BOOKS By Cathy Whitlock

Alberto Pinto: World Interiors Alberto Pinto and Julien Morel Flammarion September 2020 256 pages $34.98

The late interior designer and photographer Alberto Pinto needs no introduction: his eclectic and classic work is known worldwide. A graduate of the École du Louvre in Paris, he later honed his skills in New York City, specializing in photography and architecture, and eventually founded his interior design fi rm in the 1960s at the Place des Victoires. Pinto was also known for his home collection, which included furniture, tableware, and linens for Raynaud, Pierre Frey, and D. Porthault.

From corporations and hotels to yachts and residences, the designer’s global work is heralded in the new book Alberto Pinto: World Interiors. Featuring a study in refi nement, eclecticism, and luxury, the book explores his innovative approach to well-established design principles. A fi tting tribute to the legendary designer, Pinto’s work is also chronicled in the books Moderns (2003), Bedrooms (2006), and Alberto Pinto: Today (2010).

Architectural Digest: The Most Beautiful Rooms in the World Marie Kalt Rizzoli September 2020 336 pages $65

As a global authority on interior design since 1920, who better than Architectural Digest (AD) to pen a book on the most beautiful rooms in the world? AD’s French editor-in-chief, Marie Kalt, culled through the magazine’s vast international archives and the result is a wonderful curation of varied houses, apartments, villas, and exquisite interiors across the globe.

The illustrated tome features a who’s who of international designers from Jacques Grange, Joseph Dirand, and Peter Marino to Martyn Lawrence Bullard and Biijoy Jain. Readers can get an upclose-and-personal peek at Marc Jacob’s townhouse in Manhattan and Tommy Hilfi ger’s Connecticut home, along with a country house in Russia, summer home in Majorca, and a palace in Morocco – just to name a few. The book is equal parts design source and a travelogue as it takes the reader around the United States and Mexico to France, Italy, Germany, and in-between. Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour pens the foreword.

A Day at Château de Chantilly: The Estate and Gardens of the Duke of Aumale Mathieu Deldicque and Adrian Goetz Flammarion October 2020 224 pages $35

The Château de Chantilly is also in the spotlight in the new book on the home of the Duke of Aumale. Rebuilt after the Revolution by Henri d’Orléans, duc d’Aumale (son of King Louis Philippe), the home is a museum and showplace for some of the most exceptional French collections of furniture, decorative arts, books, and paintings in Europe. It is also notable as the home of the Condé Museum galleries, that boasts the masterpieces of artists Raphael, Clouet and Ingres.

Designers and antiquarians alike will enjoy the tour of Chantilly’s private apartments preserved in the elegant French Louis Phillipe style of the period. Landscape architect Andre Le Nôtré’s magnifi cent gardens and the opulent stables are also noteworthy. Conserved by the Institut of France, the cheateau featured in this book invites readers with rare access to one of France’s great cultural treasures.

A Château on the French Riviera: Modern Interiors by Oitoemponto Oitoemponto and MarieVendittelli Flammarion November 2020 224 pages $95

Chateau: the mere word conjures up images of elaborate palaces, refi ned interiors, well-manicured gardens, and all things grandeur. Since few of us reside in these architectural triumphs, a visit via an illustrated book will have to suffi ce.

Flammarion’s new book, A Château on the French Riviera, features the work of the architects at Oitoemponto who oversaw the four-year renovations of Château Saint-Maur de Cogolin. Located on the chic Riviera (just 10 kilometers from Saint-Tropez), architects Artur Miranda and Jacques Bec take the reader on a design journey from preliminary watercolor sketches to before-and-after photographs. Bedrooms and master suites, secret chambers, reception rooms, and entertainment areas are reinvented with a modern slant in this immense 17,000 square-foot private family residence. The chateau is also known for its cru classé vineyard's high-quality rosé wines.

Oitoemponto (translated as “eight o’clock precisely” from Portuguese) is known for its incomparable and timeless projects: from a piedà-terre in Paris and a summer penthouse in Ibiza to Paris’ La Maison du Caviar restaurant and the monumental Palace Hotel in Porto.

de Gournay: Hand-Painted Interiors Claud Cecil Gurney Rizzoli October 2020 256 pages $75

A scenic wallpaper from de Gournay is a true work of art. Comprising hand-painted chinoiserie patterns, colorful fl ora and birdlife, nineteenth-century French pastoral scenes, and exotic Brazilian landscape designs, the renowned company’s work has graced the walls of some of the world’s most beautiful interiors.

Founder and Chinese art and porcelain collector Claud Cecil Gurney’s book features a comprehensive look at the celebrated wallpapers' and textiles’ history and craft over the ages. Infl uenced by Art Noveau and Art Deco, Japanese Edo period paintings, as well as designs from the 18th and 19th centuries, the techniques (dating back hundreds of years) have remained the same, each telling their own unique story.

In this book’s 256 pages, interiors from New York to Paris by renowned designers are showcased and readers will fi nd design inspiration on every page. De Gournay has captivated the design world since its inception nearly thirty years ago with a look that is timeless and here to stay.

Inside Marrakesh: Enchanting Homes and Gardens Meryanne Loum-Martin

Rizzoli September 2020 272 pages $60

Fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent once noted, “A visit to Marrakesh was a great shock to me. This city taught me color.” Author Meryanne Loum-Martin’s new book Inside Marrakesh affi rms his view as the city is an enchanting sensory blend of tastes, sights, designs, and culinary delights. The marriage of contemporary design and the city’s rustic heritage can be found in the exotic houses and gardens of luminaries such as English entrepreneur Vanessa Branson, British designer Jasper Conran, heiress Lynn Guinness, and artists Brice and Helen Marden.

The author also takes a look at how the city that was coined the “Paris of the Sahara," infl uenced Saint Laurent, Pierre Berge, and Bill Willis -- who often incorporated the unique wood, tile, and metalwork along with rugs and pottery into their work. Filled with design anecdotes and ideas, readers will also enjoy a tour of the Madison Cox designed gardens of Villa Oasis as well as the opulent riad owned by the Bulgari family.

Author Loum-Martin is the proprietor of Jnane Tamsna boutique in the city’s Palmeraie district and has designed a dinnerware line for Meissen and an outdoor furniture collection.

Pietro Cicognani: Architecture and Design Karen Bruno

Vendome Press October 2020 280 pages $70

Italian-born and New York-based architect Pietro Cicognani’s fi rst monograph is a study in diversity. Spanning some 30 years, he has designed everything from restaurant interiors and minimalist artist studios to country estates and Manhattan duplexes. He also specializes in one of the more unusual structures – the barn. A devotee of barn style homes, the book features an entire chapter on the subject, from structures he has designed from scratch to his converted Long Island home. The book features twenty of his sumptuous a-list projects – in city, country, and seaside locales – along with site plans and drawings from the past three decades.

Actress Isabella Rossellini tells the tale of her Cicognani-designed country home in the book’s foreword.

British Designers at Home Jenny Rose-Innes

Hardie Grant October 2020 320 pages $35

Americans have long held an affi nity with England – one need look no further than the success of the popular Netfl ix series The Crown for proof. Anglophiles with an English design obsession will no doubt enjoy author Jenny RoseInnes’ new book British Designers at Home. Twenty of the biggest names in the British design world (Nina Campbell, Jane Churchill, Emma Burns, Rita Konig, and Roger Jones to name a few) open up their doors and off er a rare glimpse into their personal spaces.

From country farmhouse to London townhouse, each designer profi le details their personal journey, design philosophy, and carefully curated interior while off ering valuable design tips, insights, and ideas. This book is a wonderful addition to any design library as is author Rose-Innes’ book Australian Designers at Home.