Robert Couturier: Designing Paradises

A passion for luxury and beauty propels the multifaceted work of acclaimed international architect and interior designer Robert Couturier. Robert Couturier’s aesthetic is a dialogue between Old World elegance and contemporary design. His masterful approach effortlessly brings eras together, for example a Louis XVI commode with a 1960s lamp. Couturier’s name has become synonymous with continental and international style, and he is known for composing adventurous rooms that have a witty flair. All his interiors extol the importance of how a home should stimulate the five senses, from the tactile feel of upholstery to the visual presentation of objects that leads a person through a space. The book opens with a tour of Couturier’s country retreat in bucolic Kent, Connecticut. Composed of neoclassical-style pavilions, early American guesthouses, and beautiful gardens, the house features imaginative rooms that are filled with his collections of European art, furniture, and decorative objects. A selection of the designer’s other projects—from smart contemporary apartments to romantic Mexican villas to a stately English manor—provides further inspiration.

French-born designer Robert Couturier opened his New York firm in 1987. His commissions have been featured in publications such as Architectural Digest and Elle Decor. He is included in the annual lists of the best designers. Tim McKeough is a journalist specializing in architecture and design. He is a contributor to the New York Times, Elle Decor, and Architectural Digest. Tastemaker Carolyne Roehm is a contributing editor to Veranda magazine. Caroline Weber is a professor of French culture at Columbia University. Award-winning photographer Tim Street-Porter is the author of numerous architecture and design books and a contributor to many lifestyle magazines.