Lotta Agaton picks five inspiring books for the holiday

An avid book and magazine collector, interior designer Lotta Agaton knows how to display books. In her current home, a floor to ceiling bookshelf takes centre stage, adding character and warmth to the spacious high ceiling living room. When buying the apartment, Agaton removed most of the walls to create a large dining and living room. ”My father is an interior architect and antiques collector, and he taught me about beauty and the importance of seeing and appreciating your surroundings,” Agaton says. ”I don’t find my work shallow at all, I know how much our surroundings affects our wellbeing.” In her bookshelf you find books on graphic design, art, fashion, architecture and interiors. There are classics, best sellers and very rare finds side by side. We asked her to pick five books for inspiration during holiday.

O A S av DAWID
Text Sune Nordgren
Kalejdoskop förlag 2020

Dawid has always pushed boundaries in photography and this book is no exception. Oas is a series of beautiful still lives of abstract shapes, calming, poetic and utterly soothing for the eye. Recently launched by publisher Kalejdoskop, Oas is the antidote of the hectic image driven media we are exposed to most of the day.

Chinati
The Visions of Donald Judd
Yale University Press 2020

Nothing is more inspiring than Donald Judd and I have every book there is to have about him. This book, with its stunning photography, is the most comprehensive presentation of his creations to come along in nearly two decades. He is a constant source of inspiration and on my bucket list is a trip to Maria to see Chianti.

Vincent van Duysen
Works 2009-2018
Works 1989-2009
Thames & Hudson 2018

Vincent Van Duysens monographs are always worth revisiting, not least when you have time to dig deeper into them. His architecture is serene, with a timeless simplicity, and his interiors always feel modern and calm, without ever picking up short trends. In his books he shares his architecture and interiors as well as furniture design.

Altmann Grotesk
Ateljé Altmann 2020

This is a book about one single typeface, Altmann Grotesque, created by the studio Ateljé Altmann. Even if I don’t work with graphics I really enjoy it, it is such an important part of how we experience something, and I am fond of Ateljé Altmann. They have worked with corporate identity, print, packaging, editorial design and environmental graphics for the last 20 years.

Ghost witness
Mårten Lange 
Loose Joints 2020

I love the work of photographer Mårten Lange, his way of capturing urban development and architecture. This book is from his time spent in China, portraying the urban metropolises that have expanded rapidly in recent years. Ghost witness has beautiful subtle layout to go with his photography.