Signature Style - Hardcover

4.31

13 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0696208466 ISBN 13: 9780696208461

Publisher: Meredith Books, 1999

This book takes traditional style to a new level by breaking with staid, prescriptive decorating. The individualist’s approach to design shines—as expressed in bold colors, sophisticated neutrals, contemporary flair, updated American classics, Continental and French flourishes, contemporary edges, singular artwork, and relaxed traditional spaces.

Major, new projects from eight renowned, imaginative interior designers.

Lavish, all-color photography.

Profiles of designers including their singular design philosophies and preferences.

Inspired ideas about scale and proportion, color, fabrics, furniture, antiques, collections, art, and other essential design details.

Comprehensive design sources.

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Review:

There's more to decorating a home well than simply selecting furniture and accessories for each room. A well-dressed home has a certain flair throughout that's stylish and inviting. That sense of style unfortunately doesn't come naturally to most people, so Signature Style aims to help you learn from those who have it in spades. The book features eight American designers, each of whom has a distinctive sense of style, and all of whom are masterful in their approach to interior design.

Charles Faudree, for instance, specializes in combining French and English touches, such as toleware and Staffordshire figures. This artful mix of European high style and country brings warmth, comfort, and class to all of his rooms. Gary McBournie, on the other hand, brings a very American look to his homes with rag rugs, New England furniture, and antique handmade quilts, while also incorporating European and Asian pieces. Mary Douglas Drysdale melds neoclassical design with modern pieces and throws in her trademark detail of antique weathervanes; Kely Amen, on the other hand, favors the use of bold color over accessories. Other designers whose works are profiled include Thomas Bartlett, Paula Perlini, Kelly Amen, Douglas Rasar, and Alessandra Branca.

This assemblage of designers brings an impressive amount of training and knowledge to their field--many have classical training at prestigious interior design schools, as well as backgrounds in art, art history, and architecture, and formative experiences in other countries. But the proof is in their designs, and the result is always breathtaking.

Well written and laid out, this beautiful book is checkered with plentiful, large color photos of each designer's work. The editors have done a superlative job of selecting some fine American designers to feature in the book--each of these artists brings a timeless yet unique style to his or her work. Readers of Signature Style would do well to take some cues from the designers featured when trying to formulate their own signature style. --Kris Law

From Library Journal:

These three books are beautifully illustrated with photographs of contemporary interiors. In the Waverly book four stylesAEnglish country, clubby elegant, lighthearted and eclectic, and high-style ColonialAare shown for living rooms, bedrooms, and dinning rooms, all sporting Waverly fabrics and wallpaper. The advantage of this book is the availability of Waverly products so that one can achieve exactly the look depicted. The book from Traditional Home focuses on designers who style a home in the classic look favored by the magazine. Like the Waverly book, this title gives do-it-yourself projects at the end. Rennicke's book takes a look at how the American Colonial style has been interpreted today. Illustrated with pictures of homes in the South, the Midwest, and New England, this book gives an overview of its interpretation of classic American style and then focuses on the use of color, fabric, and the like to explain and depict how to achieve this decorating style. Recommended particularly for its focus on American design.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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