Ep409: What Makes a Great American Garden?

Amanda Brooks lives an enviable life. The former New York fashion executive settled happily in the English countryside and found a new avenue in Cutter Brooks (cutterbrooks.com), her small village shop that developed worldwide fans thanks to her knowing eye for chic country style, her relentless pursuit of the unusual, and her relationship with venerable artisanal firms. Join us as we unpack how she got her start, and what she plans to gift this holiday.

Whether designing a private apartment or public hotel, or turning his expertise to furniture, AD100 superstar Pierre Yovanovitch has a confident hand, and his talent for manipulating hard materials like wood, stone, and bronze makes them seem soft and sensual. But while aesthetic is important to the French star, he believes function is key, focusing on creating designs that comfort the body while delighting the eye. Join me as we talk about his career inspirations, and dreams for the future.

Introducing Checking In, the advice podcast where we answer real health and wellness questions from real people like you. Hosted by SELF’s Editor in Chief, Carolyn Kylstra, and featuring trusted experts, doctors, therapists, thought leaders, and even a few celebrities, we’re diving deep into what it really means to be healthy. Checking In launches on Monday, November 16th, with new episodes releasing weekly. Subscribe to get episodes right when they drop at 6:00 am EST.Listen to Checking In here: Apple Podcasts: http://listen.self.com/self-apple Spotify: http://listen.self.com/self-spotify Stitcher: http://listen.self.com/self-stitcher Or wherever you get your podcasts.

Cult British designer Matlida Goad is full of ideas, creating "pieces to elevate the home with the most minimal upheaval," as she calls them. Hers are the sort of items—happy, colorful, charming, and unusual—that one wants to keep as much as one wants to give. While Goad's mum was her very first customer, you may find yourself her next as she discusses her latest products, among them whimsical takes on everyday items like pitchers, planters, placemats, or eggcups (matildagoad.com). I hope you enjoy the program.

Roman Alonso and Steven Johanknecht, the founders of the AD100 design firm Commune, chose a name that says it all: many talents across multiple disciplines, creating artful and soulful collaborations. Join me as they talk candidly about their new book, Design Commune (Abrams), their formative days at Barneys New York, and how they approach fearless design in harnessing the talent around them.

On August 4, 2020, an explosion shook Beirut. Days later, French-Lebanese sisters Laura and Sophie Tabet came up with an idea for an online marketplace, Beirut Re-Store (beirutrestore.com/), which ultimately came to feature 173 talents selling artworks and all proceeds going to independent NGOs to help with reconstruction. Laura, a creative director, and Sophie, a production designer, join me to recount their personal stories and the international community that's joined them. Note: Graphic descriptions may disturb some listeners.

Monty Don, the celebrated British broadcaster and horticulturalist, and Derry Moore, the legendary photographer, know how to capture the soul of a garden, having published several delightful books on the subject. The latest from these longtime friends is American Gardens (Prestel Publishing), a sweeping tour of landscapes both famous and obscure, classic and eccentric—and ultimately, singularly, defining what makes a garden indeed American. Join us.

Considered the plastic of its day, rattan has never had a celebratory volume until now, with tastemaker Lulu Lytle's recently published book, Rattan: A World of Elegance and Charm (Rizzoli, with a foreword by yours truly). Lytle, of Soane Britain, spent years researching the material and its airy sense of style. Her sweeping survey of its inclusion in design, from solariums to cafes to the most fashionable interiors of all time, is one we explore together. I hope you enjoy the program. 

Federico Forquet, the top-flight Italian couturier who, at the height of his genius, pivoted to design exquisite interiors and gardens, is indefatigable well into his 80s as he continues creating rooms, landscapes, and a forthcoming museum exhibition. Join Hamish Bowles, the International Editor at Large of Vogue, and Guido Taroni, fashion and interiors photographer, as they share an exclusive look at their new book, The World of Federico Forquet: Italian Fashion, Interiors, and Gardens (Rizzoli), a dazzling polychrome extravaganza with a rich, detailed eye on Forquet's work. I hope you enjoy the program.  

Historian Despina Stratigakos startled the academic world with her book Hitler at Home (Yale University Press), a powerful and unsettling examination of the ruler's homes. Beyond showcasing Germany's finest design, the dark premise also suggests the interiors served as propaganda intended to normalize the dictator to a global stage, as a man of culture and refinement. In her latest book, Hitler's Northern Utopia (Princeton University Press), Stratigakos turns her critical eye to the little-known story of the Third Reich's intent to reconstruct Norway as a means to bind the country closer to Germany. Join us.