The Spirited Homes of Hunt Slonem
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- $29.99
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- $29.99
Publisher Description
An iconic American artist’s self-proclaimed life’s work—bringing historic mansions to life with bold color, antiques, myriad collectibles, and objets galore.
“My homes are my life’s work—making old houses into a new form of my art,” says Hunt Slonem in his preface. Extraordinary photography, capsule summaries of each building’s history, and a sprinkling of anecdotes open the doors to Slonem’s personal and creative world from a new perspective. This book about his idiosyncratic, maximalist interior design style—how he employs color, arranges an abundance of antique furniture, exhibits his personal art and objects, mixes antique art with his own contemporary works, and displays myriad collections is awe-inspiring and inspirational. “More is more” is a fit adage for what this book reveals.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This lavish volume from architectural writer Coleman (Private Gardens of the Pacific Northwest) showcases the interiors of six historic homes decorated and owned by artist Hunt Slonem. Coleman describes how Slonem's work on a Batchelor, La., mansion built in 1832 strived to "preserve as much of the home's original patina as possible" while sprucing up its dilapidated interior, replacing floorboards and updating plumbing but refraining from repainting the "distressed walls" in the main entry hall. Slonem's maximalist style is on full display in Searles Castle, an 1885 dolomite edifice in the Berkshires that Slonem restored to its original splendor by adding 19th-century chandeliers and antiques accentuated by more modern-looking royal blue carpeting and his own brightly colored paintings. Coleman discusses the history of each home and how it came into Slonem's possession (the Watres Armory in Scranton, Pa., had served as headquarters for the 13th Regimental Infantry before falling into disrepair and being bought by Slonem, who uses it to display his art collection), but the spotlight is on photographer Neitzel's gorgeous images, which draw attention to the finer details in Slonem's busy designs, such as the vaulted plaster ceiling in the Searles Castle or the "rich cut-velvet pattern" adorning a settee in his Napoleonville, La., estate. This is a visual feast.
