Lifestyle Book Reviews

Book Review: Modern Living Accessories

By Sandy Amazeen Nov 6, 2012, 2:38 GMT

"Modern Living Accessories presents on 512 pages aretrospective of the most important developments andhighlights in design of the past 100 years, beginning withthe latest trends for 2011. The spotlight focuses onseveral individual gems of design, from the masterpiece ofItalian design, Pietro Chiesa\'s vase Cartoccio (1932), backto one of Spain\'s most successful designer of our timeJaime Hayon and his Cristal Candy series (2009) forBaccarat, a venerable French establishment, but also onoutstanding ...more

From the ultra trendy to the absurd and everything in between, at five hundred eleven pages, this impressive volume serves up an encompassing look at household accessories over the past hundred years. There is an absolutely stunning, completely useless and very expensive ceramic rhinoceros as well as the iconic lava lamp, glasses that change motifs when filled, an impressive if bizarre horse lamp, graceful vases along with nearly anything else you can imagine and more then a few you can't. The timeline of accessories provides an interesting view of the differences and similarities of design aesthetics over the past one hundred years. Top-notch color photography accompanied by spare descriptions, this three-language celebration of those little extras is certain to provide interior designers, design students and anyone interest in functional art a visual feast.