00:00Hey, I'm Jeremiah Brent. We are here at our townhouse in the West Village. I'm about to
00:05give you a look into our personal library, the things that mean the most to us, the books
00:10that have changed our lives. This is Shelf Portrait.
00:18The beautiful thing about this bookshelf, which is double height, it's about 30 feet
00:22of shelving, is it really houses some of the most important things to us. Looks have changed
00:27our lives in so many different ways and have been such an integral part of our story as
00:31a family, individually, and you know, you can kind of see behind me, it's everything
00:36we've collected from travels, the books that mean the most to us. So I'm excited to share
00:41with you a few of my favorites. So it's really hard for me to pick just five of my favorites
00:46because all of these books are here because they mean something to us. But here's my best
00:51shot. The first book I want to share is something deeply personal to me and to my husband. It's
00:57James Brown's handbook. James Brown was a prolific artist. He's one of our favorites.
01:04His use with organic materials and his thoughtfulness with around everything he did. There was always
01:11a story and one of the things that I connect the most to him and his wife, Alexandra, was
01:15the tenacity for life. They moved through the world so beautifully and they had such
01:21adventure in everything that they did. It really was remarkable. They were dear friends
01:27of ours who tragically died a little over a year ago in a car accident. But this book
01:32is something that we've had and traveled around with. And it's the first chapter is called
01:37The Obligation of Looking Deeply, which I feel like really sums up everything about
01:41who he was as an artist and what he represented. And he was prolific in the fact that everything
01:46kind of had this organic form to it. And he did everything from cast bronze to wood to
01:51ceramics to paintings. Some of the most important pieces that we own, the things that we value
01:58the most are actually his. So they kind of serve as a timeline of our family and the journey.
02:03Actually, one of the last things he gave to us was some painting for our daughter that he signed
02:08in the back. So this is a really beautiful book. You have to check it out. So it goes without
02:14saying that one of the most influential people in my life has been Axel Vervoort. It was the
02:21first time that I was really exposed to an interior designer with such a clear perspective,
02:26something that he never waived from. He always stuck true to who he was and what he believes
02:31in. And it was the first time that I understood that you could create spaces that really felt
02:35emotional and not less practicality, so to speak, but more about evoking an emotional feel.
02:43His spaces, even in photos, you can feel them. And I think that's really interesting. You know,
02:48he's all about playing with light, different texture. He blends different design aesthetics
02:53so beautifully. It was the first time that I really understood my own design aesthetic, which
02:59is far more monastic than my husband. But I love it. I love everything. I love the ceremony of his
03:06design. This book in particular, which is called The Story of Style, just kind of takes you through
03:12his journey, everywhere from his memories and what's influenced his design. You know, it's so
03:19visually beautiful. And just to kind of get a glimpse into who he is and why he connects the
03:25things the way he does. Hard copy or e-reader? Always a hard copy. I love the smell of the book.
03:33One of the things that's really interesting about books and the power that they have to not only
03:37educate you, but they transport you. You know, a lot of these books, the first date I had with
03:42my husband, we stayed up until 4 a.m. going through books and talking about what we thought
03:46was beautiful. Now, fast forward 10 years later, after using these books to educate myself and
03:51understand things and see things and understand what a 19th century was, what neoclassical was,
03:56these artists from all over the world, these books now are being used for our children.
04:00Our kids pick them up and look at things and tell us what they think are beautiful. So I think that's
04:04the really beautiful rhythm and cycle of books to keep things that really matter to you, like
04:09these behind you. Goodbye, Picasso is so good. I mean, listen, Picasso was a crazy, crazy genius,
04:19and that's just what it is. And controversial in so many ways. But this book, which is a series of
04:25letters, is so special because it kind of walks you through the Spanish painter's last couple
04:35years of life. And there's all these beautiful letters to Picasso and vice versa from Picasso.
04:42You kind of get a glimpse into his studio, some of his paintings, the inspiration behind his paintings,
04:50the story of his wife and their marriage, the complexities of their marriage.
04:55But Picasso, again, is one of those artists that
04:57knew who he was so beautifully, artistically, and communicated it so authentically.
05:06And it just shows the, you know, how authenticity stands the test of time, because he stuck true to
05:11what he knew, he believed in it. And now, you know, how many years later, it's still, it's still so,
05:18so important. I mean, look at this picture of him in the studio. I mean, come on, I could sit down
05:23for 30 minutes and just look through that picture. So it's really fun visually. It's really
05:28interesting from a creative standpoint, but it's a good read. Where do you usually buy your books?
05:34I highly recommend if you're in the West Village going to Three Lives. It is a West Village staple.
05:40They've got every book you could ever imagine. Our children know it very well. I think we probably
05:44go there once a month, but check it out if you're in the city. What book have you read the most in
05:49your life? I have actually read The Alchemist probably five times. If you haven't read it,
05:56I highly suggest you do it. It was, it has been influential for me in so many different parts of
06:02my life. When I was coming out, it gave me the strength and the confidence I needed to come out.
06:08When I was trying to reconcile all of the damage done from being closeted for so long, it gave me
06:14that strength again. It's kind of just popped up in so many different ways. And every time I read
06:18that book, I get something new from it. But it was the first time I had ever had it articulated
06:23to me in, by the way, a really beautiful way, that the only thing getting in my way was fear.
06:29But it's a really special book, so you should check it out.
06:32So this book, which is an Edelhoff, Alcho, Giacometti, is, again, one of my all-time
06:37favorites. Giacometti was one of the first artists that I discovered, like on this journey of a
06:43designer and as a creative. And, you know, one thing to point out is the books behind me have
06:48really served as a school for me. I was not educated with design, but these have been my
06:53education. They allowed me to travel. They allowed me to expose myself and educate myself on a lot of
06:58these creatives who shaped so much of what we have now in the design business. Giacometti was
07:04incredibly prolific. He worked with bronze and paintings. His first bust, I think, was at 14
07:11years old. His father was a painter. It's just beautiful. And everything about his pieces are,
07:18they've just, they've stood the test of time in a way that few people can. You can kind of see
07:23just the sculpture, the ceramics, the bronze, the paintings, the sketches. I bought a Giacometti
07:31sketch. It was one of the first, like, nice things I bought. And I'll never forget it. It's just,
07:36he's one of my all-time favorites. What's your favorite place to read a book? I love cracking a
07:42book open on our roof here in the city. We have a little roof deck upstairs that's all green,
07:49and you look out at the village. There's just the right amount of breeze. That's my favorite spot.
07:54I know you didn't expect to see this, but this book is called Entangle Makes Three.
08:01And this is probably one of the most important books kind of in the timeline of our family,
08:07so to speak. You know, when we made the decision to move back to New York, one of the things that
08:11we tried to do is really find ways to make our children feel a part of the community. And this
08:15book actually takes place in the New York, the Central Park Zoo. And more important about this
08:22book is it's the first time that I ever was given the words to articulate and describe surrogacy to
08:28our children. It's such a beautiful story about two male penguins that fall in love in a zookeeper
08:34that gives them an egg that they can't produce for themselves, even though they're sitting on
08:37a rock trying to pretend like they can do it. And they end up raising this beautiful daughter,
08:43and they have this family, and she makes them. It takes two to make a tango, and that's the name of
08:48their daughter. But it was the first time that I was able to put into words the beauty of surrogacy
08:54to our children, to make them understand the amount of love and care and kindness that it
09:00took to bring them into the world. It's a really special book. As you can see,
09:05I get emotional every time I talk about it, so check it out.
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