Page 12 - Architectural Digest - USA (February 2020)

editor’s letter

1. A HOUSE AND
INTERIORS DESIGNED
BY VINCENZO DE
COTIIS NEAR MILAN.
2 & 3. CHARMING
VIGNETTES FROM OUR
COVER STORY, BY
FRANCES MERRILL
OF REATH DESIGN.
4. WITH PHOTOGRAPHER
DOUGLAS FRIEDMAN
AND 5. HIS MARFA,
TEXAS, POOL.

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“Simplicity in architecture, with a modicum
of grace, turns out to be quite difficult.

My humble idea of desert living just kept
ballooning.” —Douglas Friedman

Douglas Friedman’s name is certainly familiar to any close reader of
AD: He is a noted photographer who regularly (and cheerfully!)
hops planes, trains, and automobiles to “get the shot” of extraordinary
and far-flung homes for our pages. Being a nomad is something of 3
an occupational hazard, but when Friedman discovered the tiny,
4
dusty West Texas town of Marfa nine years ago, he fell hard. “I have
to take two flights and then drive three hours to get there, but the
journey culminates at the end of a dirt road, with no visible neighbors
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and endless views of this incredibly beautiful, soulful terrain,” says
a smitten Friedman, who bought 10 acres of land and proceeded to
put down roots. It is a special joy to witness a member of our AD
family, one of our own, build his dream house after a career devoted
to documenting other people’s happy places. In this issue Friedman
turns his camera on his own creation, experiencing, he confessed
to me, both the pride and vulnerability that our homeowners (his
subjects) feel when their private spaces suddenly go public. The
Friedman ranch, as friends affectionately term it, is a quintessential
example of highly personal living and decorating—nothing generic
to see here. In fact, this issue abounds with bold personal style, from
the cover residence, designed by rising star Frances Merrill and bursting 4. SEAN ZANNI/PATRICK MCMULLAN/GETTY IMAGES; 5. DOUGLAS FRIEDMAN
with a riot of controlled color and pattern, to the rugged, brutalist chic
of a building and interiors outside Milan designed in singular style by
the formidable talent Vincenzo De Cotiis. And don’t miss the garage/
office/bar/barbershop conjured by 1. OBERTO GILI; 2. & 3. LAURE JOLIET;
AD100 designer Dan Fink for a
lucky client in the Pacific Palisades— AMY ASTLEY
it can only be described as the Editor in Chief
ultimate man cave. @amyastley

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