Paul Barbera Presents Where They Purr: Inspirational Interiors and the Cats Who Call Them Home with Jenny Nguyen (In-Person Event)

THURSDAY, APRIL 21 AT 6 PM

In Where They Purr, Barbera showcases twenty-eight inspirational houses and their stylish interiors, along with the charismatic felines who call these places home. He will be in conversation with Jenny Nguyen, followed by a signing.

PLEASE REGISTER HERE

Guests over the age of five must wear masks and show proof of vaccination (either a vaccine card or an Excelsior Pass). 

“‘Is it a book about interiors or a book about cats?’ That is the question I was often asked during the making of this book,” photographer Paul Barbera writes in the Introduction to Where They Purr: Inspirational Interiors and the Cats who Call them Home. “The short answer is: both. It all depends on what you want to see… One day, I was shooting Swiss artist Olaf Breuning in the New York City loft where he lived and worked, when I spotted his two regal British shorthairs lounging on a table. The cats instantly made the place feel more intimate, yet they possessed an air of entitlement—inhabiting the space as if they owned it… I felt compelled to immortalize their elusive energy with my camera before the moment was gone.”

Cats can be notoriously aloof, yet they have a special knack for commanding a room. What can these curious creatures reveal about their owners’ personal style and design sensibilities?

In Where They Purr, Barbera showcases twenty-eight inspirational houses and their stylish interiors, along with the charismatic felines who call these places home. From a historic Victorian terrace to a modern farmhouse with panoramic vistas, an art-filled inner-city apartment to a cozy rental that melds classic pieces and clever design, Barbera’s images in this luxurious book give readers a glimpse into each cat’s domain and their predilection for sunlit nooks, midcentury furniture, or rooms with a view, while the text fleshes out details on each home, notable interior design elements, and each cat’s personality.

Paul Barbera is an Australian-born, New York–based lifestyle and interiors photographer. He has shot the studios and homes of architects, designers, and artists around the world, from Tadao Ando and Kengo Kuma to Kelly Wearstler, Jonathan Adler, and Luis Barragán. Employing a minimalist approach, Barbera shoots in natural light and avoids complicated technical arrangements to capture emotional honesty in his subjects, which range from cultural anthropology to luxury living. Regularly commissioned throughout the United States, Asia, and Europe, Paul’s work has been published in high-end publications such as Vogue Living, Bon Appétit, the New Yorker, Martha Stewart Living, and Elle Decor.

Jenny Nguyen is passionate about creativity, design and the people behind it.

She’s a seasoned communicator who brings a unique international perspective having lived and worked in New York City, Amsterdam, London, Milan, Melbourne and Sydney.

She founded Hello Human after realizing there was a disconnect in the PR industry’s pricing and service model, ultimately excluding independent designers from accessing crucial publicity services, and getting the share of voice that they deserved. She saw an opportunity to tailor the PR agency business model to work more efficiently for small businesses, making Hello Human’s high-end publicity services accessible to independent creators.

Jenny has worked primarily in the cultural and design sector for clients and collaborators including Airbnb, Art for Amnesty, Bottega Veneta, Domino Magazine, Frame Publishers, Kengo Kuma, Ladies & Gentlemen Studio, Robert Indiana, Ryuichi Sakamoto’s More Trees, Tantuvi, teNeues, The Philip Johnson Glass House, The Seaport District, Vogue Living, Yayoi Kusama and more.