Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/520425
Philip Alter Realtor-Associate® Circle of Excellence, Hall of Fame 713.818.9538 palter@marthaturner.com | philipalter.com m a r t h a t u r n e r.co m Afton Oaks S o many of the rooms I lust over in Elle Décor, Architectural Digest and House Beautiful were styled by Carlos Mota that I've begun to wonder: Who's the genius here — the decorator, the photographer or Mota? I think it's a magical mix of all three. A beautifully designed room photographed by a top-tier photographer can still be … bland. Mota enters a room, adds his fairy dust, amazing flower creations and a hundred other touches, and voila! It's glorious. Jonathan Adler calls him a glamour whisperer, and that he is. Mota's first book is as vibrant as the man: A Touch of Style (Assouline $75), 300 lush pages of some of his favorite interiors he's styled. And, by the way, it's more than a touch of style. This is a heavy dose of how rooms should be photographed. Holly Moore SUMMER READS F orty Years of Fabulous: The Kips Bay Decorator Show House (Gibbs Smith, $75) is just that: four decades of history and photographs of some of the highest decorating at the best-known show house in the U.S., The Kips Bay Decorator Show House in NYC, which started it all in 1973. Author Steven Stolman plowed through decades of ephemera and had tea and cocktails with many of the designers who have painstakingly shown their design prowess in one of the most glittering social events of the season. From the early days with Sister Parish, Mark Hampton and Albert Hadley to the super-designers of today, Stolman has compiled as complete a history as possible, what with crumbling photographs and forgetful decorators. Susan Zises Green sums up the sheer drama of the occasion with a memory from many years ago: "I saw Mrs. Parish and Mr. Hadley walk into my room a few hours before opening night, and I overheard Mrs. Parish say, 'Al-berrrt, this is verrr-y nice!' It's a wonder I didn't swoon to the floor behind them!" Holly Moore MOTA'S MAGIC DECORATING BUILT THE HOUSE THAT Emma and Moon Askari, London Seren & Michael Shvo, Long Island Carlos Mota Designer William T. Georgis Designers from a past Show House, including Ruben de Saavedra, Mark Hampton, Stephen Stempler, Robert Metzger and Bunny Williams, the lone woman. Designer Irving & Fleming Designer Alberto Pinto, Parati, Brazil © DOUGLAS FRIEDMAN © NGOC MINH NGO PHOTO COURTESY TOWN & COUNTRY MAGAZINE, HEARST PUBLICATIONS PHILLIP H. ENNIS TIMOTHY BELL © ROGER DAVIES © DOUGLAS FRIEDMAN