Past Perfect: Richard Shapiro Houses and Gardens

Description

Although many designers and homeowners try to endow homes with authentic European charm and character, these attempts rarely result in genuine Old World savoir faire. Renowned designer and antiques dealer Richard Shapiro devotes his first book to the art of creating refined, cultivated spaces that truly transport their inhabitants to distant lands and far-flung historical epochs. In the tradition of Bunny Williams's An Affair with a House, this book offers inspiration to homeowners, decorators, and anyone with a love of beautiful design. With exquisite new photographs of Richard Shapiro's much-imitated homes and gardens, the designer demonstrates the alchemy required to conjure the mood, patina, and sensibility of a home that seems cultivated over many generations.

A zealous collector all his life, Richard Shapiro shifted his attention to exceptional furniture and objects and, in 2001, opened his namesake store on Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood. Now the principal of his own design firm, Studiolo, Shapiro approaches home design (his own as well as that of his clients) less as a decorator than as a curator attuned to the nuances of placement and juxtaposition. In his various incarnations as artist, collector, antiquarian and museum trustee (he was on the board of MOCA for seven years), Shapiro has gained access to some of the world's most extraordinary homes. Mayer Rus is the West Coast editor of Architectural Digest. Prior to joining Architectural Digest, Rus was the design and culture editor of Los Angeles Times Magazine, design editor of House & Garden, and editor-in-chief of Interior Design magazine. A celebrated design arbiter, Rus has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Elle Decor, Vogue, Artforum and W, and has contributed essays to recent monographs on the work of design firm Atelier AM, photographer Francois Halard, and designer James Magni.

"The brand new and highly coveted book - Past Perfect: Richard Shapiro Houses and Gardens is an exquisite monograph documenting renowned interior designer Richard Shapiro's two magnificent homes in California. . . The gorgeous images shared by Shapiro give both practical ideas and creative inspirations for all." -CALIFORNIA HOME + DESIGN "Richard Shapiro has mastered the art of crafting refined, cultivated spaces that transport their inhabitants to distant lands and past epochs. . . With breathtaking new photography, [Past Perfect] functions as a master class, offering practical ideas and creative inspirations for channeling the glories of the past to enrich the present." -GEORGIA TIMES-UNION