Nest by Tamara Book Review of Carl Dellatore's INTERIOR DESIGN MASTER CLASS
Book Review:
Interior Design Master Class
100 Lessons From America's Finest Designers
On The Art Of Decoration
Edited by Carl Dellatore
Published by Rizzoli
Timothy Whealon (left); and, Alessandra Branca (right)
Today, I received a copy of this newly published, beautiful book written by my friend, Carl Dellatore. Not only is it a fine collective of interiors from today's most talented and top designers, but it comes with philosophical and inspiring messages to boot. Each designer profiled offers up essays along with their work to provide insight into the deeper meaning behind their craft. Dellatore craftily organized the book by dividing it into important categories (six to be exact) in topics that include--THEORY, STRUCTURE, STYLE, PROCESS, ELEMENTS and INSPIRATION. Each designer has a single word inspiration within one chapter to help us understand the meaning behind their work and essay. Through this composition, the reader begins to look deeper at each wonderfully, layered design while seeing and hearing the echo of the designer's words.
This structure encourages the reader to go back time and time again, utilizing the book as an important source for inspiration. I spent the weekend meandering through the pages of the book getting lost at times in the essays, then found myself stopping back into specific chapters later in order to glean the wisdom behind the work and look at the design on the pages with a different perspective. It is beautifully showcased, and I look forward to including this in my coveted design library, and as a go-to source for my work and design going forward. Take a look at a few of my favorite designers who are highlighted in the book, excerpts from their essays I found prolific, and the categories from where they can be found. I've offered up what I see as important to understand their process. This book works to remind us that interior design is a valuable art form, rather then just a collection of pretty wares arranged in a room.
about the author: Carl Dellatore began his career as a textile designer, and has worked extensively in magazines, including House & Garden, Martha Stewart Living, and House Beautiful. He is the author of The Fabric Style Book.
Happy Nesting
XO Tamara
chapter, THEORY
Passion by Robert Passal
"It is not enough to sell a style, no matter
how exquisitely achieved. One succeeds as a
designer through fine tuned communications
with the client, by translating his or her
passions into physical reality—creating rooms
that join his or her passions with the instincts
of a passionate designer. It is the process
of applying one’s own zeal for hunting and
gathering ideas about design and decoration as
guided by the untapped id of the client".
- Robert Passal
chapter, THEORY
Authenticity by Steven Gambrel
"The alchemy of rough and refined
elements combines seamlessly. I took visual
note of the way that lunch was served, for
example, and the simple materials and casual
approach to daily routine. This search for the
authentic, as interpreted by someone living
within generations of collected environments,
helped me better understand the continuum
of the creative process as an ever-evolving
interpretation of one’s environment".
-Steven Gambrel
chapter, STYLE
Traditional by Alexa Hampton
"In design, traditional elements are loaded with the meanings they have accumulated over time. The iconography that accompanies neoclassicism, for example, has always spoken to power and those who would seize it. Greek, Roman, Napoleonic, Federal, Fascist: their not coincidentally shared imagery is meant to convey strength and mastery".
-Alexa Hampton
chapter, STYLE
Inspiration by Amanda Nisbet
Let me add, however, that there is a
critical difference between trusting your
instincts and winging it. It’s true that some
people have better instincts than others,
but intuition can nonetheless be trained
and strengthened like a muscle. The key
lies in connecting your instinctive-response
mechanism to memory—emotional memory
in particular.
-Amanda Nisbet
chapter, THEORY
Aspiration by Stephen Sills
"Aspiration, when it succeeds, promises the
client something beyond good taste. It invests
the daily tasks of decoration with meaning,
pleasure, and vision, elevating interior
decoration to the place of high art it deserves".
-Stephen Sills
