If you thought Alpine style was all cow shed and ski lodge, think again. Beate Wedekind, who assembled this huge addition to Taschen's Interiors series, would have you remember that Europe's most aesthetically inclined nations rub shoulders in these awe-inspiring surroundings. Adapting to each other and to the often harsh demands of the climate, Alpine style is a strange mixture of the primitive and the sophisticated.
The stunning photographs by the likes of Gert von Bassewitz and Peter Moody Meyer are the ultimate in good-taste escapism. We get to peek into the kitchen of Thaddeus Ropac's baroque manor house, in which he "has installed sophisticated technology which remains invisible," and eye the 18th-century chalet of the magic realist painter Balthus.
Some may think this is really a resource for ambitious Russian millionaires, fantasists with degrees in art history, and--let's face it--burglars, but there's a little more to it than that. For covetous readers keen to press their snow-blinded faces ever harder up against the windows of the glitterati, a list of recommended museums points deeper into this incredible territory. --Simon Ings, Amazon.co.uk
Language Notes
Text: German, English, French (translation)
Alpine Interiors FROM THE PUBLISHER
If you think that laying your hat in the Alps means having to choose between a rustic mountain hut or a log-burning ski lodge, then you'll be amazed when you get a glimpse of this latest inspiring volume in the Interiors series. The mountains of the Alps are a unique terrain unlike anything else in Europe, thus when constructing and decorating a place to live, architects and designers have to be conscious of adapting to the extremes of landscape and climate. The desire to make your home a beautiful thing, to find a balance between Function and elegance, becomes particularly significant in the Alpine region. Primarily Famous as a location for skiing resorts and muesli, the Alps straddle the borders of so many European countries, and this has allowed for a lively interaction and exchange between many peoples and cultures. The selections in this book are impeccable. For example Reinhold Messner's castle. There's everything From baroque villas to farmhouses, famous designers/ architects to the ordinary Alp-lander with very good taste. All the interiors here are lavishly photographed and documented.
Art & Photography
Book Info
