Perla Lichi: You can't make this up

Perla Lichi: You can’t make this up

Interior Design: Perla Lichi, ASID

Photography: Craig Denis, Barry Grossman

Perla Lichi’s fabulous new coffee table book, “You Can’t Make This Up,” captures the very essence of this world-famous international designer. Instead of simply presenting professional photography of the rooms she has designed, this book matches interior photos with fashion illustrations and social media images from Perla’s popular Instagram page.

By adding illustrations, the photos take on new life as Perla connects the worlds of interior design, makeup, and high fashion. In one of the opening spreads, for example, Perla is dressed to match a Versace-inspired room. There are also many examples of how home furnishing techniques are used the same way lipstick, rouge or eye shadow are used to enhance faces. “Lately, while touring the home of a new client,” says Perla, “I find myself comparing my design work to the worlds of high fashion and makeup. If my clients tell me they know what they want, but have no idea how to achieve it, I’ll tell them, ‘Don’t worry. All your home needs is a little makeup.’ “

In one photo, she’s walking on the sand while sharing the message that “design begins with a solid foundation, not sand!”

She’s dressed in purple on another page declaring “Call me Purple Perla.” On another page, she’s wearing a bright red cape, next to one of her gorgeous bathroom designs which features, of course, a bright red bathtub

The fashion illustrations are color coordinated with each room. These illustrations also seem to make the interior photos take on a personality all their own, while reinforcing the book’s overall theme of comparing interior design and fashion design.

From the first page to the last, readers will get to know the designer behind the 244 pages of Perla Lichi’s most recent interior design work. On the very last page, you see her swinging high above the city from Istanbul’s Galata Tower while declaring “I Love Life!.”

www.perlalichi.com