How To Live Beautifully: A New Book Tells the Story

“The Art of Refined Living” celebrates 50 years of Sotheby’s International Realty and the homes and people behind its success, writes Caroline Thorpe

The Kaufmann Desert House in Palm Springs, designed by Richard Neutra in 1946. Photograph: © Dan Solomon

What is the art of living? Since its inception five decades ago, Sotheby’s International Realty has been defining the concept as a partnership between fine art and property. 

This essence is now distilled in a new book, “The Art of Refined Living,” published by Assouline to mark the Sotheby’s International Realty brand’s 50th-anniversary year. It elegantly documents the evolution of the brand from its early success, breaking new ground to bring distinctive properties to global attention—no small feat in the pre-internet era. 

Author Gay Gassmann catalogs some of the world’s finest homes in these pages, each entrusted to Sotheby’s International Realty at one moment or another during the past half-century. Together, her choices seek to illuminate what makes a home distinctive: some alchemy of “architecture, provenance and place”—the textures of lives lived.

Chef Julia Child’s French country cottage. Photograph: Beth Kirby

Roaming across the U.S., Europe and as far afield as Australia, the architecture is strikingly varied. We encounter the modernist masterstrokes of Marcel Breuer, Frank Lloyd Wright’s only oceanfront property, and the dazzling facades of the late Zaha Hadid. Lush gardens by Beatrix Farrand and Miranda Brooks complement interiors as varied as their owners.

And then there’s the sprinkling of stardust: discreet, but discernable. Jackie Kennedy Onassis on horseback at Merrywood; the sumptuous interiors of Tommy Hilfiger’s Connecticut retreat; and a roster of famous houseguests from Mick Jagger to Truman Capote. 

Each page is a reminder of the multifaceted nature of refined living, an accumulation of details as varied as the individuals who shape them. The rustic charm of chef Julia Child’s French bolthole contrasts with the quiet luxury displayed in the stone floors and timber accents of Stonebrook, a modern farmhouse in Brisbane designed by celebrated New Zealand architects Sumich Chaplin.

Throughout the book, the interplay with art is ubiquitous. From the French chateau with walls etched by Picasso’s own hand to simple, considered design moments: a chalet-style box bed, nicknamed “the Heidi Nook,” in a child’s guest room in Napa. 

Collectively, these spaces have been crafted across centuries and adapted through many cycles of life. “Art is elevated by the quality of the walls that hold it,” writes Charles F. Stewart, CEO of Sotheby’s, in the foreword. What’s more, he adds, “a life well lived is shaped by the spaces that surround it.”

Here are three of the exceptional properties—and a taste of the stories behind them—showcased in its pages.

Château Lérins, Mougins, France

Château Lérins. Photograph: © Courtesy of Côte d’Azur Sotheby’s International Realty

Located on the feted French Riviera, Château Lérins epitomizes the historical richness and deep heritage of the Sotheby’s International Realty brand. What began as a dwelling for 17th-century monks was overhauled 300 years later by distinguished British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, with customary flourish. A double-height arched entrance hall, paneled library and terraced gardens were added, along with loggias and balconies. 

Illustrious owners have included French banking scion Guillaume Mallet, while the chateau, with its views of the Mediterranean Sea and Esterel Mountains, has counted Scottish actor Sean Connery and the Kennedy family among its visitors.

Kaufmann Desert House, Palm Springs, California

“Poolside Gossip,” 1970, by Slim Aarons, taken at the Kaufmann Desert House in Palm Springs. Photograph: © Slim Aarons/Getty Images

Who knew an impromptu party would make a visual icon of Nelda Linsk? The onetime owner of the Kaufmann Desert House was immortalized in 1970 by photographer Slim Aarons in “Poolside Gossip,” his famous shot capturing a glamorous Linsk and friends socializing beside the pool of the Palm Springs residence. 

Built in 1946 of stone, steel and glass, this midcentury modernist classic by Richard Neutra aims to clash with its arid surroundings. Inside, a “pinwheel” layout revolves around a central living and dining room. Later owners included Barry Manilow, while the most recent completed a five-year renovation of the property. The pool’s swagger remains undimmed.

Andy Warhol’s home, Montauk, New York

Guesthouse interior at Andy Warhol’s former Long Island getaway. Photograph: © Evan Joseph

A huddle of colonial revival cottages and a former fishing village occupying the furthest reaches of Long Island are an unlikely setting for the glittering cast who would descend there each summer. John Lennon, Elizabeth Taylor and Liza Minnelli were among the stars invited to stay in this modest oceanside enclave by artist Andy Warhol, who bought the then 30-acre property in 1971 as a summer escape. 

Today, the uniquely creative interiors still bear the mark of their famous former owner, with bold use of color and pattern accenting the whitewashed walls—and a framed print of Warhol, face hidden behind his beloved Polaroid camera, hanging on a kitchen wall.

“The Art of Refined Living” is published by Assouline

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