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Wednesday, December 14, 2011

"INTERIOR Details: The Designers' Style"


I love books.
Always have, always will.

I have quite a nice collection which I have treasured and painstakingly packed and repacked from home to home and country to country.
Sadly I don't give books the time they deserve and for this I am guilty. However the past few days I took time to curl up with a book that I had bought around 15 years ago and quite honestly I forgot I had.
The smooth feel of a hardback book, the sound of the pages flipping over to reveal image after image of exquisitely perfected interiors is something I had missed.

The book I have been enjoying is  'INTERIOR Details: The Designers Style' by Noel Jeffrey & Chris Casson Maddon

New York native Noel Jeffrey,  is unequivocally one of New York's design magnates and a published author, he opened shop in 1969 and today he runs his business The Jeffrey Design Group on 58th Street in Manhattan.

In this book, Jeffrey identifies the key elements of residential interior design through the works of Designers & Artists such as Samuel Botero, Vincent Wolf, Victoria Hagan among others.
The stunning photography does each room justice and I am not sure if I can go back to looking at amateur photography online, at least not for today. I applaud their work.
The interiors defy the era, timeless designs that blow you away with perfect detail every time. And new treasures found upon each glance.
The furnishings & fittings implemented by Architect Lee Mindel and Noel Jeffrey himself would still be the choice of any worthy designer today, not to mention the vignettes by Charlotte Moss & Billy W. Francis which are perfection personified.

The book omits nothing, Ceilings command a chapter of their own, they are after all the largest uninterrupted space in a room, often overlooked. You can enjoy an array of gorgeous custom doors and hardware where raw silk meets with brass bead detail and the door knob is a sculptural delight.
Admittedly the kitchen and bathrooms seem outdated, however the principle of good planning and comfort are clear for all to see and the original white kitchen reigns supreme.
You will not be surprised to see brilliant examples of Neoclassical design from Jeffreys himself, in the form of bookshelves and mantles adorned with Neoclassical urns and sphinxes. 


The book continues to talk about Lighting, Colors, Window Treatments and finally about Finishing the Room, where all the layers meticulously explained throughout the book come together in perfect harmony and accessories and artwork like 'beautiful jewelry' adorn the rooms.


There is no way for me to share these images and the impeccable notes written by Noel Jeffrey except to urge you to buy it, and not only will you enjoy every moment you spend with this book, you will also keep books on the bookshelves in the bookstores for book lovers like you and I to enjoy.

I am hoping to keep the time between this book and the next to a minimal, and when I do choose the next book to devour I would really love to share it with you.

~Happy Reading~
            D

Cover Design by Noel Jeffrey , photography by Mick Hales

2 comments:

  1. Nicely written! Write more. :) I will have to check out this book now. Thank you for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you Irma! The book is available online, and is very inexpensive due to the fact that its old! I love it.

    ReplyDelete

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