London Style

by Taschen (Creator), Angelika Taschen (Created by), Taschen (Creator)

'Today sees London riding a wave of economic optimism and resurgent creativity, but historically it has always been a city in a state of perpetual change and regeneration. Over 2,000 years it has grown out from the banks of the River Thames to become the sprawling metropolis it now is, dominating the South-East of England. There was never a grand planning vision for London, unlike Paris or Rome. Instead it has evolved organically, with waves of sporadic property development dictated by the ebbs and flows in the economy .... This book is a window on the private worlds of a handful of Londoners whose homes reflect the city in all its spirited diversity. '
- from the foreword

This book shows London's style, through its streets, its interiors and its more intimate details.

Genres: Design, Photography, Coffee Table Books, Nonfiction, Art

192 pages, Paperback

First published May 25, 2001

About the author

'Taschen is an art book publisher founded in 1980 by Benedikt Taschen in Cologne, Germany. It began as Taschen Comics publishing Benedikt's extensive comic collection. Taschen has been a noteworthy force in making lesser-seen art available to mainstream bookstores, including some fetishistic imagery, queer art, historical erotica, pornography and adult magazines (including multiple books with Playboy magazine). Taschen has helped bring this art into broader public view, by publishing these potentially controversial volumes alongside its more mainstream books of comics reprints, art photography, painting, design, fashion, advertising history, film, and architecture.' - Wikipedia

Reviews

[Gerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Taschen photographic books are usually very good and this one is no exception. It looks at London through three aspects, the streets of the metropolis, some of the homes that belong to perhaps the more affluent residents and then at closer detail within some of those homes.

In the streets section, modern London is represented by one of the pods of the London Eye, full with viewers, that looks across the city while the other images wander around the city with my favourite being a shot of a street that I visited often, especially when living close by in Bayswater. That is Portobello Road with a view of its closely packed antique stalls and another that resonates more with me is one of Brick Lane in the East End for that was opposite where my late wife Linda lived and it also hosted a thriving market every week. There are also plenty of views of Notting Hill Gate, W11, because quite a few of the houses featured in the following sections are located in that now desirable area.

And in the Interiors section there is a wide variety of styles, mostly very swish and mostly very modern, although there are one or two that look back on, say, a Victorian style. To see so many views of interiors could be deemed uninteresting but the opportunity to see so many fascinating interiors does take some of that feeling away.

As for the details section, many of the images are close ups of some of the items already spotted in interiors already shown, such as the large Buddha head originally seen in the background of an interior, so this details section is probably the weakest of the three.

Overall it makes an interesting insight into these aspects of the city and as Jane Edwards states in her foreword, 'This book is a window on the private worlds of a handful of Londoners whose homes reflect the city in all its spirited diversity.' It sure is!

[Ian Laird · Rating 2 out of 5]

Visually overwhelming domestic interiors from inner city London, accompanied by close up details for full impact (a fridge door, a bathroom basin, even a dog) and preceded by black and white exteriors of largely well-known London streets; eg Brick Lane and Portobello Road.

I searched for ideas for our home and came up with nothing, for these interiors are full of furniture I cannot afford and the designers have scant regard for practicality. They look fantastic though, even if they’re not for me, places to visit rather than live in, although I was taken by milk crates being used as movable walls on pp62-65.

PS: The book has Taschen’s usual irritating layout quirk: the captions are lumped at the end of each section, so you have to go through two steps to find out what you are looking at.

[João Moura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Um apanhado fotográfico de uma cidade efervescente, divido em três partes: exteriores, interiores e detalhes. Os exteriores a preto e branco mostram uma cidade diversificada e histórica, enquanto os interiores a cores mostram uma cidade mais excêntrica e elitista, com fotografias de várias moradias ricas, e de estúdios de designers e artistas, com alguns pormenores kitsch. Uma amálgama colorida para extasiar os olhos, tal como a cidade de Londres...

[rae . *. ⋆ · Rating 2 out of 5]

the cover is misleading because i thought this was going to be a fashion book……. but anyways i really feel like this is not at all the best and most interesting london has to offer. i just KNOW there are plenty more iconic interiors this photographer could have featured. still nice to look at but did not reach the potential it had

[Nola · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good pocket sized book to highlight some of the ecletic interiors in London.

[Jordan Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating collection of photographs taken in London, England. This book is divided into 3 parts - one depicting the street views of the famous city (including a few historical ones), photos of the "Interiors" of people's homes, and other random, artistic pictures in the "Details" section.
The photos are lovely, and it is a different look at London - inside and out.

[Lilette · Rating 3 out of 5]

A source of colour and inspiration.