PAUL LASZLO: INTERIOR AND INDUSTRIAL DESIGNER
Paul Laszlo

Paul Laszlo: PAUL LASZLO [A.S.I.D. (American Society of Industrial Designers ) INTERIOR AND INDUSTRIAL DESIGNER]. n.a.p. /n.d. (Beverly Hills: Paul Laszlo, circa 1958. Printed in Zurich). A near-fine hardcover book with decorated cloth backstrip and vivid printed glazed pictorial boards. The FEP upper corner is clipped (?), otherwise an immaculate copy of a scarce book that is virtually impossible to find in collectible codition. BRC card from the Laszlo office laid in.

9.5 x 11.25 hardcover book with over 100 pages of Paul Laszlo¹s work as an architect, interior designer and industrial designer. This lavish volume was self-published by Laszlo¹s office in the late 1950s as an elaborate self-promotion to trumpet their services to high-end clients. Designed and printed in Zurich, this book is absolutely gorgeous in every aspect, from the cover and binding to the interior layouts and typography and photography by Robert C. Cleveland, Julius Shulman and Ezra Stoller. The color reproductions of the mid-century interiors are the best I have ever seen. My absolute highest recommendation.

All aspects of Laszlo¹s design work are represented, including Lago Vista, Baron¹s Ohrbach¹s, the Brentwood Country Club, offices for Sunbeam and McCullough, his elegant bomb shelter designed for the United States Air Force, "Atomville" -- a futuristic underground city, as well as many others. His reputation as ³the Millionaire's Architect² is on full display in the myriad of the residential comissions presented in this volume.

In 1948, George Nelson described László's designs as having "generous dimensions, great elegance of appearance, and impeccable taste", all of which translated easily to the glamorous Hollywood life-style.

"People would hire him, go to Europe and come back six or nine months later to find the paintings on the wall, the toilet paper on the roller and slippers by the bed" remembers Julius Shulman.

Asked once what his style was, he responded it is "Laszlo style". He felt that his homes should have a certain distinction, one that could not be easily duplicated. He credits this as having a balance between the specific needs of his clients and the want to "accomplish comfort, to please the people without the mere shock value". Laszlo always considered his clients first and foremost, maintaining simplicity in the elegance of the furnishings with the luxury of the home. Laszlo best stated in 1952, "I don't try to design look-at-me houses. I try to give the modern style an ageless importance, to be ahead of my time and yet build a comfortable home."

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