition opened on March 2nd at the Nevada Museum of Art. Richly illustrated, including a wealth of privately owned paintings never before reproduced, this significant publication surveys nearly 180 artworks he created in Nevada, Lake Tahoe, and the Eastern Sierra from 1901 to 1944. $95. At RizzoliUSA.com.
9. THE ART OF HOSPITALITY ON LAKE MAGGIORE: THE ZACCHERA FAMILY: ONE HUNDRED FIFTY YEARS OF HISTORY
By Luca Masia
The famous Borromean Islands, with their lush gardens and noble palaces, the historic villages of Baveno, Stresa, and Pallanza encapsulate centuries of history and art treasures that conquer the hearts of hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the world every year. The Zaccheras, a family of fishermen from Baveno, live in village located on picturesque Lake Maggiore. Today, their luxe hotels in Baveno and Stresa rank among the most prestigious and are a constant destination for tourists from all over the world. $50. At RizzoliUSA.com.
10. JAMIE WYETH: UNSETTLED
By Amanda C. Burdan
Like his father, Andrew Wyeth, and grandfather N. C. Wyeth before him, Jamie Wyeth (b. 1946) divides his time between the Brandywine River Valley of Pennsylvania and Delaware and the mid-coast of Maine. In these two locales Wyeth has passed through many “obsessions,” as he calls his favored subjects: farm tools brimming with the potential for violence, eccentric portraits and unnerving figure studies, haunted places, and possessed plants and animals. Accompanying an exhibition at the Brandywine Museum of Art that opened March 17th, this book traces a persistent vein of intriguing, often disconcerting, imagery over his career. $55. At RizzoliUSA.com.
11. CITY OF DREAMS: LOS ANGELES INTERIORS
By Annie Kelly. Photography by Tim Street-Porter
This stunning collection of inspiring homes begins with a look back, which includes examples of iconic houses inspired by Hollywood film fantasies. The heart of the book features today’s forward-looking homes, divided into two sections: Living with Art and Design and Los Angeles Modern. Illuminating Los Angeles’s dramatic indoor-outdoor living spaces, this tome is a must-have for architecture and design enthusiasts. $65. At RizzoliUSA.com
12. KERING: OF GRANITE AND DREAMS
By Tristan Gaston-Breton
This traces the inspiring history of Kering—the French luxury group that includes Gucci, Balenciaga and Saint Laurent—its visionary founder François Pinault, and his talented son François-Henri Pinault, current chairman and CEO. This richly illustrated volume features a wealth of archival photographs and documents bearing witness to the company’s extraordinary journey, from its beginnings as a timber trading firm in 1962 to the global luxury powerhouse that it has become today. $75. At RizzoliUSA.com.
13. AMALFI HOUSES: ARCHITECTURAL GEMS ON THE ITALIAN COAST
By Ana Cardinale
With stunning images and artists, each villa surprises the reader with its uniqueness: historic homes that have been transformed over the years and more contemporary villas, some with lush gardens, all equally fascinating thanks to their topographical position, architectural quality, furnishings, and interior decorations. $70. At RizzoliUSA.com.
