London is swinging again. The latest design trends, the best musicals, the most innovative plays and films are born in the capital of Cool Britannia. What catches on in Notting Hill, Soho and Hoxton now influences taste as far away as the North Cape and Tierra del Fuego. At the same time, the city on the Thames, one of the most cosmopolitan on the planet, is home to people from every corner of the world and has assimilated many of their traditions and tastes. With over 300 pages of rich color photographs, London Interiors takes an intimate look at more than 40 private residences, among others the Indian-inspired hideaway of musician Talvin Singh and an amusing houseboat moored in Kew. From a 1930s penthouse at Highpoint Two, landmark of British Modernism, via the eccentric home of a Royalist living among Lady Di memorabilia to a loft crammed with sexy kitsch.

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886 1969) was one of the founding fathers of modern architecture. The creator of the Barcelona Pavilion (1929), the Farnsworth House in Plano, Illinois (1945 1951) and the Seagram Building in New York (1954 1958), Mies was one of the founders of a new architectural style. Well known for his motto "less is more," he sought a kind of refined purity in architectural expression that was not seen in the reduced vocabulary of other Bauhaus members. His goal was not simply building for those of modest income but building economically in terms of sustainability, both in a technical and aesthetical way; the use of industrial materials such as steel and glass were the foundation of this approach. Though the extreme reduction of form and material in his work garnered some criticism, over the years many have tried mostly unsuccessfully to copy his original and elegant style.

Large-format hardcover edition at a new low price. The sights, smells and sounds of India draw legions of travellers every year in awe of the changing terrain and countryside, but to truly experience the range and diversity of this huge country one needs to gaze into the many spectacular residences, as rich and eclectic as the landscape that surrounds them. Indian Interiors provides a longing glimpse into these exotic abodes. India's visual culture is ruled by bright colours, religious decoration and the unrelenting heat of the sun, and designers have responded to this challenge in many ways over the centuries. With this book as guide, you can wander into the restored splendour of ancient Maharajas' palaces, enjoy living in houseboats on the lotus-covered lakes of Kashmir, or cool off in imposing colonial buildings built for British rulers wilting in the tropical heat. This is truly a world of contrasts, as we move from simple but beautifully hand-painted tribal huts to the L.A. influenced h

Born Charles-Edouard Jeanneret, Le Corbusier (1887-1965) adopted his famous pseudonym after publishing his ideas in the review L`Esprit Nouveau in 1920. The few buildings he was able to design during the 1920s, when he also spent much of his time painting and writing, brought him to the forefront of modern architecture, though it wasn`t until after World War II that his epoch-making buildings were constructed, such as the Unit d`Habitation in Marseilles and the Church of Notre Dame du Haut in Ronchamp.