ANY STYLE: HOSPITALITY DESIGN
by ADAM D. TIHANY with MARCI SUTIN LEVIN
Adam Tihany’s environmental creations for larger restaurant chains such as Spago and Le Cirque don’t simply replicate the restaurants’ original designs, they push the envelope of hospitality and luxury design by infusing a sense of local flavor into each location. Tihany painstakingly researched each city (Spago in Las Vegas, Chicago, Palo Alto, and Mexico City, and Le Cirque in Las Vegas, New York, and Mexico City) and its culture to permeate the environment with a site-specific essence, making locals feel right at home with an appreciation of his thoughtful and eccentric style. Tihany has designed luxury hotels and restaurants the world over, and even reinvigorated a run-down Roman neighborhood with his recently completed project, the hotel Exedra, giving credence to the benefits of good design.

Tihany Style, cowritten by Marci Sutin Levin and designed by the notable Mirko Ilic, approaches the task of defining Tihany’s style through the commentary of fellow noted designers, and is peppered with beautiful photographs of his projects in hotels, restaurants, and more. “In my opinion, a very tight and specific definition of style would be a handicap,” Tihany explains in an introductory interview with Sutin Levin. “Artists at times have periods where they create a body of work in a certain style and then move on to another. I create lots of bodies of work in lots of different styles all at the same time. I practice in many languages, in many accents, with many interpretations at the same time—and that itself may very well define my style.”

One factor of Tihany’s design work that is evident with each project is his ability to anticipate what his clients want, even if they’re unable to pronounce it themselves. In cases like these, he learns as much as he can about the client and the project, and succeeds in defining it in their unspoken terms. Tihany is “able to understand both the needs and wants of his clients, which is a rare ability, and combine these in a truly valid design product,” world-renowned designer Massimo Vignelli offers. “So, how do you recognize a Tihany project? Initially, you might not realize it’s one of his, but when you’re told, you think, ‘Of course, now I understand why it’s so witty, why it’s so alive.’ There is no formal signature; instead you always find the bravura and the talent. Adam is able to create places that have true character.” $95, hardcover, 240 pages, Mondadori Electa

NEW SCANDINAVIAN DESIGN
by KATHERINE NELSON and RAUL CABRA (ed.)
“Although Scandinavian design is undergoing a major transition in the face of global trends like multiculturalism, the Nordic countries continue to make design a cultural priority,” design journalist Katherine Nelson writes in her introduction to New Scandinavian Design, regarding the popularity of design as a respected Scandinavian profession. “Unlike in the United States, the general populaces and governments of Scandinavia regard the practice with great esteem, and famous Scandinavian designers often become household names.”

Nelson collaborates with designer Raul Cabra in this collection, which does away with the notion that Scandinavian design is all beech wood furniture, and proves that Scandinavian designers are still alive and kicking out some inventive products. Nelson and Cabra focus on present design developments out of Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Finland, and Denmark. The book is arranged by cultural theme rather than by country, so that the shared values behind the designs may be examined, and over 450 photographs help illustrate these concepts. Chapters include Democracy, which explores the Scandinavian socio-political view that design can be used as a tool to better the standard of living for all members of society; Honesty, an examination of utilitarian design influenced by modernism and unpretentious functionalism; Poetry, an exploration of imaginative design; Innovation, featuring technology-driven design; and Craft, a return to basic production methods involving manual labor and knowledge of material.

“As we [the editors] discovered while compiling this book,” Nelson’s introduction concludes, “yes, there is such a thing as Scandinavian design. Rather than a fixed idea or the repetition of a historical style, however, this concept should be understood as a dynamic, actively debated set of shared values. New Scandinavian Design celebrates the next generation of Nordic designers who are eagerly evolving these cultural ideals, reinterpreting the fundamental humanism of Scandinavian tradition for a new century.” This book schools us on the system of unattainable, aesthetic design, making us take notice of the cultural values behind Scandinavian designs. In Scandinavia, design is clearly a shared art form for everybody. $50, hardcover, 272 pages, Chronicle Books