handcrafted modern

i have been spending the last few days with leslie williamson's book Handcrafted Modern. its is a beautiful collection of images that give us a quiet glimpse into the home of many of my/our most admired american artists. 

i have been waiting for a bit for this book on the list at the local library and i do think it well worth the wait. at first glance i loved the all-over look of this book, it is a perfect compliment to whats inside its pages, from the cover material to the font to the image. it looks gorgeous (library stickers & all) sitting on my coffee table

what is inside is just as wonderful. williamson shoots everything on film, on a larger format camera. This quality of the image becomes the unifying voice of the book. i appreciate her brief introductions at the beginning of each home - she does not try and give a history lesson or explain the importance of each artist to the american/global design world, she simply gives us a hint at what it was like to be standing in the living room of george nakashima or having lunch with jens risom. it is first and foremost a book of photography. 

for me this is a great part of its success the other is her ability to capture the broadness of each space. you feel like the inhabitant is standing just out of frame. 
i havent been able to stop looking through it or thinking about it when i have put it down..a good indication for me that i should go ahead and purchase a copy of my own. 

williamson also has a wonderful blog.......