As interior designer Ryan Korban revealed to Out in 2011 when he was named a Tastemaker by the magazine, "I like anything that shines or glistens. Someone once told me that being attracted to shiny things was a sign of ADD." That aesthetic can be seen in the new book from Harper Design, titled Ryan Korban: Luxury Redefined (available now).
Korban rose to fame as the guy who designed Alexander Wang's New York City SoHo store with its infamous black fox fur hammock. The 28-year old interior designer is also behind the new Men's and Women's Balenciaga flagship stores in SoHo, Diesel Black Gold Soho flagships, and Fivestory uptown. The book, with over 100 color photos, is a collection of Korban's work and inspiration from the past six years that collectively illustrates the new meaning of modern luxury. "The new notion of luxury incorporates the use of luxury," Korban writes at the beginning of the book. "Younger people want to live the way they dress; not everything needs to be polished and precise."
SLIDESHOW: More Photos from Luxury Redefined
This book juxtaposes images of Korban's environments with those iconic fashion and art visuals that directly inspire his work, including photographs by Franco Rubartelli, Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, Helmut Newton, and Peter Lindbergh. By conveying the marriage of fashion and interiors--highlighted by contributions from Victoria Traina, Alexander Wang, Joseph Altuzarra, and Hamish Bowles--this book re-defines the meaning of high-end luxury and breathes new life, excitement and a bit of informality into the world of design. Or as Korban states: "There's something so sexy about fur on the floor, something so desirable as an 18th-century daybed done in a torn-up muslin." Our thoughts exactly.
Ryan Korban: Luxury Redefined, published by Harper Design (Hardcover, $40, 192pp) Available now at HarperCollins.com.