The House in Good Taste, Illustrated With Photographs in Color and Black and White Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy The House in Good Taste, Illustrated With Photographs in Color and Black and White? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on The House in Good Taste, Illustrated With Photographs in Color and Black and White. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

The House in Good Taste, Illustrated With Photographs in Color and Black and White ReviewWithout understanding much about interior decorating and design, the name of Elsie de Wolfe was brought to my attention by "Elle" and "Marie Claire" Editor, as well as "Project Runway" Judge Nina García; as the woman who pioneered the field in America during the 1930's. Although afraid that I would be consumed by her suggestions on using chintz and frills whenever possible, I was pleasantly surprised and utterly educated in the most appropriate approaches for decorating my own surroundings.
De Wolfe, who certainly had a most interesting life - married to a diplomat, while also later sharing her life in an auspicious lesbian relationship with a heavily set woman, Elizabeth Marbury, who looked very much like a man - writes about decorating with an endearing quality and a language that immediately puts the reader at ease while at the same time educates her without being condescending.
In "The house in good taste" De Wolfe covers everything, from architectural design and layout of the ideal house, going room by room, and with all the considerations of the "olden days", such as the existence of a vestibule or entrance hall to "warm up to the house" before making oneself comfortable and fully in it, the existence of grand stairs thereafter, a cozy drawing room for the guests of the lady of the house, and the privacy of a studio for the man.
Throughout all her concepts, she emphasizes three major characteristics of tasteful interior decoration: suitability, simplicity and proportion. Even when at the beginning of the book one may consider her insistence on these a bit petulant, towards the end, one is totally sold on the concept.
But De Wolfe does not write lazy words. She demonstrates her talent hands-on, using as examples her own houses, the mansion at Irving Place in the outskirts of New York, and an apartment acquired later in the heart of the city. In unprecedented story-like fashion which I did not expect to find in a book about decorating, she advises on the whys and wherefores of how she and her partner, Ms. Marbury, brought the houses to life. She provides minute descriptions on everything, from the treatment of walls, the placement of lighting and the fabrics to use for upholstery; and although chintz is highly recommended, so is discretion and sobriety in its designs.
The book ends with the decorating concepts she used in the Villa Trianon, which she and Marbury purchased in the gardens of Versailles, and which they occupied during the summers. One can only wonder at the marvelous piece of real estate the two women acquired just off what used to be the ancient French court, and how they remodeled everything, no expense spared, including the landscaping. A closing chapter on how to choose clocks, stools and porcelain stoves closes the volume.
I would recommend this book as a starting point for the woman who is at task in her own search inside the intimidating field of decorating, since as De Wolfe asserts, a woman is invariably judged by the house she keeps. Although nowadays there are countless more illustrative volumes to get ideas from, this book should definitely be used as the backbone for any good decorating plan.The House in Good Taste, Illustrated With Photographs in Color and Black and White OverviewPublisher: New York, The Century Co.Publication date: 1915Subjects: Interior decorationNotes: This is an OCR reprint. There may be numerous typos or missing text. There are no illustrations or indexes.When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there.

Want to learn more information about The House in Good Taste, Illustrated With Photographs in Color and Black and White?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now