Alexander Girard

Amazon Best Books of the Month, December 2011: Designophiles, start salivating: Alexander Girard is a showstopper of a book, the ultimate tribute to Sandro's astonishingly prolific creative legacy. Edited by acclaimed designer Todd Oldham with vibrant text from Kiera Coffee, this "wonderful, swervy adventure" explores Girard's career with playful elegance. In 664 big pages, it gives a visually stunning tour of his life and work, from sketchbooks, objects, and travel photos to his personal homes, a vast folk art collection that became the Girard Foundation, his famous textiles for Herman Miller, and a generous sampling of independent projects. We learn what inspired him (almost everything) and how he worked (compulsively and joyfully). He designed interiors for five decades, and his plans were always "unimaginably comprehensive," encompassing details down to custom match holders. Girard created interiors that felt exuberantly human in an age that tended toward minimalism, and this book goes beyond aesthetic appeal to celebrate the spirit of the man his grandchildren affectionately called Mouse. --Mari Malcolm