Susanna Salk, with principal photography by Stacey Bewkes. Rizzoli 2017
Back in the day, I had 2 overlapping generations of Norfolk Terriers: a red-wheaton named Maxine, and a black-and-tan, named Bruno, Maxine’s nephew. And if you were a customer of my textile studio you likely remember them, as they went to work with me everyday. We were inseparable.
And it’s the special relationship between designer and dog – or vice-versa as Salk tongue-and-cheekedly suggests in her title — that’s highlighted in her new book from Rizzoli New York…
The cover of the book was shot in Robert Couturier’s library, a fancyful building adjacent to his house in Litchfield County, and features 2 of his 5 (at last count!) Shih Tzus. As someone who has visited Robert in Connecticut I can attest he means what he says in the book’s forward, as his pups are the first to greet you upon arrival;
“I can’t imagine a life without dogs. A dog is beautiful to you the same way any child is beautiful to his or her parents. Of course, I look forward to seeing my husband, Jeffrey, on the weekends, but when I arrive and the dogs are bounding up to greet me, it’s the greatest happiness in my life.
Dogs are an extension of ourselves; they represent the best part of us.”
There are 22 designers in total in the book, each with their four-legged companions, captured by the woman behind the candid camera Stacey Bewkes of Quintessence Blog. Together with Salk’s musings, this a light-hearted and charming gift for the dog-lover on your holiday gift list.
And what’s even better? In addition to providing tips for living with dogs from the likes of Bunny Williams, Brian McCarthy, and Charlotte Moss, Salk’s volume closes with some favorite resources and animal charities — suggestions from the style arbiters featured its pages.
At Home with Dogs and Their Designers: Sharing a Stylish Life. Rizzoli New York, 2017