The Lives of Others: Sublime Interiors of Extraordinary People

A privileged invitation into a world of beauty--from a seventeenth-century Italian palace and retreats in the Swiss Alps and Morocco to artists' studios and noble residences in Austria and Spain. Simon Watson takes the reader into highly personal environments that reveal the creativity and personality of their esteemed inhabitants.

Since the 1990s, Watson has been one of the most prolific chroniclers of remarkable interiors and portraits, gracing the pages of W magazine, Vanity Fair, AD, and T Magazine. From hard-edged modernity and historical exoticism to pure classicism, the photographer has documented rooms of note in cities, atop mountains, and by the sea.

Complementing his masterful images, Watson gives an intimate description of each location. On this journey with the photographer, one experiences the Duchess of Alba's Palacio Liria in Madrid, filled with sixteenth- and seventeenth-century masterpieces; interior designer Roberto Peregalli's splendid riad in Tangier; the magnificent and vast Castello Gardena in the Italian Alps owned by the Franchetti clan; Guinness
heir Garech de Brun's hillside retreat in County Wicklow, Ireland; the Renaissance Palazzo Massimo alle Colonne in Rome, designed by Baldassarre Peruzzi in the sixteenth century; shoe designer Christian Louboutin's fanciful Parisian apartment; and many other splendid places around the world.

About The Author

Simon Watson, a native of Dublin, is one of the leading interiors photographers of today. His work appears in notable fashion, travel, and interiors publications. Marella Caracciolo Chia is a design journalist for several industry publications. Tom Delavan is the design/interiors director of T: The New York Times Style Magazine. James Reginato is writer-at-large for Vanity Fair and a contributing editor of Sotheby's Magazine.

"The photographer Simon Watson has long trained his lenses on interiors. He is a master of capturing the personalities of homeowners through his atmospheric photography. In his book The Lives of Others, he takes us on a journey to homes in Italy, Austria, Spain, Morocco, Ireland and France. Homes that have history and a sense of place, which he captures ever so magnificently with his poetic eye for composition and lighting." — FORBES.COM

"The chicest person on your list who is sad about not being able to travel should receive The Lives of Others: Sublime Interiors of Extraordinary People by photographer Simon Watson."
— HABITUALLY CHIC

"Travel the world with photographer Simon Watson as he visits exquisite homes from Switzerland to Morocco—all with inhabitants as interesting as their decor. No passport required." —HOUSE BEAUTIFUL