Book Review: The Parisians: Tastemakers at Home (Flammarion)

 

Cover for The Parisians: Tastemakers at Home (Flammarion, 2019) 

The Parisians: Tastemakers at Home is an intimate exploration of the residences of 25 male ‘tastemakers’ in Paris, men who are at the forefront of Paris’ artistic innovations and creative heart. Photographers, artists, fashion designers--the residential spaces explored in this book reveal an array of personal styles, aesthetic tastes, and homespun secrets.

Each chapter of the book is dedicated to a different ‘tastemaker,’ whether they live in an elaborate chateau-style home, a chic apartment with a minimalist air, or a refurbished cottage with charming nooks and crannies. The introductions to each chapter explore the backgrounds and aesthetic styles behind each individual and their residence; these introductions provide essential groundwork to the upcoming pages. In addition to the introductions, readers are assisted by captions with each photograph, which provide context for the objects or styles featured in each snapshot.

pp. 300-301. Photo by Guillaume de Laubier from The Parisians: Tastemakers at Home (Flammarion, 2019)

Catherine Synave’s background as an art historian shines in each introduction, where the personal histories of each tastemaker--and their aesthetic--are explored. Synave’s writing is accessible, while still allowing her art historian background--and with it, her experience and knowledge in style and design--to take center stage.

The photography in this book was done by Guillaume de Laubier; Laubier’s work is both universal and intimate, providing aesthetically pleasing perspectives of the residences without sacrificing style or form. The photographs are reproduced here in high quality on matte pages, which allow each photograph (whether it is presented as a full page, double-page spread, or smaller size) to be studied and revisited with ease.

One of my favorite aspects of this book is the fact that the residences are--well, residences. They are all clearly lived-in spaces, with clutter and personal touches and work or art projects strewn about. The "lived-in" feel provides something intimate to this book which elevates it beyond a simple interior design coffee table tome.

pg. 74. Photo by Guillaume de Laubier from The Parisians: Tastemakers at Home (Flammarion, 2019)

 

The variety of residences here makes for interesting reading, but it also provides something practical: a deeper source of potential inspiration for anyone who is seeking to incorporate “Paris” into their own interior style. The breadth of aesthetics featured here allow for anyone, regardless of their personal tastes, to find something that speaks to them. Whether they tune into the minimalist simplicity of a carefully curated shelf, seek to incorporate an 18^th century vibe into their living room, or start searching for giant yellow bears to create an absolutely unforgettable talking point that no one who enters your home (or glimpses it from the doorway, mid-food delivery) will ever forget. (Confession: I am the person who now wants a massive yellow bear in their home. Can you blame me? To be fair, the bear was not simple decor, but an art piece in progress... still, one can dream!)

I recommend The Parisians: Tastemakers at Home for anyone with an interest in eclectic Parisian style, an interest in any (or all!) of the tastemakers featured within the pages, or anyone looking to shake up their own personal interior design. 

[A review copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher] 

Book Review: Creative Paris: Urban Interiors, Inspiring Innovators by My Little Paris

© Creative Paris: Urban Interiors, Inspiring Innovators by My Little Paris, Flammarion, 2019

The introduction to Flammarion's Creative Paris: Urban Interiors, Inspiring Innovators includes a poignant passage about our favorite places, and how those places can impact our lives.

"The space that surrounds us has a direct impact on our behavior, our attitude, and our energy. We know that forest bathing soothes the spirit. Contemplating natural, wide-open spaces--a mountain landscape, a sun setting over the ocean--lets the brain "rest." Similarly, the layout of the space where we work every day or come home to each night can stifle our creativity--or conversely, enhance it."

The 34 homes and workspaces featured in Creative Paris: Urban Interiors, Inspiring Innovators are a testament to the power of creativity and personality. Each space is a unique reflection of the life and personality of the people that live there; each space also features a distinct energy and vibe that is captured beautifully in the 687 color photographs featured throughout the book. Above all, Creative Paris: Urban Interiors, Inspiring Innovators is a celebration of how  personal space can reflect and direct energy, behavior, creativity--and life.

© Tomoko Yasuda from Creative Paris: Urban Interiors, Inspiring Innovators by My Little Paris (Flammarion, 2019)

Readers are given introductions to the people behind each space. These introductions include a bit about their personal lives, their job, as well as their neighborhood. Each section includes multiple wide shots of the apartments and close-ups of various details, typically favorite personal or sentimental items. The additional information provided with close-ups and even quotations adds a unique layer to the book; the personal quotations and tidbits feel like you're being given an inside glimpse to the lives and even habits of those that made this space their home.

The interior spaces featured in this book are eclectic and varied, as one might expect from a glimpse into the lives of homes of people with different lives, jobs and neighborhoods. There are picturesque white walls punctuated by carefully arranged books and a singular knickknack; there are closets stuffed with clothes, covered by a drape cloth; there are plants, piles of dishes set above country ovens, paintbrushes and pottery wheels. Despite the differences showcased in each space, there is one thread that runs throughout the book: these are definitely, distinctly, inescapably Parisian spaces. If you're a Francophile or someone that simply spends a lot of time reading up on Paris decor, you will recognize different facets of Paris in each and everyone of these photos--even in the spaces that happen to be outside France.

© Tomoko Yasuda from Creative Paris: Urban Interiors, Inspiring Innovators by My Little Paris (Flammarion, 2019)

If there is one thing I have taken away from browsing through Creative Paris, it's a greater understanding--or at least, acknowledgment--of just how influence a space, whether it's a work space or the refuge of home, can have on a person. So many factors influence how people cultivate their personal space; a desire for simpleness, a desire for chaotic creativity, a desire for something that reflects their travels or friends or family. All of these factors combine to help people curate a home that is distinctly "theirs." Combined with current events that have many us at home for an indefinite period of time, there may be no better time to take a closer look at what we want our spaces to be, and how our personal space can impact our mood, feeling and energy.

As always with Flammarion publications, the photographs featured in this book are masterfully shot and reproduced in crisp high quality. The book has a pleasing, easy to follow layout that lets you flip through space after space, taken in both the wide and detail shots at your leisure. In addition to the introductory texts and quotations throughout, the book features an index of Parisian must-see destinations akin to what is normally featured in the "My Little Paris" site.

I recommend Creative Paris: Urban Interiors, Inspiring Innovators for anyone who wants a bit of Parisian interior design escapism. Who knows--it may just inspire you to give your own home a thoughtful re-imagining.

[A review copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher]

Review: Paris Les Boulevards from Rizzoli

Paris Les Boulevards is a new book from Rizzoli publishing that is perfect for anyone with a love or fascination for that most famous of cities, Paris. Paris Les Boulevards is actually a reproduction of a 19th century book illustrated by Charles Franck, who meticulously recreated some of the most famous boulevards in the city. A copy of the original book was discovered by book collector Neale M. Albert in a bookstore; there are, in fact, only two known copies of the original book still in existence.

The new edition also contains some new informational text by Pamela Golbin in addition to the reproduced full illustrations that show the beauty of the boulevards of 19th century Paris.  Each illustration is exquisitely detailed, down to the windows of each building and the elegant horse drawn carriages and 19th century men and women strolling amidst the grandeur of old Paris. In her introduction, Golbin rightly describes the book as being "like a Google map from a bygone age."

This new edition of Paris Les Boulevards smartly recreates the unique gatefold binding of the original, which can be folded out to reveal a panoramic of the entire boulevard, giving a much fuller view of the long and illustrious Paris boulevards featured in the book.

I was a bit worried that the unfolding and refolding each section would be difficult, especially since the book is on the smaller side; however, I have re-read the book a few times since receiving it and have had no problems with the folding. This is a plus if you, like me, enjoy viewing the illustrations as full panoramas.

Paris Les Boulevards is a charming, interesting look at the boulevards of Paris in all their 19th century glory. I recommend this book for anyone with a love of Paris or an interest in 19th century French history. I would also recommend it for anyone with an interest in rare books and reproductions.

Paris Les Boulevards will be available from Rizzoli on March 31st, 2015.

[I was provided a review copy of this book by the publisher.]

Upcoming Release: Constructing Paris in the Age of Revolution by Allan Potofsky

Constructing Paris in the Age of Revolution by Allan Potofsky

The great myth of Baron Haussmann is that 'modernity' began with his monumental reconstruction of Paris in the second half of the nineteenth century. Constructing Paris in the Age of Revolution argues that 'Haussmannisation before Haussmann' in the late 1700s also made Paris the capital of the eighteenth century. In particular, due to the persistence of the black legend of uninterrupted revolutionary vandalism, few historians have researched the construction of revolutionary Paris, yet if formed a core sector of revolutionary urban, social, labour and industrial policy. Allan Potofsky thus rehabilitates the vitality of building during the Revolution, and - while architectural and urban historians have often treated the history of construction through the exclusive optic of careers and tastes of architects and urban planners, or through the structure and aesthetics of buildings, streets, and cities – his book examines the social and political history of workers and entrepreneurs engaged in constructing the French capital, in the period, 1763 to 1815.

Release Date: November 13, 2012

Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan