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.
Announcements
Total Armageddon: A Slanted Reader on Design edited by Ian Lynam
Total Armageddon: A Slanted Reader on Design
Edited by Ian Lynam
Publisher: Slanted Publishers
Published: March 2019
Total Armageddon is about design. And culture. And complexity, notably how we, as a global civilization, deal with science fiction, taste, social media, the cities we live in, aesthetics, PowerPoint, burkas, Big Tech, full-contact sports, and other thorny topics. The book celebrates 15 years of independent publishing and brings together a who’s who of authors and essays from 32 issues of Slanted Magazine.
A Field Guide to Color by Lisa Solomon
A Field Guide to Color: A Watercolor Workbook
By Lisa Solomon
Publisher: Roost Books
Published: August 2019
In this creative workbook you’ll discover fresh ways to connect with color in your art and life. Using watercolors, gouache, or any other water-based medium, explore color theory while playing with paint through a balanced blend of color experiments and loose color meditations. This inspiring workbook will change the way you relate to color
Five Oceans in a Teaspoon by Dennis Bernstein and Warren Lehrer
Five Oceans in a Teaspoon
Poems by Dennis Bernstein
Visualizations by Warren Lehrer
Introduction by Steven Heller
Publisher: Paper Crown Press
Published: September 19, 2019
“From a kidnap note for a world held hostage by an A-bomb, to a Holocaust survivor’s tattooed arms where the numbers just don’t add up, Five Oceans in a Teaspoon re-envisions a poetry memoir via a textual kaleidoscope... Bernstein and Lehrer are the Rodgers and Hart of Visual Poetry.” — Bob Holman, poet, poetry activist and chronicler, and founder of the Bowery Poetry Club
Ballpark: Baseball in the American City by Paul Goldberger
Ballpark: Baseball in the American City
By Paul Goldberger
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
Charleston, South Carolina, which boasts America’s first historic district, is known for its palmetto-lined streets and picturesque houses. The Holy City, named for its profusion of churches, exudes an irresistible charm. Award-winning author and cultural critic Witold Rybczynski unfolds a series of stories about a group of youthful architects, builders, and developers based in Charleston: a self-taught home builder, an Air Force pilot, a fledgling architect, and a bluegrass mandolin player.
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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