Book excerpt: An insightful monograph highlighting the illustrious design of master architect William Hefner - lavishly illustrated and richly detailed - an intimate tour of some of the world's most opulent houses. This latest addition to IMAGES' Master Architect Series showcases seven exquisite residential projects by master architect William Hefner, whose Los-Angeles-based architectural firm has been designing residential, commercial and retail properties for nearly two decades. Although varied in style, each house featured shares the timeless elegance and attention to detail common to all of Hefner's creations. They are each marked also by Hefner's appreciation of the craft of building and the use of natural materials. Opulent and richly detailed, the interiors nevertheless retain a sense of intimacy, warmth and comfort. Hefner's houses are luxurious, but it is a personal, liveable form of luxury that embraces rather than distances. William Hefner's passion lies in residential architecture; his expertise encompasses a vast array of styles from the highly contemporary to the deeply historic. Through this crossover he has realised that each style has benefitted from knowledge of the other - modern houses are richer in materials, more complex in their details, and thusly more comfortable to its inhabitants; historic projects are less fussy, more tailored, resulting in spaces better suited to the needs and tendencies of contemporary life. William's expertise in architecture and deep appreciation for interior design and landscape often culminates in the three merging seamlessly - environments emerge which embrace outdoor views animated by an ever-shifting play of natural light; the rooms connect organically to the furnishings within them. By combining these three disciplines within his firm, he is able to ensure that each distinct design concept integrates with one another and that the vision of the homeowner is expressed in every aspect of the work. William earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History in 1977 from Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon, which included a year of study in Greece. He went on to receive a Master's of Architecture from UCLA, during the influential Charles Moore's tenure. 400 col.