BOOK REVIEW: Palm Beach Chic perfectly captures Harry and Laura Slatkin's Gumdrop House, a French style retreat with great style

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Tamara Matthews-Stephenson is the creative talent behind Nest by Tamara, a captivating journal dedicated to interior design, history and lifestyle inspiration. With a passion for design and a keen eye for aesthetics, she shares her expertise and insights. Tamara has established herself as a prominent figure in the world of interior design and her design philosophy is rooted in the idea that a well-designed home can elevate the quality of life, combining beauty with functional everyday living. Her blog is a testament to her dedication to helping readers achieve this balance. Beyond her writing, She is also an accomplished interior designer who is known for her talent blending diverse styles which has earned her a loyal following and recognition within the interior design industry. She has worked on a wide range of projects- from luxurious urban homes to cozy beach houses. Additionally, she is the Creative Director and Owner of root cellar designs, LLC, an artisan line of textile and wallpaper sold exclusively to the design industry. She designs and manufactures her wares in the United States and sells her line through trade showrooms around the country. Connect with Tamara Matthews Stephenson through email at rootcellardesings@gmail.com and at nestnestnest.blogspot.com for weekly stories, or through her fabric and wallpaper designs at rootcellardesigns.com and embark on a journey to transform your living spaces.

Posted by Tamara Stephenson October 10, 2015

BOOK REVIEW: Palm Beach Chic perfectly captures Harry and Laura Slatkin's Gumdrop House, a French style retreat with great style

Palm Beach Chic offers beauty and style, page by page

Palm Beach Chic

written by Jennifer Ash Rudick

photography by Jessica Klewicki Glynn

published by The Vendome Press

The Slatkin's Gumdrop Retreat

Two summers ago we were invited to Laura and Harry Slatkin's Labor Day celebration in East Hampton, an annual end-of-summer dinner party set alfresco under the trees of their gorgeous Georgica Beach area home. Overlooking their pond, fireworks ensued and we shared a delicious meal with over 50 guests amidst glowing lanterns, and it was divine. We were in awe of the meandering property and stylish home, and the event stays etched in my memory as one of the most pretty of summer evenings. Sitting next to Martha Stewart and other notable guests certainly added to the evening's charm.

When receiving the book Palm Beach Chic for review consideration, I was excited to peruse the pages of over 25 fascinating homes in one of my favorites cities. This book takes us on a dreamy tour of a cornucopia of homes with styles from a Mediterranean Revival by Mizner, Fatio and Folk to charming Moorish cottages and vintage condos. Additionally, the lush photography captures profiles of some of the finest homes, gardens, and verandas all while capturing the magic that helps to make this stylish enclave so special. As I turn the pages, I am struck with each fascinating home. Photographer Jessica Klewicki Glynn and author Jennifer Ash Rudick work together well compiling these homes in a way that makes you want to dial up the Breakers and book your winter vacation. If we can't all own a home in this bamboo and topiary heaven, we can certainly dream of visiting and basking in the glow for a bit. Palm Beach has always fascinated me, and it brings us back to Old Hollywood, channeling a glamorous lifestyle long gone. It is at once cultured and refined, lavish, yet it delicately balances a Waspy patina in its grasp, and this book brings that aesthetic alive. I languish all morning, sipping my morning coffee here on this dreary October New York City morning dreaming of meandering the halls and gardens of these homes.

I was pleasantly surprised to come upon the Slatkin's Gumdrop retreat, and it showcases a cozy enclave, and although a different style from their East Hampton home, it evokes the very same feelings. It is warm, inviting yet not over the top, but decorated and chock-filled with style, and of course smartly edited. The home is the work of legendary Palm Beach architect Marion Sims Wyeth who designed more than one hundred of the island's homes in the early to mid 1900s. It is French in style, with a muted neutral palette, which works as a perfect backdrop to showcase the couple's blue and white Chinese export porcelain and extensive collection of art and design books. The family home offers a tranquil environment, with the living room flanked by loggias, keeping the outdoors close and providing myriad opportunities for entertaining. The furnishings certainly channel grand style with Rose Tarlow chairs, Brunschwig & Fils fabric, Bielecky Brothers wicker, antiques from Paris' Drouot auction and topped off with glowing candles from Nest, the family's enterprising candle business.

Thanks Palm Beach Chic and I will most certainly keep this book close on my cocktail table. For now, check out the Slatkin's retreat to hold that Palm Beach Chic feeling close.