World-renowned architect Peter Marino is known for many things. Redefining luxury retail. Dressing in head-to-toe biker leather. Palling around with celebrities (he designed Andy Warhol’s East 66th Street townhouse in Manhattan and Valentino’s yacht).
Exterior, Farqa, Lebanon | Architecture by Peter Marino | Photography by Manolo Yllera
One thing he is not known for? Resting on his laurels. In addition to helming the highly anticipated restoration of the Raleigh Hotel and two nearby hotels that will be known as Rosewood Residences Miami Beach (the combined property set to be completed in 2026), Marino recently oversaw a jaw-dropping, 10-floor renovation of Tiffany’s Fifth Avenue flagship. Known for integrating art into his interiors, Marino filled the iconic jewelry store with nearly 40 contemporary works of art by noted artists he collects, including Julian Schnabel, Jenny Holzer, Richard Prince, Damien Hirst and François-Xavier Lalanne. The result is a unique retail environment that doubles as a world-class art gallery. There is no “Peter Marino style,” he tells writer Pilar Viladas in “Dream Homes” our exclusive excerpt from his new book, Ten Modern Houses (Phaidon). “In general, what makes me tick is the materials. I obsess over the stone, wood and glass,” he says.
Marino’s flair for materials is perhaps most apparent in his designs for luxurious private residences. In our excerpt, the 74-year-old architect and interior designer offers Artful Living readers a look at ten private homes he designed. From a “fortress-like” residence perched on limestone cliffs in Farqa, Lebanon, to a glass-walled home set on a series of steplike cliffs in Ramatuelle, France, each home exemplifies his masterful use of light, space, textures and art to create a harmonious alchemy between interior and exterior. “My approach to residential design,” Marino says, “is very heavily influenced by the site, the functionality of the house and the way the clients want to live.”
Elton John’s Peachtree Road Residence | Photography provided by Christie’s
Elsewhere in our summer home issue, another fabulously inspiring, art-filled residence makes a cameo in “Collector Extraordinaire.” Here, you can explore the mind-boggling collection of modern art and music memorabilia from Christie’s recent sale of Elton John’s famous Peachtree Road residence in Atlanta. The epic $20.5 million sale — which included three live auctions and a smattering of online ones — featured 900 lots, including the musician’s 1990 Bentley Continental convertible ($441 thousand) and Banksy’s 2017 “Flower Thrower Triptych,” which sold for a staggering $1.9 million (the auction’s top sale).
Photography provided by Dafydd Jones
Finally, take a whirlwind tour of high society in nineties New York City with “The Last Hurrah” our exclusive excerpt from Dafydd Jones’ new book, New York: High Life, Low Life (ACC Art Books). Jones, a photographer for London’s Tatler, was brought stateside by Air Mail founder and legendary former Vanity Fair Editor-in-Chief Graydon Carter. “Back then, most social scene photographers would band people together for posed shots,” Carter tells writer Hal Rubenstein, “but Jones has the ability to fade into the background and capture people in an unguarded way, giving us a greater sense of the energy at each event. He would have made a great spy.”
Enjoy the issue!
Amy Synnott, Editor-in-Chief
