about us
Pointed Leaf Press was founded in 2002 by Suzanne Slesin. As a publisher of high quality, photography-driven monographs on personalities (some well-known, some undiscovered) from the worlds of design, architecture, and fashion, we have made it our goal to create books that stand out, both for their unique content and matchless design quality. A book from Pointed Leaf Press is a book like none other. They are visual biographies that envelop and expound—open any of our titles and become immersed in a world re-created on the page in extraordinary depth and detail. Intensely researched and illuminated by new photography, each monograph instantly establishes itself as the subject’s authoritative source-book. Informative and always visually engaging, Pointed Leaf Press books are direct links to the ideas, processes, and stories of the designers you love. Each book is a wonderful gift and a great addition to a personal library.
Suzanne Slesin, Publisher and Editorial Director of Pointed Leaf Press, majored in the History of Art at Wellesley College and graduated from the Courtauld Institute of London University with a MA in the History of Art. She has been involved in the field of home design as an international journalist since the 1970s. Slesin has been Managing Editor of Industrial Design magazine, Director of Communications and Advertising Manager at Knoll, an editor and writer at New York and Esquire magazines, and for 17 years, was an editor and reporter for the Home Section of The New York Times. In 1995, she became the Design Editor of the relaunched House & Garden, then Editor-in-Chief of HomeStyle, and in 2003, the Editor of O at Home, an Oprah magazine. Slesin has co-authored over 20 books on design beginning with High-Tech: The Industrial Style and Source Book for the Home (with Joan Kron in 1978) and was the co-author, starting in 1982, of the innovative and trendsetting Style Books that included French Style, English Style, Caribbean Style, and Japanese Style, all published by Clarkson Potter, a division of Random House. In 2002, Slesin founded Pointed Leaf Press to publish high quality, photography-driven monographs based on personalities in the worlds of interior design, architecture, art, photography, gardens, and fashion, and collecting. The company’s first publication was Over the Top: Helena Rubinstein, Extraordinary Style, Beauty, Art, Fashion, and Design, an illustrated biography based on archival materials, which she researched and wrote, mining her connection as the cosmetics tycoon’s step-granddaughter. Slesin is a member of the Design and Acquisitions Committee at The Museum of Modern Art in New York, NY and is a member of the board of LongHouse Reserve, in East Hampton, NY.
Frederico Farina has been the creative director of Pointed Leaf Press since 2012. Previously, he was a VP creative director at Ann Taylor and Ann Taylor LOFT, the VP creative director at the advertising agency of FCB New York, as well as the director of visual communications at Cole Haan. Other fashion clients in his past include Abercrombie & Fitch, Giorgio Armani, D&G, Bottega Veneta, and Versace. Farina began his career designing for various magazines, including Metropolitan Home, TopModel, and Mirabella.
Author testimonials
“Distilling one hundred years of Mottahedeh’s history, as well as illustrating its' vision for the future, presented many challenges. The creative team at Pointed Leaf Press enthusiastically embraced the project and with great spirit and exceptional attention to detail, took a myriad of moving parts and presented our story clearly. We are very proud to celebrate our centennial with this thoughtful, informative, beautiful book.” —Wendy Kvalheim, Splendid Settings
“I loved working with Suzanne Slesin and Frederico Farina on my first book. Not only are they incredibly talented and extremely knowledgeable, but now they are both great friends. I’m looking forward to working with both of them again and the entire Pointed Leaf Press team!
—Keith Williams ASLA, The Graphic Garden
“From the start of the yearlong journey I had with Pointed Leaf Press, it was amazing and engaging. Suzanne Slesin brings her extraordinary design-world knowledge to every page, photo shoot, and editing session. Her genius art director and amazing managing editor are the whipped cream and cherry on the top!” —Mark Epstein, Mark Epstein Designs
“What I learned to be the greatest asset working with Pointed Leaf Press compared to other publishing houses is, there is just no comparison. Their unique talents in publishing from creative to operational makes them truly an experience I will always cherish.”
—Joseph Cicio, Friends**Bearing Gifts
“My three books with Pointed Leaf Press represent happy memories. I felt part of a highly colorful dream team.” —Natasha Fraser-Cavassoni, Super F**king Lucky, Monsieur Dior, and Tino Zervudachi
“Working with Suzanne, Frederico, Kelly and the entire team at Pointed Leaf Press was an absolute joy for me on my first and only book so far. Suzy bring years of an editor’s keen, studied eye and an astute understanding of design to the table. Frederico is a master book designer whose tight aesthetic and eloquent style provides for beautiful books which become objects unto themselves. I could not have asked for a more couture experience than working with this team and I look forward to my next book with them.”
—Tim Campbell, Intentional Beauty
“I loved working and collaborating with the team at Pointed Leaf Press. Suzanne Slesin put together a group who totally understood my aesthetic and my story. And, most important, energized me by showing my craft and sense of place in a beautiful tome. They do not use a formula or do a cookie cutter look. They treat each book as a piece of art.” —Rebecca Vizard, Once Upon a Pillow
“The entire process of publishing my first book was an extraordinary experience. From conception through the creative process to the launch…everything was seamless! I loved working with everyone on the PLP team!
—Iris Dankner, Holiday House: Ten Years of Decorating for a Cure
“Working with the Pointed Leaf Press team was an extraordinary experience from beginning to end. I so enjoyed the complete immersion and learning the process of publishing a monograph. Quality was always paramount and Suzy never wavered in keeping us all focused. I loved the book then and still do today.”
—David Scott, Outside the Box