Design alchemy emerges from water
It is perhaps the natural element that most stirs the imagination and inspires design: water cannot be shaped, but it is water itself that – even indirectly – embraces the forms that navigate it and dictates the rules to them; it embraces the architecture that looks upon it, shaping and influencing it. The three interviews in this issue of Book Fall – with Italians Alfonso Femia and Luca Dini, and the New York-based firm Bonetti Kozerski – reflect what has been said above. Each designer, with their own distinct approach (and on this topic, Femia and Dini, as the saying goes, “certainly don’t hold back” when it comes to asserting principles and concepts), each perspective offers a different – yet always respectful of water – way of interpreting the union between architecture and the aquatic environment. Bonetti Kozerski, American through and through, have been immersed in the world of high-end interior design for years, and when they approach water – whether it’s a yacht or a hospitality venue – they don’t abandon their style, but rather strip away the overly “urban” elements, creating a very personal style.
The projects we’re presenting here are all – as always – very appealing, each with its own unique characteristics. But one really steals the show: El Nido, a resort in the Philippines, offers a collection of truly remarkable design details. Human architecture that gently and quietly rests against natural architecture, a game of Tetris where each piece brushes against the next – scenes reminiscent of Mar Adentro* (the Fall/Winter 2016 issue of *Book*, a true milestone for those who may have missed it) that evoke that visionary project. Never before, as in this edition, have the “Wonders” – images that capture attention, require no explanation, and have always set the editorial rhythm of Book – caught the eye and gone straight to the heart thanks to the (often conceptual) expressiveness they embody. But has the design changed? In the editorial that opened the first issue of *Book* in March 2016, we spoke of alchemy – the design alchemy that the editorial staff has always sought in designers, but also the editorial alchemy that we have always sought and – we hope – found and shared with our readers. And after 10 years, we observe that, in the end, nothing has changed.
Enjoy navigation.
Visible/Invisible
An imperfect dichotomy between the visible and the invisible weaves through the content of this Wonder Book Fall 2026. It ranges from the ‘highly visible’ – cruise ships like the Four Seasons I or superyachts by Baglietto, Feadship, and Mangusta – to the ‘invisibility’ of the territory's water lines, whether coastal, river, or lake, as described by Alfonso Femia in his interview. These are the "‘invisible’ maps of water lines, lines of fragility or strength, that should make us aware that water is a major point of reference." A guiding principle for design, urban planning, economics, and society.
Or consider the visible dimension of boats, both sail and motor, conceived as residences on the water that allow for medium or long-range journeys and extended pauses in nature, offering the privilege of imagining the invisible marine world beneath the water's surface. This is a complementary duality between the concrete, measurable action of the journey and the invisible value of travel itself – or of the connection with nature as a means of understanding the world and oneself. In motion or at rest, travel, whether near or far, can become an exploration of invisible dimensions, leading to contemplation. This can be seen, for example, in resorts like La Valise Mazunte in Mexico or El Nido on the Lagen Islands in the Philippines, or in Mediterranean residences like Casa Bibi in Panarea, Casa L5 on the Alicante coast, and the Villa in Recco, Liguria. While architectural design is inspired by invisible qualities like natural light, shadow, sounds, silence, privacy, and a sense of well-being, in some projects, the aspiration is clear: for the architecture not just to become an integral part of the landscape, but to almost ‘disappear’ within the natural context, rendering itself nearly invisible.
This visible/invisible dichotomy, therefore, is not divergent but complementary. It becomes necessary both for looking closely at what we often overlook, and for uniting the two parts of our being: depth and surface, body and mind. To invoke the French philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty, the invisible is not some metaphysical world hidden in a Platonic sky, but the secret and profound underpinning of the visible itself. Everything we see carries with it a background of meaning, a context beyond the frame, and a depth that cannot be reduced to what our eyes capture in the immediate moment.
