Curated by author Helen Thompson and photographer Casey Dunn, Santa Fe Modern joins their other two books: Marfa Modern: Artistic Interiors of the West Texas High Desert and Texas Made/Texas Modern, in a series of beautifully executed photo-essay books. Choosing Santa Fe for its dramatic mountain landscape, endless views, clear light, adobe architecture and vibrant history, the collection of twenty homes are architecturally indigenous to the desert landscape, with a pueblo vernacular that is combined with steel, glass and modernist principals. Featured architects include Lake|Flato, Lawrence Speck, Specht Architects, Studio DuBois, Trey Jordan and Ralph Ridgeway.
The homes in the book are introduced with text presenting the project, highlighting Thompson’s unique ability to capture the way the owners live in their homes and how the homes themselves function as settings for contemporary art. In-depth captions describe the architectural details, materials and design, and original photography by Dunn includes stunning exterior and interior shots as well as atmospheric black-andwhite images of the New Mexican landscape. Its publication date is October 26, 2021 by Monacelli Press.
Marfa Modern examines another mecca for artists and creatives set in a high-desert landscape. The first book from Thompson and Dunn includes twenty-one homes adapted from buildings such as a Texaco service station, a jail and industrial warehouses, and outfitted in response to available natural resources and found and salvaged materials.
Their second book, Texas Made/ Texas Modern, introduces architects and interior designers who work throughout the diverse and sprawling landscapes of the region. Nineteen houses across the state — from major urban centers like Dallas and Austin to the suburbs and rural areas — use thick walls, metal roofs, courtyards, patios, dog trots, trellises or arbors to connect site and place.
In all three books, Thompson and Dunn reveal their deep intuitive understanding of the place-centric styles of each area, landscape, climate and culture, and the influence they have on architecture. As close friends and colleagues, they both appreciate the powerful connection of words and pictures. The writerphotographer duo has been collaborating on projects for years, with homes showcased in local and national publications. “Yes, our names have been connected many times in the past and the reason is that Casey’s mother and I grew up together on the same street in Austin. Little did I know that her son would become a photographer whose special area of interest and expertise would be architecture, the same field in which I had made my career before he ever took up a camera,” says Thompson.
The idea to combine and contrast architecture and landscapes was born over time. Dunn says, “We had long talked about doing a book together and one day we were talking and asked each other — ‘Well, where do we both like to go and what would be fun to shoot?’ and the answer was Marfa. That’s how that got started.”
And it began a chain reaction. “We always thought of the three books as companions to each other,” says Thompson. “And yes, I’ll bet you can expect more from us……”
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Helen Thompson is a nationally known writer on interior design and architecture. Formerly a food writer and editor for Texas Monthly, she was the Texas city editor for Metropolitan Home and has written and produced articles for Elle Decor, Architectural Digest, House Beautiful, Martha Stewart Living, Dwell, Traditional Home and Veranda. She lives in Santa Fe. INSTAGRAM: @helenthompsoninhouse
Casey Dunn is an Austin-based interiors, architectural and landscape photographer whose work has appeared in Dwell, the New York Times Magazine, Interior Design, Architectural Digest, Architectural Record and Paper City Magazine. INSTAGRAM: @caseycdunn
MONACELLIPRESS.COM