Book List of the Week: Five Hotel and Restaurant Designers
June 30, 2014
Traveling to hotels and restaurants are among summer’s (or any season’s) pleasures. Here are five major designers of notable hotel and restaurant spaces worldwide who list the books that have been influential for them. The designers include Jeffrey Beers (Fontainebleau, Miami; China Grill and Toy, New York), Ed Ng (Shangri-La, Qufu, China; W Retreat and Spa, Bali), Adam Tihany (The Beverly Hills Hotel, Los Angeles; Per Se and Daniel, New York), and George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg (The Four Seasons, Toronto; W Hotel, Times Square, New York).
The subjects and authors of many of these books are people I admire as leaders in their fields. Their personal philosophies have encouraged me to live passionately and fearlessly, and to always strive to create experiences that bring people joy.
The books on my list are an extension of my design philosophies and beliefs. As designers, we create beautiful pieces that inspire and move us, and these books are the platform for which we can express these thoughts, whether it is through psychology or lateral or creative thinking.
Jetting between our New York and Toronto offices on a weekly basis, and various project sites around the world (literally), reading is an obvious, but very much beloved pastime. I always like to cover news stories both domestic and internationally based. And I love a variety of books—as long as within the first several pages, the book inspires me, provokes thought, engages my curiosity, and visually delights me. I often take something interesting and new away from each of them, whether a new way of looking at things, or an anecdote to apply to life.
I travel often, however, most times I’m catching up on sleep or following up on emails. I take time to read when I am on holiday at our beach house in Amagansett, where I can really shut off and focus on something that’s not work. Most books I read are strongly recommended by friends, which is always enjoyable. Visually intriguing and entertaining me is key.
My selection represents a mix of books that I keep coming back to and refer to often whether in life, or at work.
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What is Universal Everything? edited by Adrian Shaughnessy and Tony Brook
What is Universal Everything?
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Publisher: Unit Editions
Published: June 2019
Matt Pyke, founder and creative director of Universal Everything, calls his studio a “digital art and design collective.” Now, after 15 years of revolutionary work in the digital realm, the studio has its first book. For anyone interested in the future of digital design, the book features a unique cover for each copy of the book (limited to 2,000)—every buyer owns a one-off.
The Future of Design: Global Product Innovation for a Complex World by Lorraine Justice
The Future of Design: Global Product Innovation for a Complex World
by Lorraine Justice
Publisher: Nicholas Brealey
Published: June 4, 2019
Internationally recognized product design expert, TED speaker, and consultant to companies like Microsoft and Levi’s, shares the ten global factors that directly impact product design success and failure.
Ballpark: Baseball in the American City by Paul Goldberger
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Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Published: May 2019
An illustrated, entirely new look at the history of baseball: told through the stories of the vibrant and ever-changing ballparks where the game was and is staged, by the Pulitzer Prize-winning architectural critic.
Charleston Fancy by Witold Rybczynski
Charleston Fancy: Little Houses and Big Dreams in the Holy City
By Witold Rybczynski
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: May 2019
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Teaching Graphic Design History by Steven Heller
Teaching Graphic Design History
By Steven Heller
Publisher: Allworth Press
Published: June 2019
An examination of the concerted efforts, happy accidents, and key influences of the practice throughout the years, Teaching Graphic Design History is an illuminating resource for students, practitioners, and future teachers of the subject.
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