Past Perfect: Richard Shapiro Houses and Gardens

(Hardback)

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Description

Although many designers and homeowners try to endow homes withauthentic European charm and character, these attempts rarely result ingenuine Old World savoir faire. Renowned designer and antiques dealerRichard Shapiro devotes his first book to the art of creating refined, cultivatedspaces that truly transport their inhabitants to distant lands and far-flunghistorical epochs. In the tradition of Bunny Williams's An Affair with a House,this book offers inspiration to homeowners, decorators, and anyone with alove of beautiful design.

With exquisite new photographs of Richard Shapiro's much-imitated homesand gardens, the designer demonstrates the alchemy required to conjure themood, patina, and sensibility of a home that seems cultivated over manygenerations.

Reviews

"The brand new and highly coveted book - Past Perfect: Richard Shapiro Houses and Gardensis 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

Author Bio

A zealous collector all his life, Richard Shapiro shifted his attention toexceptional furniture and objects and, in 2001, opened his namesake store onMelrose 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 andjuxtaposition. In his various incarnations as artist, collector, antiquarian andmuseum trustee (he was on the board of MOCA for seven years), Shapiro hasgained access to some of the world's most extraordinary homes.

Mayer Rus is theWest Coast editor of Architectural Digest. Prior to joining Architectural Digest, Ruswas the design and culture editor of Los Angeles Times Magazine, design editor ofHouse & Garden, and editor-in-chief of Interior Design magazine. A celebrateddesign arbiter, Rus has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal,Elle Dcor, Vogue, Artforum and W, and has contributed essays to recentmonographs on the work of design firm Atelier AM, photographer Francois Halard,and designer James Magni.