The New Formal: Interiors by James AmanJames Aman; text by Mark Stephen Archer; photography by Karen Fuchs; foreword by Emily Fisher Landau

Price AUD$79.95 Price CAD$79.00 Price £39.95 Price €49.95 Price USD$60.00 Price T60.00

A privileged view into the sumptuous interiors designed by James Aman for major collectors of modern and contemporary art.

Creating settings where great art can live in harmony with the style of the interiors and provide an elegant and inviting living space for the collectors is the hallmark of James Aman’s design. His goal is to integrate contemporary, often provocative works of art into brighter, more open spaces that inspire and delight the collectors and complement the way they live.

Working collaboratively with his clients, Aman applies the same artistic principles of light, color, texture, and scale that characterize the world’s best art in the selection of fabrics and furnishings that surround and enhance the collections. The look that has evolved is more open, streamlined, and tailored, but it is still respectful of classic details. Sumptuous materials and bespoke furniture and decorative objects, often the work of partner John Meeks, complement art collections that include works by Picasso, Dubuffet, Giacometti, Rothko, and Warhol as well as contemporary masters like John Currin, Damien Hirst, Cindy Sherman, and Richard Prince.

The New Formal includes ten magnificent residences - landmark Park Avenue apartments and Upper East Side townhouses in New York as well as stunning properties in Greenwich, the Hamptons, and Palm Beach. Unlike many designers, Aman works exclusively with a small number of loyal clients whose trust he has gained over multiple projects. His portfolio offers an unprecedented glimpse into this rarified world.

Specifications:

  • Format: Hardback
  • Size: 300 × 300 mm (11 13/16 × 11 13/16 in)
  • Pages: 240 pp
  • Illustrations: 200 illustrations
  • ISBN: 9781580934145

James Aman opened his own design firm in 1994. A graduate of Pratt Institute, he began his design career at Ralph Lauren, developing the “visual environment” for shops and department store boutiques worldwide. Now in partnership with John Meeks and Meredith Aman, Aman is recognized internationally as a designer of elegant settings for major collections of modern and contemporary art. The work of Aman & Meeks is widely published, particularly in Elle Décor and Architectural Digest.

The New Formal explores the airy, elegant homes created by Jim Aman for clients with important collections of art. Few other designers can keep such exquisite cool among provocative works by Dubuffet and Picasso, as well as Cindy Sherman and Richard Prince.’ - Elle Decor

The New Formal surveys the tastes of a coterie of connoisseurs whose art is displayed in rooms that captivate with refinement and detail. This, Jim Aman says, is the new formal.’ - Sotheby's Magazine

‘Interior designer James Aman's portfolio is proof that traditional style doesn't equal old school. 'Early on I realized that my client base represented a new generation of collectors,' he writes in his new book The New Formal. They respected classic traditions but savored the beauty and drama of cutting-edge art. Their vision of 'formal' living replaced the Old Masters, heavy tapestries, and ornate furnishings of previous generations with contemporary, often provocative works of art that inspire and delight in brighter, more open spaces.' This is an aesthetic all of us can embrace.’ - Architectural Digest