The Art of Elegance: Classic Interiors

From the pictures available on Amazon's website, I got my hopes up about the quality of Marshall Watson's large format interior design book, "The Art of Elegance: Classic Interiors." And when I saw that the book's publisher was Rizzoli, my hopes rose to such a dizzying height, that there was really no way the book could live up to my unrealistic expectations. Well, now that I've spent a week with it, I am happy to report that Mr Watson's book has not only exceeded my wildest expectations, it has completely obliterated them.To begin with, the book is beautifully made, as one expects from Rizzoli; the paper is of an excellent quality; the photographs are beautifully composed and superbly printed. The design is, in every detail, gorgeous and complements Marshall Watson's taste and style perfectly. I have never seen a more beautifully made book."The Art of Elegance" is a perfectly apt title: Mr Watson's rooms are always elegant, and there's an extraordinary amount of artfulness in creating rooms that are elegant, beautiful (very often ravishingly so), and also comfortable, both to sit in and to move around in. His rooms never look over-designed; no matter the style, there's always a certain spontaneity to his arrangements, and also a sense of rightness that makes the choices seem inevitable, even when they are also surprising. It appears that he always remembers that rooms are to be lived in. His eye for color is, in my opinion, unsurpassed. There are more startling, beautiful color combinations in "The Art of Elegance" than I have ever seen in any other book of interior design. Moreover, he's clearly not limited to one particular style or era, but appears to be able to adapt to any style, from extravagant and sumptuous to clean, light and simple. In one passage, he mentions "I am not afraid of pretty." That's certainly borne out by the photographs in his book, but he is also not limited to designing rooms that are merely pretty. I believe the secret to the elegance of the rooms shown in the book -- the one element they all have in common -- is appropriateness. The libraries he designs look like nice environments in which to read; the dining rooms look like delightful places in which to eat.But as much as I admire the photographs in the book, it is just possible that I am even more bowled over by Mr Watson's text. His prose is clean, straight-forward and very informative. It is also full of charm and personality. Mr Watson not only designs beautiful rooms, but he writes sentences that scintillate while they enliven and enlighten.

The new Rizzoli book, The Art of Elegance: Classic Interiors. which chronicles the three decade career of the New York interior designer, Marshall Watson, is nor only a superb overview of his career, but is also a very welcomed addition to books on interior design. With his innate artistic ability to combine classicism with a subdued and rich elegance he brings together in his interiors disparate design periods, colors, fabrics, objects, and works of art into an harmonious aesthetic that not only speaks clearly of his clients desires and wishes, but at the same time creates for them an environment that is unique and livable within the framework of classicism and elegance. In creating interiors for the houses showcased in the book he demonstrates an aesthetic that moves from a more relaxed to a more formal classicism where the viewer's eye is continually stimulated. His detailed and personal introductions that precede each house included intellectual in-depth analyses that serve as perfect entry points for the interiors that follow. This book will be valuable for designers, clients and those who appreciate what classicism and elegance in interiors are. It is a book to be read and re-read.

In " The art of elegance", Marshall Watson takes you on a tour de force that spans three continents and as many decades, visiting his greatest work,.The book itself is nothing but a masterpiece, the art comes to life through the beautiful photography and the river description. But it is more than pretty pictures, since the reader learns and understands Watson's thought process that goes into making each of the projects remarkable and unique.Watson presents a wide variety of decor from the gulf coast of Mexico to the tundra of Sweden with several stops in NYC, the Hamptons and California.Each house or apartment is described in such great detail that you can almost feel yourself standing in the living room.A beautiful addition for any in-house library!

Throughly enjoyed this book. Love design books in general, but this one was in a category of its own. It was written by the designer himself. He is an enjoyable author to read. He is articulate, has a sense of humor, does an excellent job explaining his work and how he worked with his clients to achieve beautiful and livable homes. I could have walked in to many of the rooms showcased, sat down and hopefully had a wonderful conversation with the owners. I felt like I had known some of them just by the way the homes were designed. Read and enjoy.

This is an exquisite book; starting with the cover, to the sumptuous photos and clever and informative writing within, this book is the epitome of elegance. The author pulls us in and takes us on a journey through his process as he designs homes from near to far. They're incredible to look at and as he describes his work, the one thing that stands out is how practical and livable each space is. I'd love to live in any of these homes but I'm proud to have them on display on my coffee table for now. Makes an incredible gift.

I'm giving this 5 stars because, as the title suggests, it embodies elegance on every page. Each room has it's own character, but a cohesive eye for spacing and detail ties the book together. I go to this book for both inspiration and enjoyment, and have had several guests pick it up to thumb-through only to find themselves examining the book start to finish. I recommend this to anyone who wants to bring some elegance into their home. And hey, if reading it doesn't inspire you to try something new, just having the book in the room will class it up.

Excellent book and pictures.

great for ideas and dip in and out of. lovely images, descriptions and background are useful and do not clutter the pages. great coffee table book!

Stunning properties! And which despite their stunning value still gives "normal to low budgets" some ideas on colour matching, framing, furniture etc. One of my best books

Bought as a gift for my sister - she absolutely loved it. Very beautiful book

LIBRO MUY COMPLETO ADEMAS DE LAS FOTOGRAFÍAS CON COMENTARIOS, CON GRAN VARIEDAD DE ENTORNOS Y AMBIENTES. SOFISTICADO Y MUY ELEGANTE.