Book excerpt: The secrets behind the work of chameleon designer Pierre Yves Rochon, who has devoted thirty years to the quest for "absolute comfort." Is there a signature Rochon style? At first, it is difficult to tell because the designer always adapts his work to the environment in which it unfolds, bringing out the location's unique spirit. A great traveler, he blends international styles, borrowing from both modern and classical influences. Hailed as a "visionary designer" and "master of grand luxe" by the Financial Times' How To Spend It, Rochon's most prestigious commissions include Four Seasons Hotels--in Paris, Florence, Washington, Shanghai and Cairo, for example--and restaurants for several Michelin-starred chefs. His residential work includes sumptuous private homes he has designed across Europe, America, and the Middle East. This monograph--Rochon's first--reveals the designer's trademark approach to interior splendor. For him, "the quality of the object and the hand that made it," is essential for creating a sumptuous interior. He devotes attention to every detail, from the architecture, to the furniture, the lighting, the fabrics, and art objects. Where he inserts a new structure into a space, such as a fireplace or a column, it feels like it has always been there. His interiors thus exude harmony and comfort, while retaining a strong sense of the location's culture, geography, and history.