Ladurée's style is distinctive and recognizable. What makes it so? What are their inspirations? How can we reproduce this style in rooms or parts of our homes? Three decorative styles combine to make up Ladurée 18th century, Second Empire and Madeline Castaing reinterpreted by Ladurée.
Today Ladurée is more than just a tea shop and macaroons. It is a desirable environment that unites customers from all over the world. It is created from historical inspiration and feminine styles that inspired the decorative arts of their Madame de Pompadour in the 18th century, Empress Eugenia in the Second Empire and Madeleine Castaing at the beginning of the 20th century. This book presents how Ladurée adapted these styles to create their own furniture, materials, textiles, wallpaper, jewelry, beauty accessories etc.
This beautifully crafted 3-sided pop-up presented in a ribbon-tied envelope shows a perfect representation of Ladurée style.
This book is a true masterpiece, so much that it's hard to describe its beauty with words until you actually pick it up. Laduree has caught my attention quite some time ago, not only with its beautiful and unique pastries it makes, but also with the gorgeous design found in every single one of the tea salons throughout the world. I wanted to see more photographs of what was inside, wanted to know the inspiration and the history of the things, and this book satisfied that craving that my European roots were craving.
The photography in this book is absolutely gorgeous and high quality, though admittedly it doesn't contain photographs from every single, or even most, of the Laduree salons as I hoped, rather focusing more on those in London, Paris, and Ginza & Nihumbashi (Japan). The historical background on the three women who inspired the decoration and furnishing of the salons was fascinating, as were the few background profiles on the houses that designed the china and textiles of the specific era of one of the three women. On a personal note I would have loved more of these kinds of profiles, to read more background information as well as context; then again this is just be, being extremely nitpicky as I'm a huge lover of absorbing this kind of information.
Other than my own nitpickiness which can be easily overlooked this book is perfect, a true masterpiece that will be adored and cherished by anyone who loves French culture, history, design, art, and/or pastries. This book also comes with a pop up model of three rooms in the salon, as I understood it, and this pop up is simply gorgeous as well. Not to mention there is also a very convenient list of addresses of all existing Laduree locations, and a list of Parisian shops, galleries, and museums.
This is one book I will treasure for my whole life and, I would say, the best Christmas present I have ever received. It is beautiful and unique, from its front cover to its back and with everything that is in between.
Un gran libro para saber de decoración de interiores en los siglos XVIII y XIX en Francia, pero sobretodo para conocer mujeres pioneras en el arte y la decoracion en estos siglos.
Muy detallado, con una magnifica e inmejorable fotografía. Estas producciones de los libros de Laduree son para morirse de la belleza, y aunque tenga mis abismales ambivalencias con la menarquia francesa y europea en general, no se puede negar que hay una riqueza de lo estético que podría ir mas alla de todo, o así quisiera uno.
Claramente en tanto lujo y belleza también hay una decadencia triste y oscura, pero lo hermoso de Laduree es que la marca rescata estas estéticas y las hace vivir otra vez, novedosamente, en sus salones de te, sin la carga histórica de los eventos y el pasado.
Hay algo muy bello en casi todo lo que crean y diseñan los franceses, no creen? Yo si creo.