A distinctively designed beautifully photographed interior design book that showcases the
incredible spaces and stories of creative desert dwellers by writer-photographer duo Molly
Mandell and James Burke From tips on cultivating the unpretentious highly functional aesthetic
environment synonymous with the desert to images evoking mindful living the book is both a
celebration of a uniquely inspiring climate its spaces and most memorable personalities as
well as a manual for adopting elements of this lifestyle-no matter your location-through
intentional design. Desert by Design explores the spaces and stories of those who live in the
desert from Marfa Texas residents and writer-photographer duo Molly Mandell and James Burke.
From West Texas and Southern California to Chile South Africa Morocco and the United Arab
Emirates and more this comprehensive global look at desert living offers insight into
extraordinary architecture and interiors while exploring the vibrant creative communities that
have formed in these distinctive climates. The desert-with its incomparable vistas sounds
flora and fauna-is a landscape filled with equal parts mystery and beauty that has always
attracted artists architects designers and any creative looking for inspiration and
independence. Authors Mandell and Burke felt the pull of the desert themselves moving to the
artistic desert community of Marfa Texas and now display their impeccable eye for design and
extensive connections in the design community to present a wide-ranging nuanced view. Interior
tours-private homes independent hotels and projects like Paolo Soleri's Arcosanti and James
Turrell's Roden Crater-are the heart of Desert by Design. In addition archival profiles look
into the preserved spaces of famed desert dwellers such as architects Albert Frey and Frank
Lloyd Wright artists Georgia O'Keeffe and Donald Judd and fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent
(see below for a list of the locations and personalities featured). In-depth analysis and
interviews are paired with original images shot by the authors ranging from portraiture to
candid and of course interior shots bringing desert life into full view. These spaces are
all more than the objects that inhabit them-they are intimate and tangible accounts of their
creators and encouragement for those who aspire to curate their own oasis.
