The garden of the Rubens House is a hidden gem in the heart of Antwerp. This is the place where the world-famous artist lived with his family and entourage and could relax. The garden has been reconstructed and, thanks to advice from fashion designer Dries Van Noten, provides year-round color, season after season. The design hearkens back to plant species from Rubens’ time, including columbine, marigolds and citrus plants.
This book presents the results of years of archive research that went into the reconstruction of The Rubens Garden, describes the historical context and provides an overview of the main flowers and plants and their story. With beautiful details from floral still lifes and other works of Rubens and his contemporaries, this richly illustrated book reveals the beauty of the unique garden of the Rubens House in Antwerp. In addition, it offers a glimpse of little-known historical material about this magical garden and city gardens in Antwerp in the time of Rubens.
Life is always winking at us, calling our attention to the beauty hidden in plain sight. And yet, we often miss what’s right in front of our noses, either lost in thought or tethered to never-ending to-do lists. This is a handbook for anyone who feels some of the shine has worn off their daily life and wants to reconnect with the beauty hidden in plain sight. In this exquisite collection of photographs, poems and creative invitations, we are reminded that we don’t need to wait for miracles to be astonished. Wonder is a state of mind, available to us every day of our lives.
In a world that grows increasingly fast-paced, the idea of retreat has never been more appealing. Contemporary Retreats is a celebration of architecture and design that transcends the ordinary, offering sanctuaries of beauty, tranquillity, and innovation. This coffee table book is not merely a collection of remarkable houses; it is a journey through the art of creating spaces that reflect individuality while harmonising with their surroundings.
These 17 exceptional retreats are united by their power to inspire. They invite you to dream, to reflect, and perhaps, to reimagine your own space. Through stunning photography and thoughtful narratives, Contemporary Retreats opens the door to the extraordinary, offering a glimpse of how the pursuit of sanctuary can result in unparalleled beauty.
“The pleasure and insight here is that it refocuses our attention and makes the world we move through larger and more complicated, more detailed, and full of identity, which is a joy.” — Hyperallergic
Manhattan Project is a collection of photographs that capture the evolving landscape of Manhattan’s West Side over the past decade. Exploiting the revelatory power of photography, these images explore a city’s architectural transformation.
While Jan Staller’s earlier work focused on industrial decay, these new photographs explore the rise of high-rise construction. By isolating and zooming in on building materials, Staller elevates the ordinary to the extraordinary. The resulting images, reminiscent of drawings or abstract paintings, reveal the hidden beauty and formal qualities of these often-overlooked elements.
This project reimagines the city not as a monolithic entity, but as a composition of intricate details. It celebrates the interplay of light, form and texture, inviting viewers to rethink the familiar and discover the artistic potential of the urban environment.
Text in English and French.
Eternal Jewels celebrates the World Jewellery Museum’s 20th anniversary, inviting readers into the poetic vision of founder Lee Kangwon, whose museum is known as the ‘Jewel of Seoul’. Published here for the first time, the book presents extraordinary pieces alongside Lee’s untold stories from her diplomatic travels across four continents.
For Lee Kangwon, a collector and poet, each acquisition represents a spiritual journey transcending borders. The museum’s aesthetic presentation reflects her poetic sensibilities, rooted in Korean traditions of meditation on beauty as a path to spiritual purity. From Colombian emerald mines and Tibetan temples to her family’s royal heirloom jewels, the collection spans centuries and civilizations. Each piece – whether a ceremonial headpiece or intimate talisman – carries profound cultural significance and human connection. Through this carefully curated anthology, Lee fulfills her museum’s mission to spread light full of beauty and wonder through jewelry, creating bridges between cultures, past and present, material and spiritual realms.
Concrete Homes is a stunning collection of inspiring brutalist interiors, carefully selected and photographed by visual creative Pieter Peulen. This book showcases remarkable homes that embrace the raw beauty of brutalist architecture, where concrete is softened by the warmth of wood and thoughtfully curated design objects. Each project is briefly introduced, but the true essence of these spaces is captured through Peulen’s striking photography. Concrete Homes is a visual journey into the refined side of brutalism, offering inspiration for design enthusiasts and architecture lovers alike.
In the misty highlands of the Andes, Sandra Velasco Jordan first encountered the gentle creatures that would one day become her life’s passion and purpose. From these childhood moments among Peru’s verdant mountains to establishing her acclaimed textile business in California, Jordan’s journey with alpacas weaves a story as rich and textured as the fabrics she creates. Loving Alpaca, with a preface by the acclaimed interior designer Holly Hunt, chronicles a life lived between worlds—from Peru to Chile, India to the Philippines—as Jordan draws upon her multicultural experiences to build a business that honors tradition while embracing innovation. With unwavering dedication, she works alongside Peruvian herdsmen and women weavers, preserving ancient crafts while introducing their exceptional artistry to global markets. More than a memoir, this impressionistic portrait reveals how alpaca fiber became the thread connecting Jordan’s past to her present, her heritage to her home. Through her story, we discover the profound relationship between craft and identity, sustainability and beauty, nature and creative expression. Journey with Jordan as she transforms her love for these remarkable animals into a mission that celebrates cultural heritage, champions ethical practices, and creates spaces of harmony and beauty wherever her path leads.
Erwin Olaf – Freedom offers an intimate look at the life and work of Erwin Olaf, one of the Netherlands’ most groundbreaking photographers. Known for his staged, cinematic imagery and bold aesthetic, Olaf’s work explored themes of sexuality, transience, vulnerability, and activism. This book, launching alongside a major Stedelijk Museum exhibition, provides a fresh perspective on his artistic legacy, including unseen works created during his final years.
A tireless advocate for equal rights, Olaf’s photography captured the beauty and struggles of marginalized communities – queer individuals, people of color, those with disabilities, and the everyday person. His final pieces, including Self-Portrait with Lungs (2023), reveal an even deeper personal and artistic reckoning.
With striking imagery and personal insights, Ewin Olaf – Freedom is a powerful tribute to an artist who redefined contemporary photography and left behind a legacy of beauty, defiance, and humanity.
This book is put together like a jewel and contains a carefully chosen selection of around 100 West African combs from one of the world’s largest and finest private collections of sub-Saharan African art. Featuring a hitherto unseen assortment of pieces assembled over a period of more than 60 years, the book also includes an authoritative analysis by Alain-Michel Boyer, who approached this rarely addressed theme in what was his final work, begun almost ten years ago.
As well as offering us valuable insights into the cultures that produced these miniature sculptures (Ivory Coast, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Nigeria), he explores the way the form itself is approached. These creations transform what is in principle a plain accessory and in the effort to attain pure beauty, they display an aesthetic awareness that raises the adornment of the body to the level of fine art.
Bouke de Vries, based in London, gets the viewer thinking with his extraordinary artworks of broken porcelain and discarded shards. He creates extraordinary works of art from broken porcelain and pottery and discarded shards. With these he makes the viewer think about what beauty and perfection are. This combination of craftsmanship and creativity makes his art both visually impressive and conceptually stimulating. De Vries’ museum work is included in many leading international collections and he is represented by leading international galleries. This book presents an overview of the highlights of his career, in which he plays with the theme of decay and recovery. In his still lifes, relics and large installations, Bouke de Vries respects the history of objects, but adds humor and depth. The observant viewer experiences how the life of an object through the ages changes its owner, context and meaning. Several international art critics wrote a contribution for this book.
Text in English and Dutch.
The deeply luminous, finely textured glazes of classic Chinese ceramics have long been fascinating to experts and collectors. At firing temperatures of 1300° C, the ceramic body and the glaze are fused together into a new materiality of great aesthetic and emotional power. Their extraordinary beauty is illustrated by way of the classically inspired works of the Royal Copenhagen stoneware studio, created between the 1930s and 1970s. For the first time, the range of the various glaze effects is approached from the perspective of intensive, decades-long personal interaction with these objects. Chemical formulas and technical terms have been deliberately avoided. The catalogue section has been divided into 13 parts, each dealing with one particular kind of glaze, preceded by a short introductory description. The main section is dedicated to the magical aspects of glazes. It goes into the causes of the optical and haptic effects, so too the significance of nature as a model. The decorative potential of technical deviations is also explored, as well as the formation of contrasts and, finally, the physical tension between the ceramic body and the glaze. Artists’ signatures and date codes are part of the addendum.
“This one of a kind book is a must have for anyone who is a dedicated fan of Marilyn Monroe, you will want to have this beautiful book in your collection!” — The Age of Vintage
“As the embodiment of Hollywood’s Golden Age, Monroe continues to captivate the world, and her aura manages to shine through these pages — disarming you with that megawatt smile.” — WWD
This is not a simple look back. It is an encounter with Marilyn as she was, and as she chose to be seen…” — Marilyn Monore Collection
“… much more than a luxurious coffee table book. It is a monument made of paper, an ode to fame, almost a love letter to cinema and a tangible reminder of a woman who has never really disappeared. ” — NL Magazine
“This really is the most beautiful book you will find dedicated to Marilyn.” — Fashion Mommy
“Vibrant, joyous, confident: these photos celebrate the 100th birthday of timeless beauty Marilyn Monroe.” — Amateur Photographer
Marilyn Monroe 100 is the only official publication celebrating and commemorating the centenary of Marilyn Monroe’s birth. Published in association with the Marilyn Monroe Estate, this stunning book brings together specially curated sections of work by the best photographers who collaborated with Monroe during her lifetime, including some of the greatest names in the art of photography.
André de Dienes, Joseph Jasgur and Bernard of Hollywood unveil early images of a young Norma Jeane; John Florea and Philippe Halsman showcase stunning publicity shots of an aspiring actress; Eve Arnold, Elliott Erwitt, Bruce Davidson and Henri Cartier-Bresson capture Marilyn on the sets of some of her most famous films; Cecil Beaton and Richard Avedon portray the actress’s alluring beauty; and the candid photography of Alfred Eisenstaedt, Sam Shaw, George Barris and Milton Greene reveal another side to the Hollywood icon. The book ends with Bert Stern’s ‘Last Sitting’ along with recently rediscovered images of a radiant and smiling Monroe taken from a photo shoot for Life magazine by Allan Grant, originally published two days before the star’s death.
Alongside this sumptuous exhibit of Marilyn’s life, a selection of fascinating quotes by Monroe herself, as well as texts by scholars and admirers, chronicles the life of a woman with a unique persona who was a trailblazer ahead of her time. Looking back over the past 100 years, it becomes apparent just how avant-garde Marilyn Monroe truly was.
This exceptional book is a fitting celebration of the life of this most extraordinary woman.
With the New Mags City Guide, you can make the most of your time, whether you’re searching for a refined meal, a hidden design gem, an inspiring hotel, or the perfect espresso between fashion shows. The guide presents a carefully curated selection of the best hotels, restaurants, cafés, boutiques, galleries, and cultural landmarks — all reflecting Milan’s effortless sophistication.
Milan is Italy’s beating creative heart — where fashion, architecture, and gastronomy meet in perfect harmony. From historic palazzos to contemporary design studios, every street exudes style and intention. You’ll leave inspired, a little dazzled, and perhaps just a touch envious. Because in Milan, beauty isn’t a luxury — it’s a way of life.
From humble Edo-era street food to global culinary art, sushi has become a symbol of precision and beauty. Sushi traces its journey through history, exploring ancient techniques, regional traditions, and the philosophy behind every perfect bite. Featuring renowned sushi masters, legendary restaurants from Tokyo to New York, and recipes that reveal the delicate balance of rice, fish, and time, this book celebrates sushi as both heritage and innovation. A visual and cultural exploration of craftsmanship, flavor, and form — the timeless art of sushi, beautifully unfolded.
The most chic glamor photographer of the moment (Him, Playboy France in particular) Lionel Daviat returns with a new book in which he fulfills the fantasy we’ve all experienced: wearing glasses that undress. The result is breathtaking, with a refined erotic aesthetic.
A multitude of beautiful models in more or less daring situations: in beautiful apartments, on ski slopes, or even in the street!
The special ‘lenticular’ nature of the special cover features a model which will appear either dressed or undressed, depending on the angle of the view.
Lionel Daviet, who lives on the shores of Lake Annecy near Geneva, trained in film photography, became a master of chic digital photography, and harnessed the infinite resources of AI better than anyone else in the world to enhance charm, creativity, and beauty. The result: photos that are larger than life.
Text in English and French.
Follow the Coast – from Gibraltar to Monaco guides you along the Mediterranean coast, from Gibraltar to Monaco. This visual travel guide explores the Spanish and French coastlines, with countless charming beaches, little coves, sun-dotted villages, and hidden gems. It showcases the well-known beauty of the Costa Brava and the Côte d’Azur, with famous hotspots such as Cadaqués and Saint-Tropez, while also unveiling hidden beauty in lesser-known regions. The book features high-end nature photography, but is also a guide that can be your companion on a road trip or beach holiday. And last but not least, it tells the remarkable story of the Follow the Coast project, in which we run the entire European coastline with a collective of brave runners who cover 100 km a day.
In recent years, the media’s portrayal of “bigger men” has gradually evolved. However, many men, especially gay men, still experience insecurity and a lack of self-confidence because they rarely see themselves reflected in the media. The societal stigma surrounding body size and appearance can lead to depression and a destructive cycle of self-doubt. Photographer Joseph Wolfgang Ohlert’s Bigger project challenges societal norms and invites us to celebrate the beauty of all body types. By showcasing the diversity of larger individuals, the project emphasizes the importance of self-acceptance and self-love.
The book features around 80 captivating portraits and offers a glimpse into the lives and experiences of men who have long been underrepresented in the media. With a natural and matter-of-fact approach, Ohlert skillfully captures the beauty and variety of bodies that deserve admiration and recognition.
Text in English and German.
Created over three years in Baffin Island, Echoes of the Pack by photographer Guadalupe Laiz focuses on the Arctic dogs, the guardians and partners to the Inuit. Stationed farthest from town, where they live in prolonged isolation, tethered to the sea ice, these individuals are largely unseen and rarely photographed.
Guadalupe’s stark and evocative black-and-white photographs and select color images are simple and direct, without drama or embellishment. Among the photographs are short, poetic texts written from Guadalupe’s perspective and from the imagined points of view of the dogs themselves—voices that reflect patience, labor, and presence.
Echoes of the Pack brings visibility to a complex subject, shining a light on the Arctic dog, among the strongest and hardiest animals on the planet, who endures one of Earth’s harshest environments. It does so without judgment, and with respect for Inuit culture and leadership, fully acknowledging the history, hardship, and resilience of Inuit communities.
Tomas De Bruyne is one of today’s leading floral event designers, known for architectural and conceptual floral spaces. An internationally celebrated artist, he creates breathtaking large-scale installations for events ranging from royal weddings to corporate celebrations. At a certain point in a designer’s journey, flowers become more than decoration – they become a language. Every petal, line, and colour turns into an intentional choice. This book is inspired by that transformation. As a floral scenographer, De Bruyne has spent decades shaping atmospheres across the world, discovering that beauty is a living structure defined by rhythm, hierarchy, and intelligence. When these align, design becomes an unforgettable experience. In this book, he shares not formulas, but a way of thinking. It goes beyond flowers, offering insight for designers who shape how people feel – event planners, floral designers, hoteliers, architects, and scenographers – inviting them to see design through the eyes of a floral architect.
Text in English and Dutch
Tomas De Bruyne is one of today’s leading floral event designers, known for architectural and conceptual floral spaces. An internationally celebrated artist, he creates breathtaking large-scale installations for events ranging from royal weddings to corporate celebrations. At a certain point in a designer’s journey, flowers become more than decoration – they become a language. Every petal, line, and color turns into an intentional choice. This book is inspired by that transformation. As a floral scenographer, De Bruyne has spent decades shaping atmospheres across the world, discovering that beauty is a living structure defined by rhythm, hierarchy, and intelligence. When these align, design becomes an unforgettable experience. In this book, he shares not formulas, but a way of thinking. It goes beyond flowers, offering insight for designers who shape how people feel – event planners, floral designers, hoteliers, architects, and scenographers – inviting them to see design through the eyes of a floral architect.
Text in English and Dutch
After studying art for many years under highly respected teachers, Asta Nørregaard (1853–1933) became an established artist. She exhibited at the Paris Salon and carried out numerous portrait commissions for prominent figures from the upper class of Norwegian society, and from the fields of science and culture. She also ran her own painting school and established endowments for female artists and musicians. Even though Nørregaard is primarily known for her portraits, she also painted landscapes, interiors, and religious scenes. For many years, Nørregaard was overshadowed by more famous contemporaries, but recently she has gained recognition as a substantial force in Norwegian art history.
This book brings together the breadth of Nørregaard’s artistic practice. It presents portraits of leading cultural and scientific figures of her time, studies of dress and fashion, and a museum-based detective story in which the question of who is portrayed takes center stage. Taken together, the texts offer an understanding of Nørregaard, not only as a portrait painter, but as an active participant in the art world and as an artist who challenged the boundaries of what women could be in her time
Lukas Dhont is an internationally acclaimed filmmaker who earned an Oscar nomination for Girl. With both his debut Girl and its follow-up Close, he moved audiences and charmed festival juries alike. Now Coward his third and most ambitious film, set against the backdrop of the First World War, is on its way. Once again, the focus is on two characters and their personal journeys, amidst the violence and sorrow of war. Central to the narrative is life in the barracks, where space was nevertheless found for beauty and theater – an aspect of the war that has often been overlooked. With this book, we therefore aim to go beyond a mere ‘making-of’; it also delves into the historical material that forms the basis of this project. Peppered, of course, with unique set images and a glimpse into the notes – and thus the creative mind – of creator Lukas Dhondt.
Verstrengeld (“entwined”) by Dutch photographer Floor Martens is a poetic visual meditation on the interconnectedness of humans, nature, and time, addressing the ‘zeitgeist’ of a younger generation. Through a deeply personal lens, Martens explores the transformation and decay that define all living matter, tracing parallels between the human body and the natural world. Her photographs — depicting (often naked) bodies, trees, flowers, and skies — capture the delicate balance between fragility and endurance, intimacy and distance, life and loss. Employing analogue techniques alongside written text, sound, and sculptural gestures, Martens creates an immersive, sensorial experience that transcends the photographic image. Each composition suggests a metaphysical dialogue, where the veins of a leaf mirror the lines of a hand, and the cycles of growth and decay reveal beauty in impermanence. Verstrengeld reflects Martens’ commitment to slowing down perception, allowing the ordinary to emerge as extraordinary. This tril-ingual publication is both a visual elegy and a philosophical inquiry — an invitation to contemplate our entanglement with the living world.
Text in English, Dutch and French.
Founded by Leigh and Kevin Misso, the firm has redefined the traditional design-build model into a far more ambitious and holistic philosophy of integration. Every project begins with a singular vision in which structure, interiors and everyday living are thoughtfully interwoven from the earliest sketch. This book welcomes readers into the intersection of craftsmanship and story. Each home is shaped as both a sanctuary and a narrative, a composition of beauty, balance, and belonging. River Brook’s work lives in the delicate space where history and modernity meet, honoring the soul of the past through the artistry of the present. Above all the firm’s vision is simple: to transform houses into homes where life unfolds with warmth, grace and purpose. The firm’s philosophy, “Living with Legacy,” reflects its commitment to creating homes that honor the past while shaping the present. Homes composed with enduring craftsmanship. Effortless proportion and beauty that feels both timeless and liveable. At the heart of Living with Legacy is the overarching theme: “Designing What Endures.”
This book dedicated to Alphonse Mucha celebrates the genius of the Art Nouveau master through a rich narrative journey that explores both his artistic production and his aesthetic vision. It presents Mucha as an innovator of visual language and the creator of an iconic feminine imagery that has transcended eras and cultures. Particular attention is given to a selection of works from different periods, illustrating the continuity of the ideal of beauty from the Classical and Renaissance traditions to the modern age. Through images, insights, and contextual analysis, the volume traces the evolution of this enduring aesthetic concept and its reinterpretation in Mucha’s work. The book offers an immersive reading experience, enriched by visual materials and thematic sections that evoke the atmosphere of Mucha’s time while highlighting the innovative power of his artistic language. A journey through art, myth, and visual communication, this volume reveals the lasting relevance and contemporary resonance of Mucha’s imagination, reaffirming his place as one of the most influential artists of modernity.