<b>A legendary designer demonstrates the alchemy</b>&nbsp;<b>required to create a home that seems cultivated</b>&nbsp;<b>over many generations.<br></b><br>Renowned designer and antiques dealer Richard&nbsp;Shapiro devotes his first book to the art of creating&nbsp;refined, cultivated spaces that transport their inhabitants&nbsp;to a heritage of distant lands and past epochs.&nbsp;Designers and home owners who wish to endow&nbsp;homes with authentic European charm and character&nbsp;will be inspired by Shapiro’s gift for creating genuine&nbsp;Old World savoir faire.<br><br>The book focuses on the two much-imitated homes&nbsp;and gardens of Richard Shapiro, which provide a&nbsp;wealth of inspiration and a broad array of examples&nbsp;related to living graciously with antiques, decorative&nbsp;painting and other finishes, and marrying centuriesold&nbsp;building materials with new construction.<br><br>Shapiro shares ideas from his work as a designer as&nbsp;well as lessons learned from years of collecting and&nbsp;selling antiques and fine art. As a manufacturer of&nbsp;furnishings with a distinctly European sensibility, he&nbsp;also brings to bear a thorough knowledge of production&nbsp;processes and finishing techniques that simulate&nbsp;authentic Old World archetypes. With exquisite new&nbsp;photography, the book also functions as a master&nbsp;class, filled with illustrations and takeaways for&nbsp;readers, offering practical ideas and creative inspirations&nbsp;for imbuing a home with a romantic mood and&nbsp;a timeworn sensibility.