Publisher's Synopsis
"I would like this place to be something that nobody else has, and everybody can dream of having: a fantasy land, a dream land, just like my philosophy about Playboy Magazine. And when it is finished it should look as though it has been here forever. And remember, whatever you show me is the minimum I expect at the end. You have no other restrictions!" Hugh M. Hefner to Ron & Suzanne Dirsmith, January, 1971 Imagine returning to Chicago in 1965 after two years immersed in the study of classical European architecture and design only to be approached by Hugh Hefner, the epitome of American pop culture, to compete for the design of a new Playboy world headquarters on spec, only to sadly decline because you have mouths to feed and bills to pay. Then imagine that the four prestigious firms who competed all struck out with Hefner, who then calls you and gives you the job, no questions asked. Finally, imagine that Hefner buys a spectacular Los Angeles estate and asks you to transform an elegant 32-room English Tudor mansion into a luxurious adult playground to be known throughout the world as the Playboy Mansion West, with a four-month deadline and an unlimited budget. Then you would have the basis for a unique and unusual memoir, Inside Hefner's Pleasure-domes: Designing Xanadu for an American Icon - Architecture and Dreams in Hugh Hefner's Empire, written by the architect/designer couple, Ron and Suzanne Dirsmith, into whose laps the opportunity of a lifetime fell. Over twenty-five years, while Hefner and his Playboy Enterprises were blazing a path for its fantasy-based version of American pop culture and revolutionizing its sexual mores, the Dirsmiths were privileged to design and supervise the creation of all of the structures and environments in which Hefner worked and lived, including the Playboy world headquarters in the venerable Palmolive Building in Chicago, the Playboy Mansion with its iconic private master bedroom, living and working environments, as well as re-designing Hefner's famed "Big Bunny" DC-950. The Dirsmiths tell a fascinating story, presenting an intimate portrait of the elusive and obsessive Hugh M. Hefner, whose real life belied the public image of his Playboy empire. Hefner was a visionary workaholic whose workday often exceeded 48 hours and who paid fastidious attention to every single detail in his magazine and properties. In a most entertaining way, the Dirsmiths take the reader, both layman and design professional, through the creative process of building Hefner's magical Shangri-La, from the design and planning stages of the famous pool, ponds, waterfalls, grotto, animal habitats and redwood forest walkways, and later, his bedroom and interior spaces, through completion of some of the most challenging technological and engineering feats ever undertaken for a private residence. Through the Dirsmiths' lens, the reader witnesses the tensions, the comic relief provided by Hefner's entourage, the twelve hour meetings with the demanding but genial Hefner, the crises and near disasters of the four months that culminated in the completion of the Mansion's famed exterior spaces, despite the enormous technological and engineering challenges. Fully illustrated with never-seen before photographs and detailed sketches, Inside Hefner's Pleasure-Domes lifts the veil on the Hefner mystique, which was all about encouraging one to fantasize about what goes on behind his closed doors, a book to be enjoyed equally by those interested in getting to know one of the living giants of American pop culture and by those interested in the complex planning undertaken to create an iconic environment. Ron and Suzanne Dirsmith founded the Dirsmith Group in 1971 and it became one of the world's leading firms dedicated to architectural and environmental design. Ron is a Fellow in Architecture of the American Academy in Rome and a Member of the National Academy in New York. Suzanne heads up the firm's education divisio
