Keepsakes: A Design Memoir

Introducing Keepsakes: A Design Memoir, by noted Russian designer Constantin Boym. Featuring a specially curated group of personal objects, some designed by Boym, and others collected through his travels from Russia to Turkey, Italy, and Qatar, but all accompanied by a witty commentary on the objects themselves as well as what they mean to him. Each brings up a different story, but is always referenced back as a source and inspiration for Boym’s design principles and process. Through these often humble objects, items providing insights into the life and culture of the people using or making them, Boym points out enduring truths for today. 

Constantin Boym is a designer, educator, and writer. He lives and works in New York, where he founded his design studio, Boym Partners, Inc., with Laurene Leon Boym in 1986. Winner of the National Design Award in 2009, Boym Partners is known for its critical, experimental approach to a range of design products and environments. Some of the Boym Partners design objects are included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Maira Kalman is an author/illustrator of numerous adult and children’s books. She is a contributor to the New York Times and the New Yorker. She lives in New York City.