Lair: Radical Homes and Hideouts of Movie Villains (Trade Edition)

NOW IN TRADE EDITION!

*50 Books 50 Covers AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts), Winner, Book Category
*Official Selection Award of the 10th Edition of the Festival International du Livre D'Art et du Film

Both an architecture and movie fan's dream (LA Times), this strikingly designed (Publishers Weekly) and handsome tome (The Hollywood Reporter) sets out to answer the question we haven't stopped asking: Why do bad guys live in good houses?

Big-screen villains often live in architectural splendor. From a design standpoint, the villain's lair, as popularized in many of our favorite movies, is a stunning, sophisticated, envy-inducing expression of the warped drives and desires of its occupant.

In Lair, which appreciates and celebrates all things villain, pop culture and architecture join forces in these outlandish homes. From futuristic fantasies to deathtrap-laden hives, from dwellings in space to those under the sea, Lair features villains' homes from fifteen films, including Dr. Strangelove, The Incredibles, Blade Runner 2049, You Only Live Twice, The Spy Who Loved Me, and Ex Machina.

The award-winning book, with silver ink printed on luxurious black paper, explores the architectural design of these structures through architectural illustrations and renderings, photographs, essays, film analyses, interviews, and more. Highlights include interviews with production designers, directors, and other industry professionals such as Ralph Eggleston, Mark Digby, Richard Donner, Roger Christian, David Scheunemann, and Gregg Henry, along with excerpts from an oral history with the late architect John Lautner. Editorial contributors include Chad Oppenheim, Michael Mann, Sir Christopher Frayling, Joseph Rosa, Amy Murphy, Andrea Gollin, and Phillip Valys. Architectural illustrations and renderings are by Carlos Fueyo.

Author: Chad Oppenheim,Andrea Gollin
Publisher: Tra Publishing
Published: 07/22/2025
Pages: 296
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.15lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.20w x 1.10d
ISBN: 9781962098229

About the Author
Chad Oppenheim is an internationally renowned architect celebrated for his ability to merge architecture with the natural environment. A Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, he founded Oppenheim Architecture in 1999, with studios in Miami and Basel. In addition to his built works, Oppenheim has contributed to architectural discourse through publications such as LAIR: Radical Homes and Hideouts of Movie Villains, which explores the intersection of film and architecture, revealing his fascination with the narrative potential of design.

Oppenheim's scholarly influence extends to his lectures and teaching, including at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design, where he has shared his vision for architecture that transcends aesthetics to foster a profound connection between people and their surroundings. His work continues to shape contemporary architectural thought, focusing on designs that are silent yet powerful, enduring yet attuned to their time.

Andrea Gollin is an editor, publishing consultant, and writer. She has edited dozens of books and exhibition catalogs, including Robert Winthrop Chanler: Discovering the Fantastic (The Monacelli Press). She is a graduate of Princeton University and received an MFA from the writing program at the University of Virginia. She has been on staff at several publications, and her journalism, book reviews, and fiction have been widely published in outlets including the Washington Post, Miami Herald, Newsday, Salon, and Entertainment Weekly.