Commune: Designed in California by Roman Alonso (1-Oct-2014) Paperback

by Roman Alonso

Commune was established in Los Angeles in 2004 by four like-minded souls—Roman Alonso, Steven Johanknecht, Pamela Shamshiri, and Ramin Shamshiri—with a common to enhance life through design and to blur the lines between disciplines, eras, and styles. California is for those who refuse to conform and who live for freedom of expression, indoor/outdoor living, and that golden sunshine glinting off the waves of the Pacific. Commune perfectly captures this spirit and embodies a new California style that freely mixes old and new in its layered, highly personal interiors that embrace color, pattern, and texture. This book is the first monograph of Commune’s work, featuring its designs for private residences, hotels, commercial spaces, and restaurants, as well as the works they specially commission from virtually everyone in the artisan craftsman movement in California today. “Heavyweight Champs—Our picks from this year’s tempting crop of design books. highlights work by the Los Angeles design group, known for its bohemian-chic approach to houses, hotels (such as LA’s Ace), and home products.” ―

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Interior Design

Paperback

First published November 11, 2014

Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't think I literally *read* the entire book, but I bet most people who open books like this don't. I really like their style: they respect the original building rather than going in bent on superimposing their "signature style" on anything and everything no matter how inappropriate. At the same time, most of the projects had an interesting, unexpected twist. I also appreciated their light touch with elements that are currently popular but will definitely look dated soon. If I had lots of money to throw around on a design project and weren't too much of a control freak to hand over the reins, I would hire them.

[Valleri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This truly artistic book is an interesting mixture between modern, western, and hipster home decor. While the theme of each perfectly posed room remains posh, the overall execution of recreating these rooms in an actual home seems far-fetched and uncomfortable. However, this book is fun to look at if you need to pass the time.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful people. Beautiful book.