By Michael Rosen-Molina
Daily Bruin Staff
“Getaways,” by Chris Casson Madden, is the perfect
coffee table book. It says next to nothing, but it’s chock
full of pretty pictures.
Madden traveled around the country to visit the exciting and
exotic vacation homes of the rich and famous. From author Toni
Morrison to actor Michael Keaton, “Getaways” takes a
peek at celebrity homes and hideaways to showcase the unusual
decorations in the places they go to relax.
The book’s text is one long block of quotes with only
scattered commentary by the author. But readers will not be
bothered by this detached treatment, as it is the glorious photos,
rather than the generic writing, that hold their attention.
For example, ceramics tycoon Jacqueline Dedell escapes to a
classic 18th-century farm, complete with the obligatory herd of
Shetland ponies. Entrepreneur Ira Levy has an old Irish style stone
cottage. A vertical slice in the stone wall around the pool allows
the interested observer the perfect view of both the summer
solstice and the winter equinox.
Some of the featured vacation homes belong to familiar names,
such as Michael Keaton’s mountain cabin. The actor spends his
quiet time in an isolated wooden retreat, with sloping eaves and
atmospheric cow skulls on the walls. Madden is quite adept at using
something as simple as an article of furniture to capture the
essence of a person. An antique drop-front writing desk nestles in
the corner of Keaton’s bedroom, adorned with a scattered deck
of playing cards, a box of Tiddledy Winks, and an open book.
The most impressive houses by far belong not to celebrities, but
to architects. Able to design their own dream houses, their ideas
are less restrained and less traditional than other home owners.
Steve Mensch was inspired by Eastern imagery, so his home away from
home is a sprawling complex of gardens, groves and lily ponds.
A nearby crashing waterfall reminded Mensch of the romantic
Rhine, inspiring him to construct a “modern version of one of
crazy King Ludwig’s castles.” The Bavarian king’s
castle may be more familiar to Americans as the model for the
Disney logo, but Mensch’s homage more resembles a Buddhist
temple than a European palace.
Marble Buddhas surround a quiet reflecting pool, while, inside,
silk pillows cover the low built-in seating of the living room.
Round windows in a separate tree house give Mensch a clear view of
the waterfall and the island pagoda below.
Davis Lawrence Gray, another architect, created a spacious
moorish style villa. With wide open spaces and large window doors,
the interior is always bathed in cheerful sunlight. A plank path
meanders from the back door to the beach-side patio, where beach
chairs and concrete end tables surround a fountain jacuzzi.
The photos are crisp and clear, capturing the lush environments
with pristine clarity. The writing, however, is not of the same
caliber. Resembling E! celebrity interviews crossed with Martha
Stewart’s “Living.,” it consists mostly of the
home-owners’ own words. After several chapters, the initial
excitement of learning about the inspiration behind the retreats
begins to wane, and the constant repetition starts to sound dull
and pretentious.
“Getaways” is not a helpful guide to inspire the
reader to spruce up their own home, nor is it a voyeuristic glimpse
into the private domains of rich and famous jetsetters. It provides
a nice combination of the famous and the obscure; it is not a
fawning rigmarole of celebrity It reads like an intimate portrait
of the lives of real people, told through furniture and wall paint.
Understated and homey, the featured homes are elegant enough so
that the book never falls into the trap of celebrity kitsch.
How much one likes this book depends on how eager one is to pry
into other peoples’ homes. Reading “Getaways”
gives the reader the same vicarious thrill as visiting a model
home. If you can’t build your own vacation home,
“Getaways” is a good way to get away from it all
without ever leaving the comfort of home.