Penguin Life wins five-way auction for The Modern House

Penguin Life has triumphed in a five-way auction to publish The Modern House by design writers and entrepreneurs Matt Gibberd and Albert Hill. 

Viking editorial director Tom Killingbeck acquired world all language rights to The Modern House: 5 Rules for Living in a five-way auction from Emma Paterson at Aitken Alexander Associates. Publication is scheduled for publication in 2022. 

Over the last 15 years, Matt and Albert have handled the sale of many thousands of properties with their estate agency The Modern House.

"They noticed that despite the diversity of their clients–from empty nesters to sprawling families to commune-dwellers–five evergreen design principles emerged time and time again, five timeless rules for living capable of transforming any home into a happier and more successful one: space, light, materials, nature and curation," reads the synopsis. "Navigating the reader through each rule via case studies from their personal experience, stories from the history of architecture and design and photography from their archive, Matt and Albert will demonstrate to home-hunter and homeowner alike how each rule can be applied in ways both large and small. Revolutionary in its simplicity, and bursting with elegance, humour and joy, The Modern House: 5 Rules for Living will be a book to treasure."

Gibberd and Hill said: "If we think about what we demand of our domestic environment, it serves as everything from an office to a guesthouse, an entertainment venue and a refuge. To do all of this effectively, it needs to be designed in a thoughtful way and consider the full range of human senses. This is a book about the joy of a well-designed home."

Killingbeck added: "I’ve dreamt of working with Matt and Albert for years. The Modern House was my gateway drug into the world of Modernist design, and when this proposal landed I knew it had the potential to democratise the design principles behind their business and demonstrate to a very wide readership just how crucial our living spaces are to our wellbeing."