The 500 Hidden Secrets of Rotterdam is a guide to the city’s hidden gems. It takes you off the beaten track to discover the city’s turbulent history, its modern architecture, its little-known museums, the best restaurants and the coolest clubs.
True locals Saskia Naafs & Guido van Eijck selected 500 addresses and facts about Rotterdam that few people know and presents them in lists of 5, alongside beautiful photographs. Guido and Saskia’s favourite addresses include a former harbour warehouse turned daily fresh market where you can sample a perfect locally roasted coffee or a homemade cider, a bright-red light-vessel ship where you can attend an intimate concert, or a former subtropical swimming paradise where you can grow your own oyster mushrooms.
There are many reasons to plan a visit to The Hague. It is the international city of peace and justice, the only large Dutch city by the sea, one of the greenest cities of the Netherlands, and it boasts a long and rich history.
For this book, Tal Maes listed her 500 favourite places and tips, presenting them in original and interesting lists such as 5 historic houses of famous Dutchmen, 5 fun boat trips, the 5 best spots for Dutch “maatjes” herring, 5 museums around the Binnenhof, the 5 best lifestyle and concept stores, and much more. This guide encourages you to look further than the usual hotspots. Walk to the far end of the beach to find peace and quiet, try a beer from a hidden monastery, discover cutting-edge art in a former power plant. Of the highlights included, lesser-known aspects are revealed.
Hidden Holland is an alternative travel guide with inspiring stories about approximately 380 different and unexpected places all around the country. This guide entreats you to leave the beaten path, pointing you to locations that many people didn’t even know existed. Such as a forest full of miniature waterworks, a cellar with a mummy in a small Frisian church and secret NATO headquarters.
This guide introduces you to the lesser-known charms of the Netherlands through surprising places presented in original lists, such as: 5 artworks in unexpected locations, the 7 most authentic pubs, 5 cool repurposed industrial heritage sites, 6 local specialities you should try, and much more.
“If you’re lucky enough to have your own outdoor space, what better way to appreciate it than giving it a good makeover? Outdoor Interiors taps into that trend; treat your garden as you would another room and you’ll reap the benefits.” — Homes and Interiors Scotland
Outdoor Interiors showcases the most beautiful garden designs in the world. Author Juliet Roberts highlights five styles – ‘traditional’, ‘contemporary’, ‘playful’, ‘everyday’ and ‘minimal’ – and gives plenty of tips for achieving the same style in your garden across different categories (dining, sitting, lounge, cooking and swimming). The result is a stylish coffee table book full of inspiration.
Southern California, blessed with an enviable climate, progressively discerning individuals, talented craftspeople, and impassioned artisans, sets the stage for this lushly illustrated volume of work. The book features the work of the renowned Los Angeles–based firm, Studio William Hefner, a practice that integrates architecture, interior design, and landscape. The studio’s impressive portfolio is distinguished by an aesthetic sensibility that merges an elegant simplicity with a luxury of details and materials. Hefner’s signature airy, light-filled spaces effortlessly embrace California’s natural beauty.
This richly illustrated monograph on Hefner’s work showcases beautiful homes, from contemporary to traditional, each conveying the details and depth of design character that make Studio William Hefner’s oeuvre so unique. Studio William Hefner is a master architect whose California-based luxury residential designs are richly detailed and bright, with private views of abundant landscapes and lush gardens.
In wise words, Christian Dior once proclaimed: “Flowers are, apart from women, the most beautiful gift God has given the world.” The new teNeues series, Floramour, which henceforth honourably celebrates the most exquisite natural beauties that adorn our gardens, proves just how right he was. Each series title is dedicated to a genus of flowers, viewed from an aesthetic perspective. In a noble presentation with impressive pictures and interesting texts, an exciting portrait of our favourite flowers is created. It begins with the rose.
Whoever gives a rose as a gift will conquer all hearts in an instant, for like no other of its fellows it is regarded as a symbol of romantic passion. As a faithful helpmate, it has been accompanying declarations of love since time immemorial, making it a real Everybody’s Darling. But authentic message transmission is not limited to the gift of the much-loved rose. Flowers have always acted as mouthpieces – and sometimes they can express more than the most beautiful words can.
The illustrated book enables flower enthusiasts to get to know their favourites from a different perspective. With less pragmatism, but more cultural history, the reader is stylishly introduced to their geographical origin, their significance in the world of art, religion and history, as well as their most famous followers in pop culture. It becomes clear that these flowers have real character!
Text in English and German.
The 500 Hidden Secrets of Seattle reveals 500 off-the-beaten-track places and interesting details for anyone who’s keen to explore Seattle’s best-kept secrets, e.g. 5 great places for seafood, 5 places to satisfy your sweet tooth, 5 great LGBTQ+ bars, the 5 best views in the city, 5 quirky buildings and structures, 5 swimming spots for hot days, 5 great birding spots… and much more.
In this book you will rediscover the beloved ‘Country Style,’ which can be applied in so many different ways in a variety of interiors. From modern villas to old fermettes, country design finds its place everywhere. With an emphasis on natural elements, muted colours and an eccentric accent here and there, you’ll learn from these homes how to get started in your own interiors, too. Photographer Brent Darby and author Wink Colville guide you through these more than 20 dream interiors.
Great food culture starts at home – especially when it’s from the chef’s home kitchen and garden! Be inspired by this unique and visually stunning book, which takes a behind-the-scenes look into the home kitchens (and gardens) of 22 of Australia’s celebrity chefs. Notable mentions include Frank Camorra (MoVida), Brigitte Hafner (Graceburn House & Tedesca Osteria in Red Hill, on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula), Tony Niccolini (Italian Artisans), Scott Pickett (Estelle, Matilda, and Audrey’s in Sorrento), and of course many others. Each chef is interviewed by renowned architecture and design writer Stephen Crafti, and each profile is captured through gorgeous, intimate imagery by celebrated photographer Catherine Sutherland. Featuring fabulous, inspiring conversations with each chef in their personal living spaces, while they are preparing a meal in their stunning kitchen, and with a close look at their kitchen’s architectural design, and garden style, this book celebrates not only some of Australia’s finest chefs, but also the architects who make these chef’s kitchens a pleasure to work in. The chefs and architects answer important questions, such as what makes a great kitchen as much as a great meal; what makes these kitchens unique; what are some of the less obvious things that need to be addressed in a kitchen design; what is the range of fresh produce, ie herbs and spices, as well as vegetables that is best planted in a successful kitchen garden; and so much more. This beautifully illustrated book is filled with inspiration for foodies (included are recipes from the chefs), gardeners and design aficionados, and a peek into the secret lives of these celebrities.
A full-size facsimile of John Ruskin’s as yet unpublished book of pressed plants with notes, collected and compiled by Ruskin during 1844 from the mountains and forests around Chamonix, France. This rare example of a herbier to be reproduced and published is accompanied with a second volume of notes and commentary. Here, Ruskin’s full, scientific explanations are fully commented on in the light of modern botanical knowledge.
Professors David Ingram and Stephen Wildman provide an introduction, illuminating essays and detailed notes and commentary on Ruskin’s herbier.
The extraordinary abundance of French sculptures in the United States is indicative of a specific taste for this area of French art, but also of the close proximity of Franco-American historical and artistic relations. The United States is the country outside of France with the largest number of French sculptures and the latter represent by far the majority of foreign sculptures.
Once gathered, combined, connected, they weave the story of a taste. Their study makes it possible to detect trends and periods, to identify the personalities of dealers, collectors and curators, and to understand the supply channels of this transatlantic trade, from the place of production to the place of consumption, from the place of creation to place of appreciation.
The purpose of this book is to give life and meaning to these works by placing them in their American context. The first part emphasises the eminently political and official role, tool of political message when it comes to celebrating the heroes of the American independence, or commercial and industrial propaganda when France shows up at universal exhibitions. From its birth, French sculptors have been associated with the development of the American nation and its society.
The second part is devoted to the role played by French sculptors in American urban decor, as well as in the art of parks and gardens. They largely contributed to the introduction of the Art Deco style in ornamental sculpture.
The third part celebrates sculpture as a collector’s item, sought no longer for the character it represents, nor for its role as a complement to architecture, but truly as an object whose formal beauty is the primary asset.
The fourth and last part is dedicated to the sculptor Auguste Rodin. Rodin was all at once: he represented the art of today, that of the Salon to which he regularly sent his works, sometimes the art of yesterday in his few creations in the style of the 18th century, and above all, he was gradually recognised as the path to the art of tomorrow.
In conclusion, an assessment is made of the taste for French sculpture since the 1950s, which saw a change in the relative importance of the various actors, dealers, collectors, academics and curators.
In The 500 Hidden Secrets of Stockholm Antonia af Petersens shares 500 must-visit places in her hometown, as well as good-to-know facts. The aim of this book is to get you started on discovering the best of Stockholm behind its idyllic, water-surrounded façade. Overrated tourist fodders have been left out in favour of tucked-away finds that will surprise both foreign visitors and savvy residents. Expect to discover quirky details and interesting facts about famous places and timeless favourites to learn about the secret gems where you can imbibe the genuine atmosphere of Stockholm.
Also available: The 500 Hidden Secrets of Berlin, The 500 Hidden Secrets of Copenhagen, The 500 Hidden Secrets of Brussels, The 500 Hidden Secrets of Paris, The 500 Hidden Secrets of Amsterdam, and many more. Discover the series at the500hiddensecrets.com
In The 500 Hidden Secrets of Istanbul, Feride Yalav-Heckeroth shares all of her favourite insider tips, tricks and places to explore Istanbul. Her book contains fun and interesting lists such as 5 restaurants to discover modern Turkish cuisine, the 5 most beautiful beaches, 5 unknown architectural gems from the Ottoman Empire, the 5 best spots for live music, 5 cafes with a breathtaking view and much more.
Also available: The 500 Hidden Secrets of Berlin, The 500 Hidden Secrets of Tokyo, The 500 Hidden Secrets of Miami, The 500 Hidden Secrets of Paris, The 500 Hidden Secrets of New York, and many more. Discover the series at the500hiddensecrets.com
The 500 Hidden Secrets of Tokyo is an affectionate city guide, written by Tokyo local Yukiko Tajima. She has listed 500 must-visit places in her truly fascinating hometown, as well as good-to-know facts. The city has a great many aspects that are changing at a rapid pace; hopefully this book will help you discover new sides that you were unaware of, and will inspire you as you organise your holiday here.
Also available: The 500 Hidden Secrets of Berlin, The 500 Hidden Secrets of Istanbul, The 500 Hidden Secrets of Miami, The 500 Hidden Secrets of Paris, The 500 Hidden Secrets of New York, and many more. Discover the series at the500hiddensecrets.com
A brand-new addition to the Floramour series is Floramour: Lilies. In this outstanding book of photographs, the author Till Hägele presents the varied beauty of this ornamental flower in an unprecedented way.
For centuries, the lily has been cultivated in the most diverse cultures. Today, therefore, it appears in an almost unsurpassed splendour of colour and diversity of species. Throughout cultural history, the wonderful lily has not only exerted an optical fascination on people; since time immemorial it has also been an integral part of festivals and religious customs as a floral symbol. In ancient Greece, for example, it was the flower of Hera, the companion of the goddess of the gods, and in Hinduism it also occupies a central place in the world of the gods. In Christianity it stands for the purity and virginity of Mary and is a symbol of the resurrection of Jesus.
This beautifully designed coffee-table book Floramour: Lilies contains unique photographs as well as sketches and copious background knowledge about this aesthetic beauty of nature.
Floramour: Lilies is a special gift for all flower lovers. Anyone who has always wanted to know everything about their favourite flower is well placed with this comprehensive book from the Floramour series. Whether as personal inspiration or simply for your own enjoyment, anyone who loves lilies simply must own this coffee-table book.
Text in English and German.
According to New York based interior designer, life coach and meditation teacher Joshua Smith, “When your home is your sanctuary, there’s a big exhale when you walk through that front door. It nourishes your spirit, inspires your mind, and enhances your connection to yourself, your loved ones and the divine, however you might define that” (in Homes & Gardens, January 2023).
For Shelby Deering, designer of the tranquil spaces of The Well (with locations in New York City, Washington, Miami, Costa Rica and Mexico), “Over the last few years, our homes have become more important than ever. Throughout the pandemic, we saw them function as offices, gyms, schools, restaurants — and, of course, our own little corners of the world where we were able to find relief from daily pressures and anxiety. Because of this shift, it’s no wonder that people have made efforts to refresh their living quarters to focus more on health, wellness and self-care. After all, when the environment around you feels like a calming refuge, those peaceful vibes can directly impact how you feel.”
The 15 private residences presented in this beautiful book can all be called “sanctuaries” because they all seek to support and protect the well-being of their owners, families and guests.
Everyone needs a happy place, a space to relax, unwind, and let the worries of everyday life melt away. Some may dream of white-sand beaches, while others may prefer cozy mountain chalets, or a meditative, decluttered wabi sabi interior in a cosmopolitan setting.
Whether in Brazil, Sweden, Mexico, Crete, St. Barts, Spain or in Belgium – all over the world, people are searching for the ultimate comfort, safety and happiness in their own cocoon, their own protective environment.
Historian María Sáenz Quesada explores the cultural and social history of Argentina and provides captivating commentary about the families who built or occupy the estancias.
From the rocky terrain in the North through the fertile pampa of the central provinces, all the way to the mountainous West and cold, desolate provinces of the South, the estancias of Argentina produced the high-quality meat and grain that gave the country one of the world’s most powerful economies at the turn of the century. Built in a diversity of architectural styles, from Spanish farm-house to Edwardian country home, the residences of the estancieros are a fascinating hybrid of European and Argentine cultural traditions.
In an illuminating text, historian María Sáenz Quesada explores the cultural and social history of Argentina and provides captivating commentary about the families who built or occupy the estancias. She also examines the distinctive style of these country estates, their interiors, and gardens. Illustrated with exquisite colour and vintage photographs, this opulently designed volume captures the rugged, romantic of the good life on the Argentina pampa.
“Splash hits! From a Beverly Hills hotel to a South American pool so big you can SAIL on it, 12 of the most jaw-dropping swimming pools in the world.” — Daily Mail
This book about the world’s best swimming pools is a visual exploration that showcases 200 of the most remarkable and innovative pools from around the globe. From rooftop pools situated on skyscrapers or upscale hotels, offering breathtaking views of the city skyline while providing a luxurious and serene environment, to natural pools that harmonise with their natural surroundings, including those formed by rock formations, spring-fed pools, or pools nestled in forested areas. Discover pools that are architectural feats, incorporating innovative shapes, materials, and design elements that push the boundaries of traditional pool design. Through captivating photographs and informative text, the book highlights the architectural brilliance, design concepts, and unique features of these pools. It offers readers an opportunity to appreciate the aesthetic beauty, functional aspects, and cultural significance of these aquatic spaces, while also serving as a source of inspiration for travel, design, and leisure. The book serves as a travel guide tailored specifically to those seeking remarkable pool experiences.
Lush, full, and incredibly beautiful, the peony is one of the most magnificent flowers adorning our gardens. It saddens enthusiasts of this beauty that it is quite rare. Depending on the variety, its blooming period is limited to a few weeks between May and June. However, when the peony finally decides to unfurl its bud, it practically explodes, presenting a bombastic display of fully filled blossoms that delights peony lovers in ecstatic admiration.
Now, all friends of this lavish ornamental plant can rejoice, because for the long wait between blooms, the photo book Floramour: Peonies offers a replacement that is unparalleled. The concept of this extraordinary book series envisions a new and comprehensive approach to this aesthetically pleasing plant.
In addition to photographs in intoxicating colours and delicate details, author Anja Klaffenbach imparts fascinating botanical knowledge and a skilful overview of the cultural history of this magnificent flower in this coffee table book. To serve this purpose, the high-quality images are complemented by intricate sketches, drawings, and engaging texts.
Floramour: Peonies is a unique botanical portrait that will surprise even seasoned flower enthusiasts, as this book excels on all levels. With a beautifully crafted cover, the book itself becomes a centrepiece on the bookshelf. An inspiration for all ambitious gardeners and the perfect gift for all admirers of finely nuanced natural beauty.
Text in English and German.
The tulip is undoubtedly one of the favourite flowers of Europeans. Therefore, it deserves its own title in the outstanding Floramour series. This series is aimed at all flower enthusiasts and dedicates a photo book specifically to one variety in a new and refreshing way. In a unique manner, authors Karin Greiner and Simone Braun manage to capture and convey the graceful character and aesthetics of the tulip in Floramour: Tulips.
In a magnificent homage, the photo book Floramour: Tulips pays tribute to this beloved flower. In addition to beautiful photographs, this coffee table book offers its readers an engaging all-around view of this powerful ornamental plant with informative texts and detailed drawings.
Tulips are commonly considered a symbol of prosperity and luxury. In the 17th century, these floral beauties attained a particularly high status in the Netherlands and sparked a veritable tulip mania throughout Europe. At times, the flower bulbs even took on a currency-like character. Tulip breeding became a respectable endeavour, and it is hardly surprising that this led to an impressive diversity of over 4200 tulip varieties.
This informative book succinctly discusses the cultural history of the plant. Tulips symbolise beginnings. They are among the heralds of spring in nature and definitively mark the end of winter with their arrival. Even after being cut, they continue to grow and embody vitality like few other flowers.
For all tulip fans and flower lovers, Floramour: Tulips is an inspiring portrait and a fitting gift that not only dazzles with stunning images but also boasts a wonderful visual presentation. For those who already own previous Floramour titles, adding Tulips will stylishly expand their collection.
Text in English and German.
A miniature treasury of medicinal plants, drawn from the work of a pioneering woman artist.
This miniature book contains a veritable garden of healing plants, specially chosen from Elizabeth Blackwell’s Curious Herbal (1737–39). A talented artist, Blackwell published her herbal as a means of financial support after her husband landed in debtor’s prison — and it quickly became a prized reference for doctors and apothecaries. Each of the 140 exquisite hand-coloured engravings featured herein — from elderberry and chamomile to aloe and St. John’s wort — is accompanied by Blackwell’s description of its medicinal properties. The plants have been selected by the renowned garden writer Marta McDowell, who also contributes an introduction about Elizabeth Blackwell and the herbal medicine of her time. Healing Plants is the perfect little gift for anyone interested in herbalism, botany, or gardening.
The rose is generally seen as the most romantic flower. No other plant blooms for so long and profusely, and comes in so many different shapes, scents and colours. Roses deserve a place in everyone’s home, outside – in the garden or on the balcony – but certainly also indoors on the table. The Joy of Roses answers every question you may have about roses: from the history of the rose to applications in the home. The different types of roses are discussed in detail with descriptions of the flower, the scent, the thorns, the inflorescence and information about the best place for this specific species. The book also provides information about cultivators, which flowers go well with roses and their care. Anneke Beemer’s beautiful photos complete the book.
This two-volume set marks Jo Farb Hernández’s fifty years of scholarship on art environments and the capstone of her work on self-taught artists who have built art environments in Spain. Singular Spaces II evolved from her 2013 book, Singular Spaces. Together these works constitute an encyclopaedic exploration of Spanish art environments and an epic narration of the stories of those who made them.
Singular Spaces II introduces and examines 99 artists and their intriguing and idiosyncratic sculptures, homes, and gardens, most of which have never been thoroughly documented or previously published. The author has cast a wide net to ensure all regions of Spain are represented, as are all kinds of spaces assembled with all kinds of materials.
These sites are developed organically, without formal architectural or engineering plans: they are at once evolving and complete. Often highly fanciful and quixotic, the work is frequently characterised by incongruous juxtapositions, the result of a dynamic approach to creation that may appear impulsive and spontaneous. But these artists and their works have much to teach us about the process of creation and also about the confidence to undertake a path radically different from the one they had followed during the prime of their working lives.
Hernández combines detailed case studies of the artists and their work with contextualised historical and theoretical references to a broad range of interlocking fields, including art, art history, anthropology, vernacular architecture, Spanish area studies, and folklore, complemented with compelling visuals of each of the artists and their artworks. Breaking down the standard compartmentalisation of genres, she reveals how most creators of art environments, building within their own personal spaces, fuse their creations with their daily life in a way generally unmatched in any other circumstances of making art, in the process providing an open self-reflection of their life and concerns. The universality of the need to create, and the issues that are confronted when one does so in a public and non-sanctioned way, are relevant to art and artists worldwide.
The creation of park systems is a historically proven method for communities to stabilise and cultivate healthy ecological habitats in country dwellings as well as in dense urban areas. Park systems ensure clean soil, water, and air for all. Moreover, they offer inter-generational and inclusive recreational opportunities along ecological corridors. Between 1900 and 1950, civic design — a practice in urban and landscape planning explicitly oriented towards the common good — experienced a heyday. Park systems were successfully used as “green armatures” hosting public facilities such as playgrounds, schools, administrative buildings, hospitals, and gardens.
Living Cities offers a chronological survey of civic design based on more than 30 park systems on five continents. The examples range from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s Park an der Ilm in Weimar (1778) and John Nash’s Regent Street in London (1806) to Chicago’s park system (1850), Albert Bodmer and Maurice Braillard’s plans for Geneva (1936), and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin Valley (1947), as well as to contemporary and future projects in Addis Ababa, Madrid, Medellín, New York, and Seoul. Matthew Skjonsberg’s book demonstrates the ecological and social impact of park systems and highlights the diverse challenges that communities face when implementing such projects. At the same time, it encourages a re-evaluation of civic design as an inter-generational practice of urban design.