By the Book
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In this issue, we present three new interior design books,
each illustrating a distinctly unique approach to interiors —
Ashe Leandro: Architecture + Interiors, David Kleinberg: Interiors,
and The Living Room from The Design Leadership Network.
by Marianne Litty
Ashe Leandro: Architecture + Interiors is the debut publication of AD100 interior design/architectural firm, helmed by designer Ariel Ashe and architect Reinaldo Leandro. Known for unfussy, high-end design and an appealing cosmopolitan/bohemian aesthetic, they have crafted homes for stars Liev Schreiber, Seth Meyers, Naomi Watts, and artist Rashid Johnson.
David Kleinberg: Interiors features recent projects in New York City, Washington, D.C., Aspen, Palm Beach, and London by the revered interior designer, representing the height of sophistication, luxury, and refinement. His signature combination of antiques and collectible design objects, blue-chip art, and refined furniture and finishes has, for over thirty-five years, been the foundation of his elegant, upscale interiors.
The Design Leadership Network, a professional membership association for leaders in interior design, architecture, and related creative fields has published an inspiring volume of exquisitely designed living rooms with a wide range of styles and locales. From the historic to the contemporary, with a blend of antique, vintage, contemporary, and artisan-crafted furnishings, The Living Room illustrates what makes a really great room.
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On a Georgica Pond site in East Hampton, New York, Ashe Leandro designed a ground-up “tropical modernist” getaway for their collector clients. Channeling inspiration from modernist architectural icons in Mexico City, São Paulo, and Leandro’s birthplace in Caracas, Venezuela, the interior spaces play with light and shadow amidst stretches of glass, stone, and light-hued wood. In the double-height living room, the vintage 1950s Brazilian Modernist sofa and armchair are by Joaquim Tenreiro; the yellow and green “Diablo” floor lamp is by Le Corbusier, circa 1960. Ariel Ashe sourced a pair of very special 1920s armchairs by French architect Pierre Chareau. Designed for his early modern masterpiece the Maison de Verre in Paris, they retain their original tapestry upholstery by Jean Lurçat. Art plays a key role in the design of this collector’s home, and perfecting installation positions was a collaboration much enjoyed by Ashe and the homeowner. Behind the sofa is the glazed ceramic and wood sculpture Touching Summer, 2020 by Arlene Shechet. On the wall, upper right is a 2019 abstract geometric painting by Eamon Ore-Giron, Infinite Regress LXIX, and below, seen through the doorway, is a 2012 bronze casting of Jean Arp’s 1957 Knospe/Bourgeon. Photo: Jason Schmidt |
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Artists Rashid Johnson and Sheree Hovsepian’s 1910 townhouse in the Gramercy Park neighborhood of Manhattan is an art and design-filled haven, where they live surrounded by their artwork, works by artists they have collected through the years, and a substantial array of vintage and collectible design. The couple has worked with Ashe Leandro for over fifteen years and multiple residences, and that ongoing creative relationship contributed much to the clarity of vision in the interiors. Every element is layered with intent, serving as inspiration, touchstone, or reference to history past. The cavernous 34-foot long, 20-foot tall main room contained none of the architectural details now present, the designers enriched the space with faux-marble painted baseboards, wall moldings, a reclaimed seventeenth-century coffered painted ceiling from Sicily, a limestone mantel from an 18th-century French chateau, and a wall of casement windows. The antique rug is a circa 1850 Persian Bakhshayesh; the honey-hued meandering custom sofa is joined by a two-piece 1970s Bronzeforms 4 biomorphic coffee table by Silas Seandel. A live-edge George Nakashima coffee table is placed with a pair of low-slung Joaquim Tenreiro “Manta” Brazilian Modernist lounge chairs, towered over by Sentinel IV (Gold), 2021, a nearly 11-foot-tall gold-leafed bronze sculpture by Simone Leigh. On the wall behind is a 1951 painting Symbols and a Woman, by American Abstract Expressionist painter Adolph Gottlieb. Photo: Adrian Gaut |
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Ariel Ashe and Reinaldo Leandro, photo: Malcolm Brown |
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A circa 1926 Upper East Side apartment with enviable views of Central Park — but in need of a refresh — was stripped back for a clean, contemporary look while respecting its prewar history. Picture frame molding, baseboards, and expanses of white oak flooring restored warmth and charm to the previous outdated renovation. The main living area is populated by an eclectic group of furniture forms. A croissant-shaped custom sofa curves around a shimmery seeded glass coffee table, with a pair of vintage 1960s black leather and white fiberglass “Saturnus C” lounge chairs by Finnish designer Yrjö Kukkapuro and a 1940s slat-back armchair by French designer René Gabriel. The 1960s Italian travertine “Jumbo” coffee table is by Gae Aulenti. The parchment globe shade floor lamp is Ruemmler No 548, designed and produced by Ashe and Leandro and partners’ Ruemmler furnishings firm. Photo: Adrian Gaut |
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David Kleinberg: Interiors | |
by David Kleinberg with Mayer Rus © 2025 David Kleinberg and The Monacelli Press; Published by The Monacelli Press, a Phaidon Company Shipping March 12, 2025, and available for pre-order now at Phaidon.com and Amazon |
A red brick American Georgian townhouse in Manhattan’s Sutton Place neighborhood, designed in the early 1920s for Anne Vanderbilt, is the home of David Kleinberg’s longtime friends fashion designer Thom Browne and Metropolitan Museum Costume Institute curator Andrew Bolton. A formidable fashion power couple, the pair’s vision for the decoration of the house was somewhat surprising. In a single word, pristine — not historic, not modern or contemporary, but timeless and gracious, with harmony and flow as primary considerations. The living room is outfitted with a pair of gilded 18th-century George III Sheraton-style settees facing across a patinated bronze and glass low table by Swiss artist Diego Giacometti. A 1948 verre églomisé mirror by French master glass artist Robert Pansart hangs above the fireplace. Pansart was active in the 1920s–1950s and is best known for mirrors decorated with geometric shapes, scrolls, and arabesques. He worked with designers Serge Roche, Jean Pascaud, and Gilbert Poillerat, and in the 1950s, he made mirrored furniture for King Farouk. A portrait by John Singer Sargent is propped on the mantel; to the left is A Good Child, 1997, by British artist John Kirby. George Nakashima’s live-edge coffee table is paired with a tailored sofa and a lavishly trimmed and tasseled early 19th-century Regency Klismos chair. Architectural details, notably the lovely ceiling tracery, were added to support the Georgian architecture. Photo: William Abranowicz
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This Fifth Avenue apartment for a couple with Persian ancestry introduced David Kleinberg to the work of contemporary Persian artists, which his clients collect along with significant works by modern and contemporary artists from across the globe. Their substantial collection is the soul of the home, and the interior decoration was designed to enhance and highlight the pieces. In the entry hall, artworks by Le Corbusier (left) and Hans Hofmann (right), both from the early 1960s, are installed above consoles by Hervé Van der Straeten. A patinated bronze pendant light is also by Van der Straeten. The artworks on the walls are by contemporary Persian artists Hadieh Shafie (left) and Ali Banisadr (right). Seen through the doorway into the atmospheric dining room with charcoal walls of textured Venetian plaster, a regally imposing sculpture by Spanish artist Manolo Valdés presides over all. Photos: Francesco Lagnese |
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In the same Fifth Avenue apartment, the bright and airy living room was designed for entertaining groups of any size, with generous seating capacity and furniture arranged to enhance ease of access and encourage mingling. A spectacular bespoke mosaic of hand-silvered, handmade glass mirrors was commissioned for the fireplace wall from southern France-based glass artist Kiko López. Banquette-style custom sofas by DKDA are paired with cast-bronze coffee tables by French furniture artist Ingrid Donat, whose use of intricate geometric patterns is inspired by Art Deco, Gustav Klimt, and tribal tattoos. Two Black Discs and Six Others, a 1971 mobile by Alexander Calder occupies the upper atmosphere; to the left of the fireplace is a painting by American Abstract Expressionist Theodoros Stamos. The subtle, pearl-toned color palette lets the art — and the people in the room — shine. Photo: Francesco Lagnese |
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The Living Room | |
by The Design Leadership Network, foreword by Michael-Diaz Griffith, text by Hadley Keller © 2024 Assouline Publishing Available at Assouline.com and Amazon |
The Living Room, by the Design Leadership Network, celebrates some of the best-designed living rooms in the world, ranging across styles, moods, and locales. The members of the Design Leadership Network are architects, interior designers, landscape specialists, and allied design professionals, and the images in this book reflect their extraordinary talent for crafting deeply personal spaces distilled through impassioned study and thoughtful creativity, and translated into form, function, and artistry. With homage to the past, a focus on the needs of contemporary life, and an eye to the future, each of these rooms is a timeless expression of people and how they live.
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Following an extensive renovation of this 1907 Italianate home in San Francisco’s Presidio Heights, a pair of top talents — architect Gil Schafer and interior designer Miles Redd — transformed its living room into a contemporary take on a traditional salon, outfitted with antiques befitting the home’s grandeur.
A young San Francisco couple with four lively children delighted designer Miles Redd with their request for old-school, posh Anglo-Continental decor. Redd dove in with gusto, drawing upon his vast knowledge of the great tastemakers of the past, with nods to Elsie de Wolfe, America’s first woman interior decorator, and Nancy Lancaster, owner of British decorating firm Colefax & Fowler. Animal prints, favored by de Wolfe, appear on a pair of tabourets as well as accent pillows. Deep, low sofas with plump cushions are skirted with bullion fringe. An antique etched and carved Venetian mirror floats above the mantle on walls covered in aquamarine satin. The rug is an antique Persian, requested by the homeowners not only for its vibrant beauty but for its indestructible longevity. In the foreground, an antique German fauteuil is updated in a bold, wide green, blue, and white striped fabric. Whimsical touches, including a 19th-century Anglo-Indian carved camel table are sprinkled here and there. And whether considered campy or a cherished icon of the past, what Anglophile’s house would be complete without a pair of Staffordshire ceramic dogs? Photo: Trevor Tondro, portrait photo courtesy Miles Redd. |
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Corey Damon Jenkins |
A relatively unknown Corey Damon Jenkins from Detroit, Michigan gained high accolades for his masterful mix of traditional and bold elements in his debut room at the 2019 Kips Bay Decorator Show House. Bursting with eclectic exuberance, the room was an unforgettable display of artistry and a career-making step into the limelight. Jenkins has never looked back, and with each ensuing project, he continues to refine his spirited and uplifting aesthetic. His work has been lauded with top design-world honors; he’s been named to both the AD100 and Elle Decor A-List.
In an 1820s home in the coastal town of Cohasset, Massachusetts, he created a sunny, relaxing garden room with a transporting scenic wall mural from British firm Iksel. A white plaster chandelier after Alberto Giacometti and midcentury-style floor lamps create sculptural interest and provide layered lighting. Vintage blue leather wing chairs with nailhead trim are paired with a custom sofa and a trio of carved pedestal travertine cocktail tables. The console is embellished with a walnut marquetry sunburst pattern and patinated bronze details. Photos: Andrew Frasz
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Inspired by the panoramic tree top view, this living room at Blackberry Farm resort in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee by interior designer Barry Dixon combines a rustic envelope with an enchanting assortment of furniture in organic forms and rich verdant hues. Hefty exposed beams and floor-to-ceiling windows with iron muntins frame the lush forest setting. A milk glass orb light fixture decorated with swarms of hand-cast bronze moths dangles above a sculptural cast bronze table with a gradient blackened patina. An unusual antique curved-back chair displays spectacular graining and nods to the woodland setting. The custom tête-à-tête sofa in the manner of Edward Wormley is paired with a hand-carved walnut branch table and the designer’s own hammered bronze finish Athena chair in a leafy green velvet. The rug is custom hand-loomed Tibetan wool in an Art Nouveau-inspired design of earth tones, grounding the design for this treehouse in the sky. Photo: Jennifer Hughes, portrait photo: Gordon Beal |
