Roomscapes: The Decorative Architecture of Renzo Mongiardino

Rizzoli and Assouline books are now mostly second rate books – printed in China. Two books I ordered recently from Rizzoli and Assouline have cheap, faulty binding and pages are already becoming unglued and getting ready to fall out! This is not acceptable for a book in this price range. I’m not familiar with the publisher of this Mongiardino book, so I ordered it with trepidation. I’m pleased to tell everyone that I’m overjoyed with the quality – this is an outstanding reprint! The publisher even used special paper to print drawings and sketches that were not in the first edition. Since the first printing of this book is now being sold for $100 plus – this is a great value. Don’t hesitate to order this book – I highly recommend it.

This is a book meant to be read. While the pictures are beautiful, the giant lends his shoulder for the next generation to stand upon.The thought and care that went into the presented universal rules, concepts and some opinion result in greater depth of understanding—and this is important—that goes beyond the particular presented tastes.Many designers publish picture books with little text — this is a book of text with pictures. For me, this makes the result more meaningful and impactful.

What a genius, and was worth waiting for an affordable new edition to be released, He is such a classic!

Nice book. Great customer service by Amazon when first copy arrived damaged. More sketches than I expected and fewer photographs but good anyhow.

Spectacular

This book contains a lot of colourfull pictures of interior design, I recommend it!! Buy it now, please you wont regret it

I won't pretend to be a Mongiardino scholar, I simply picked up the original 1993 edition because I was fascinated by his interiors and this review is simply comparing the two editions. I have both editions in front of me and I think the earlier edition was better. I prefer the softer tonal qualities of the photographs. This new edition has removed some of the photos that have "dated" over the course of some 25 years. The new additions have emphasized the designer's timeless and they do add some additional insight to his vision. In some cases, the editors have simply reversed the original negative to make the photos appear fresh. In other cases, they have selected different angles from the original photo shoot. The text too has been edited, but I'm really can't say which is better. Entire paragraphs appear to be removed, but I don't think their ommissions make a holistic difference. Curiously, the wording has simply been changed such as the insertion of the phrase "the last century" (meaning 20th) in order to emphasize the fact that this is a new edition. I bought this volume second hand considerably below retail and I'm glad I did. I do like the new additions, however slight they may be, and the production value overall is still very good, albeit below par with the 1993 edition. This is certainly heaps better than the Verchere title - there's no question about that. Essentially, the original edition still seems to be going for over $100.00 at time of writing this. If you're a great fan of the designer, I think this new edition is worth the expense (especially if you can find an inexpensive second hand copy). It's also a great alternative to the much more expensive original edition if you simply haven't been able to justify the expense. Again, I must emphasize, the original edition is better. This is a good second edition and a nice alternative. It comes down to affordability and availability and this edition, of course, wins hands down.

The interior architecture and furnishings by this 20th century master are beyond compare by standards of lavish classical design. Mongiardino's background in architecture and stage design are evident in the projects for the rich in Europe and northeastern US. Clients are not named, but all are rich and most are titled, captains of business, acclaimed fashionistas, or leaders of international society. Although the text is in a somewhat stilted English, perhaps a translation from Italian, the drawings and photos tell the story with no detail going unstudied. Mongiardino's influence can be seen today in the work of former assistant Stephen Sills, U.S. collaborator Peter Marino, and devotee architect John Tackett. Highly recommended for those who like classical interiors with an added layer of luxurious decoration.

Was really looking forward to receiving this book but had to return due to the absence of pictures and relevance of contents - because of that it wasn't meaningful enough to become part of my interior design library. Maybe good for someone who wants to study the history of roomscapes but I have limited space so sadly it wasn't for me.

The author is Mongiardino himself. He speaks about his approach to many different challenges he faced in his career in interior design. As an interior designer myself I found it very interesting and inspirational. He designed for the truly rich and famous and he was a real maestro. Great photography

REFLEJO DE LA SOCIEDAD DE LA ÉPOCA DONDE CADA UNO TENIA SU PAPEL SIN SOLAPARSE NI MEZCLARSE Y EN DONDE LA SERVIDUMBRE PODRÍA SENTIRTE ALAGADA DE TRABAJAR EN LAS CASAS SEÑORIALES.

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Bellissimo molto esaustivo