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Home Design with Kevin Sharkey

Favorite Bookstores: Taschen SoHo

Posted by Kevin Sharkey
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1 The store's interior is colorful and vibrant -- much like the pages of their wonderful books.

2 Many of Taschen's coffee table books weigh well over 10 lbs! But they always have a few on display for easy browsing.

3 So many choices -- it's hard to leave.

4 I love the raw industrial look of the Taschen gallery, located below the store.

5 TASCHEN 1998 BUMA 84

As you can see from my office, I love books! I will be sharing with you some of my favorite bookstores all over the world, but today I am going to start right here in NYC with Taschen books in SoHo. Taschen is an art-book publisher started in 1980 by a then 18-year-old Benedikt Taschen. His first publications were comics. Taschen now publishes art, photography, painting, design, fashion, advertising, history, film, and architecture books, to name a few. They have stores all over the world and a website that lets you buy from anywhere — but there is nothing like being at the store, flipping through all of the books, and finding inspiration in the unexpected.

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1 Walton Ford's "Pancha Tantra" is #1 on my wish-list.

2 Ford's watercolors are exquisite.

3 The book includes several fold-outs to accommodate Ford's large-scale animals.

I have included in this post some of my favorite titles, but I am currently obsessed with the Walton Ford’s Pancha Tantra book and its “meticulous depictions of the wild and mysterious animals.” It is the ultimate coffee-table book, and as soon as I’m done with my apartment renovations it will be my first big splurge!

Do you have a book that has inspired you?

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1 Photographer Julius Shulman's "Modernism Rediscovered."

2 Rodin: Sculptures and Drawings

3 Vermeer: The Complete Paintings

4 The ever-so-playful Marcel Duchamp.

5 Valentino -- a living legend.

6 Brooklyn-born Basquiat.

7 Architect Richard Neutra had an uncanny knack for connecting the indoors with the outdoors.

8 American architect John Lautner's buildings were known for their "combination of fantasy and minimalism."

9 "The sense for the perception of architecture is not the eyes -- but living." R.M. Schindler

10 French architect Jean Prouvé.

11 Taschen's collection of Tadao Ando's work "provides the perfect introduction to Ando`s work, including private homes, churches, museums, apartment complexes, and cultural spaces."

12 British sculptor Henry Moore's creations "often depict human or human-like forms -- especially female."

13 "Photographer, collector, diarist, and writer of books Peter Beard has fashioned his life into a work of art."

14 Friedensreich Hundertwasser was a man of many hats, including "architect, ecologist, painter, designer, writer, innovator..."

15 Renaissance artist Titian.

16 Trailblazing artist Man Ray, who started his career in New York before becoming a wild success overseas in Paris.

17 A collection of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo's bold paintings.

18 The infamous Jackson Pollock.

19 A collection of surfing nostalgia from the 1920s to the 1960s.

20 I love the style series -- starting with New York, of course...

21 Popping over to London...

22 Absorbing the colors and culture of Indian style...

23 Who doesn't love the casual style of a Mexican retreat?

24 I love this bed!

25 Seaside Style -- chic and effortless. At least it looks effortless!

26 Tuscany Style

27 Provence -- one of my favorite places.

28 On one of my latest trips to France, I took a helicopter ride over an enormous lavender field -- it was breathtaking.

TASCHEN Store New York
107 Greene Street, NY 10012
Tel: +1-212-226 2212
Fax: +1-212-226 2218
store-ny@taschen.com

Opening hours:
Monday to Saturday 11:00 am to 7:00 pm
Sundays 12:00 to 7:00 pm

Comments (2)

  • My favorite book:

    “Colors of the World–a Geography of Color” Jean-Philippe Lencos and Dominique Lenclos. This book speaks to the visual impact of the man made environment.

    (Beautiful new blog! Bookmarked for future visits!)

  • I won’t say I collect Taschen books, but I’ve got several dozen. My latest purchase was the beautiful Temple of Flora. I also love the continuing series of big, boastful travel guides buy Angelika Taschen: Taschen’s Paris, Taschen’s New York, Taschen’s London. No one does fabulous coffee table books quite like Taschen. Well, Clarkson Potter comes close! :-)

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