Cover Design / Graphic Designer
Lair: Radical Homes and Hideouts of Movie Villains
by Chad Oppenheim / Andrea Gollin
From Atlantis in The Spy Who Loved Me to Nathan Bateman's ultra-modern abode in Ex Machina, big-screen villains tend to live in architectural splendor. The villain’s lair, as popularized in many of our favorite movies, is much more than where the megalomaniac goes to get some rest. Instead, the homes of the villains are places where evil is plotted and where, often, the hero is tested and must prove him/herself. Like evil itself, the abodes of movie villains are frequently compelling and seductive. From a design standpoint, they tend to be stunning, sophisticated, envy-inducing expressions of the warped drives and desires of their occupants. Lair, the first title in Tra Publishing's Design + Film series, celebrates and considers several iconic villain’s lairs from recent film history. The book, strikingly designed in silver ink on black paper, explores the architectural design of these structures through architectural illustrations and renderings, photographs, essays, film analyses, interviews, and more. Editorial contributors include Chad Oppenheim, Michael Mann, Sir Christopher Frayling, Joseph Rosa, Amy Murphy, Andrea Gollin, and Phillip Valys. Architectural illustrations and renderings are by Carlos Fueyo. Highlights include interviews with production designers, directors, and other industry professionals such as Ralph Eggleston, Mark Digby, Richard Donner, Roger Christian, David Scheunemann, and Gregg Henry, along with excerpts from an oral history with the late architect John Lautner. From futuristic fantasies to deathtrap-laden hives, from dwellings in space to those under the sea, pop culture and architecture join forces in these outlandish homes and in Lair, which appreciates and celebrates all things villain. Lair features villains’ homes from fifteen films, including Dr. Strangelove, The Incredibles, Blade Runner 2049, and You Only Live Twice.
Like evil itself, the abodes of movie villains are
frequently compelling and seductive.
Explore the architecture of villainry in Lair.
frequently compelling and seductive.
Explore the architecture of villainry in Lair.
Specifications
Trade Edition
Publication Date: November 5, 2019
Hardcover, Smyth Sewn Binding
Silver Foil Stamping
296 Pages
200+ Photographs, Architectural Illustrations, & Renderings
9.2 x 13 in.
978-1-7322978-6-9
Author/Editor: Chad Oppenheim with Andrea Gollin
Publisher: Tra Publishing
Design Firm: Ilona Creative Studio
Creative Director: Ilona Oppenheim
Art Director: Raul Lira
Book Designer: Raul Lira, Jefferson Quintana
Cover Designer: Raul Lira, Jefferson Quintana
Illustrator: Cover: Yonel Hernández / Architectural Illustrations and Renderings: Carlos Fueyo, playard studios
Photographer:
Picture Editor: Artmedia Studio, Gady Alroy
Production Director:
Production Coordinator:
Production Artist:
Other Credits: Managing Editor: Andrea Gollin / Publishing Manager: Rita DelCarmen Martin
Publisher: Tra Publishing
Design Firm: Ilona Creative Studio
Creative Director: Ilona Oppenheim
Art Director: Raul Lira
Book Designer: Raul Lira, Jefferson Quintana
Cover Designer: Raul Lira, Jefferson Quintana
Illustrator: Cover: Yonel Hernández / Architectural Illustrations and Renderings: Carlos Fueyo, playard studios
Photographer:
Picture Editor: Artmedia Studio, Gady Alroy
Production Director:
Production Coordinator:
Production Artist:
Other Credits: Managing Editor: Andrea Gollin / Publishing Manager: Rita DelCarmen Martin
Press about the book:
The Architect's Newspaper published a great piece on Lair: Radical Homes and Hideouts of Movie Villains by Shane Reiner-Roth. Titled "Lair Puts a Spotlight on the Homes of Famous Movie Villains," the article opens with the words, "Bad people don’t always have good taste, but when they do, their homes are the stuff of architecture history." (January 13, 2020)
Archinect News ran a contest to give away copies of Lair: Radical Homes and Hideouts of Movie Villains. The publication called the book an "entertaining dive into the designs of villainous hideouts." (January 9, 2020)
CNN Style covered Lair, discussing both the book and the NYC panel discussion in an insightful article by Jacqui Palumbo titled "Why Movie Villains Love Modern Architecture." She wrote: "Villains represent our worst inclinations with grandiose, destructive visions. They utilize their hideouts to retreat from humanity, taking refuge in immaculate spaces, their complicated defense systems, and the privacy of secret chambers or a far-flung volcanic crater lake. But their desires are ultimately very human."
(December 24, 2019)
(December 24, 2019)
Forces of Geek included Lair: Radical Homes and Hideouts of Movie Villains in its 2019 Holiday Gift Guide. (December 20, 2019)
Bond Lifestyle ran a giveaway contest for copies of Lair: Radical Homes and Hideouts of Movie Villains, calling it an "impressive book," which we are interpreting as an official seal of approval. (n.d.)
The ACSA (Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture) included Lair: Radical Homes and Hideouts of Movie Villains in its Architecture Holiday Gift Guide. (December 19, 2019)
Chaos Group interviewed Carlos Fueyo of playard studios, the illustrator for Lair: Radical Homes and Hideouts of Movie Villains, for a piece on the making of the book's remarkable architectural illustrations and renderings. The article, "Movie Villain Lairs in Real-Time with V-Ray for Unreal," focuses on the technical aspects of creating the illustrations as well as Fueyo's conceptual process. As he explains: "I watched each film a multitude of times, collected frames, sequences, behind-the-scenes photographs, sketches — anything that would help me get a better idea of the spaces. I deconstructed every scene and followed the characters as they moved through the sets, in hopes that a single frame would give me that extra piece of information." (December 13, 2019)
The Hollywood Reporter included Lair: Radical Homes and Hideouts of Movie Villains in its holiday gift guy, commenting that it is a "handsome tome" and a "strikingly designed book" that would be right at home in the villains' lairs. (December 6, 2020)
Boomers Daily reviewed Lair: Radical Homes and Hideouts of Movie Villains and included the video of the book's trailer in its generous coverage of the book. (December 3, 2019)
Architect Magazine ran a thought-provoking review of Lair: Radical Homes and Hideouts of Movie Villains by Aaron Betsky. In "The Villain's Lair: Modernism in the Movies," he wrote that Lair points out that "movies shape our sense of what is possible in architecture as much as the canon, and that bad guys not only often get the best lines, they also get the best lairs. That, in turn, is because evil in movies—as opposed to real life—is easy to recognize. In the interviews Oppenheim includes in the book, designers talk about making their antiheroes’ traits visible in space." (December 2, 2019)
James Bond Radio conducted an in-depth interview with Chad Oppenheim about Lair: Radical Homes and Hideouts of Movie Villains and called the book "stunning" and the perfect gift for any Bond fan. "Thanks to the handcrafted care and unsurpassed attention to detail...Lair is destined to become a much sought-after collector’s item. To put it even more succinctly, it’s the kind of book that would look right at home on Ernst Stavro Blofeld’s translucent coffee table next to his collapsible bridge and shimmering piranha pool," wrote Matthew Chernov in "Exploring the Secrets of Bond Villain Architecture with Lair Author Chad Oppenheim." (December 2, 2019 and repromoted January 7, 2020)
Flavorwire included Lair: Radical Homes and Hideouts of Movie Villains in its Holiday Gift Guide. Writer Jason Bailey noted that Lair is a gift that can appeal to "that especially hard-to-shop-for friend, relative, or significant other, you know the one, the one who’s super into movies and books and music and seems especially hard to shop for because it feels like they have every damn thing." (November 27, 2019)
Architecture Admirers called Lair: Radical Homes and Hideouts of Movie Villains a "visually and critically compelling work" in its thoughtful review of the book. (n.d.)
Texarkana Gazette recommended Lair: Radical Homes and Hideouts of Movie Villains in its round-up "Movie Fans Will Love These Gifts." (November 27, 2019)
Aspire Design and Home featured Lair: Radical Homes and Hideouts of Movie Villains in the BookNook section of its print edition. (Winter 2019-20)
Buzzfeed included Lair: Radical Homes and Hideouts of Movie Villains on its list (at #10) of "36 Gifts Your Partner Won't Secretly Want to Return," praising the book as one that "any movie aficionado (or simply a purveyor of no-good) will love flipping through while cackling menacingly and wringing their hands." (November 24, 2019)
My Modern Met wrote that Lair: Radical Homes and Hideouts of Movie Villains "gives incredible insight into the world of filmmaking. It also clearly demonstrates the incredible impact of production design on popular culture and how these cinematic choices spill over into the real world as they inspire generations of architects" in its thoughtful article "Take a Look Inside the Architecture of inema's Most Infamous Villain Lairs" by Jessica Stewart. (November 24, 2019)
Film Daily conducted an in-depth interview with Chad Oppenheim, co-editor of Lair: Radical Homes and Hideouts of Movie Villains. The wide-ranging conversation explored topics related to Lair as well as Oppenheim's architectural practice and creative process. Read about it in "Step Into Architect Chad Oppenheim's 'Lair' with his Book on Villainous HQs." (November 22, 2019)
The New York Times included Lair: Radical Homes and Hideouts of Movie Villains in its section Design: A Special Report. Design columnist Eve M. Kahn wrote that Lair "dissects 15 fictional evildoers’ quarters from the 1950s to the present. Bad guys seem to feel most powerful and secure while burrowed into island caverns or perched on cliffs...anyone conniving against the likes of James Bond, Superman and Luke Skywalker also apparently hungers for coziness and normalcy; leather-bound books and potted plants are arranged alongside molten lava curtains and piranha ponds." (November 20, 2019)
The Roarbots Holiday Gift Guide singled out Lair: Radical Homes and Hideouts of Movie Villains as "perfect for the movie buff on your list, the genre movie fan, architect, or modern design nerd" and also as "probably the most unique book on this list." (November 19, 2019)
In Hunker's article "What's Up With Movie Villains Living in Amazing Homes?" Leonora Epstein interviewed Chad Oppenheim about Lair: Radical Homes and Hideouts of Movie Villains, and asked the ultimate question: "Architecturally speaking, how feasible would it be to build an evil headquarters inside a volcano?" (November 18, 2019)
The blog StupidDope described Lair: Radical Homes and Hideouts of Movie Villains as "an awesome addition to your coffeetable library." We agree! The article included several images from the book. (November 15, 2019)
Curbed wrote that Lair: Radical Homes and Hideouts of Movie Villains was "an intellectual look at the genre of architectural villainy" in Liz Stinson's article "Peek Inside the Lairs of Hollywood's Most Notorious Villains." (November 14, 2019)
Aspire Design and Home listed Oppenheim Architecture's Spirit of Place as one of its "Must-Reads." (November 13, 2019)
Designboom called Lair: Radical Homes and Hideouts of Movie Villains "a critically and visually compelling work" that uncovers "the spaces of megalomaniacs who want to rule the world from secret locations." Kat Barandy's article is accompanied by a generous selection of images from the book. (November 10, 2019)
Los Angeles Times wrote that Lair: Radical Homes and Hideouts of Movie Villains is "both an architect and movie fan's dream" in its piece "Movie Fans Will Love These Gifts" by Kenneth Turan and Geoff Berkshire. (November 8, 2019)
Shelf Awareness deemed Lair: Radical Homes and Hideouts of Movie Villains an "arresting compendium" and a "magnificent exploration of movie villain hideaways." It continued: "for the movie buff and design afficianado, Lair offers an unforgettable tour of top-secret retreats of exceptional taste." (November 5, 2019)
Shelf Awareness chose Lair: Radical Homes and Hideouts of Movie Villains as its book trailer of the day. Many thanks to Carlos Fueyo of playard studios for an amazing book trailer! (November 5, 2019)
Architectural Digest wrote that "The hideouts of cinema’s famous villains have become the most memorable sets in Hollywood’s history" in Elizabeth Stamp's comprehensive review of Lair: Radical Homes and Hideouts of Movie Villains, which reviews nine of the fifteen films featured in the book. (November 4, 2019)
SyFy's article "Live Like a Big Bad In Exclusive Look at Lair: Radical Homes and Hideouts of Movie Villains" by Ernie Estrella was accompanied by an extensive selection of images. Estrella highly recommended the book, offering this sage advice: "whether you're looking for a fascinating gift for that highbrow nerd in your life or just need to know the intricacies of Lex Luthor's Grand Central Terminal hideout in Superman IV, Lair: Radical Homes and Hideouts of Movie Villains promises to deepen your knowledge of genre movies and help you transition to far more intelligent conversations inspired by popular culture." (November 4, 2019)
Core77 pointed out that "no one wants to see a criminal mastermind operating out of a split-level ranch" in its article on Lair by Rain Noe, "Lair Book Documents Supervillains' Great Taste in Architecture." Noe wrote, "Judging by their lairs, most movie supervillains do their undergrad in Architecture before getting a Masters in Megalomania," and imagined a series a deleted scenes from the movies, such as Darth Vader struggling to find a good concrete contractor. (November 1, 2019)
ComicBook.com featured images of Lex Luthor's subterranean lair in its article "Check Out This Exclusive First Look at Lex Luthor's Subterranean Lair From An Upcoming Art and Architecture Book" by Russ Burlingame. (October 31, 2019)
Metropolis called Lair: Radical Homes and Hideouts of Movie Villains "a long overdue interrogation of the architecture of movie villainy" in its in-depth article discussing the book and covering the New York City launch/panel discussion, in which several film critics and authors joined co-editor Chad Oppenheim in a conversation about the book and its themes. "From Bauhaus to Bunkers: The Aspirational Architecture of Hollywood Villainy" by Dante A. Ciampaglia includes a slide show of images from both the book and the panel discussion. (October 18, 2019)
ScreenRant delved into the origins of the Star Wars look and feel with a close reading of Tra Publishing's interview with Roger Christian, the film's set decorator, in Lair: Radical Homes and Hideouts of Movie Villains. As Andrew Dyce writes in the article "Star Wars Set Decorator Reveals Design Inspiration of the Empire," the aesthetic "wouldn't be as memorable if it wasn't also...beautiful." (October 17, 2019)
Dwell took a close look at seven of the villains' homes in Lair: Radical Homes and Hideouts of Movie Villains and proclaimed that "world domination never looked so good. Its piece by Duncan Nielsen, titled "7 Supervillain Lairs Set in Deviously Well-Designed Homes" celebrates what it calls the "glorious pantheon of celluloid villains' lairs." (October 9, 2019)
OfficeInsight published what amounts to a love letter to Lair: Radical Homes and Hideouts of Movie Villains. Stephen Witte's comprehensive and thoughtful 2,000+-word piece, "Volcanos, Spaceships and Los Angeles: The Places Evil Calls Home" is a great introduction to the book from someone who truly appreciates it—and we at Tra Publishing appreciate him! (October 7, 2019)
Publishers' Weekly featured Lair: Radical Homes and Hideouts of Movie Villains in its Holiday Gift Guide, in its Hollywood category. We agree...Lair is a great holiday gift! (October 4, 2019)
