Product Description

Creating your dream house—a prospect as exciting as it is daunting. Michael Smith, a favorite among celebrity clientele, reveals the method of his design magic. Offering thoughtful ideas and practical advice, the designer walks the reader through his process, from the gathering of resource material (from magazines and iconic films to something as simple as a shell or a swatch of vintage fabric), expertly pairing simpler and grander elements (or inexpensive with more extravagant objects), perfecting the editing process, to knowing when a room is finished. Detailing the nearly encyclopedic range of styles he culls from to create his signature style, the designer describes recent examples of his work, beginning with a modest and quirkily designed house in Bel Air, Smith redid for himself. Razed, rebuilt, and decorated over the course of five years, the house allowed Smith to experiment and explore ideas freely and the result is a gracious home, as welcoming as it is stylish. In addition to his California residence, twenty other projects are featured, from a New England clapboard to a Malibu villa overlooking the Pacific to a city townhouse. In each, Smith deconstructs the elements which come together to make the ideal home.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #28599 in Books
• Published on: 2008-10-21
• Released on: 2008-10-21
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 208 pages

Review
"A master of design metaphors, he mixes them in his own inimitable way." ~Veranda

"...an impressive collection of the sophisticated and comfortable interiors he is well known for." ~Western Interiors and Design

"Gorgeous photos take you into each home, and the elegant writing of House Beautiful's Christine Pittel creates a dialog between the reader and designer. You feel as though you are sitting with him, and he is telling you these stories." ~Stylebeat.com

"...shares generous and thoughtful advice on ways to achieve his signature look." ~Florida InsideOut

"...book feels like an extended issue of Architectural Digest, and, like that magazine, it leaves you with a mix of envy and desire." ~The Washington Post

"[Book] has a soulful edge... And although Smith is known for using high-end fabrics and fine antiques, his interiors are enduring, flexible, and never need to be "updated." So, in a way, there is something frugal and very real about them." ~Style Court Blog

About the Author
One of Architectural Digest’s 100 Top Designers and winner of Elle Decor’s Designer of the Year Award in 2003, Michael S. Smith is an internationally respected interior designer. He is the author of Michael Smith’s Elements of Style. Christine Pittel is a senior editor at House Beautiful magazine. Her writing has also appeared in the New York Times, Town & Country, Harper's Bazaar, House & Garden, and many other publications.

Customer Reviews

GRANNY MODERN
Almost nobody does tea-stained, mismatched, nap-friendly Granny Modern as well as Michael Smith. It is a reassuring, pretty, traditional, warm and comfortable style at which Smith succeeds admirably. The photos and accompanying text are equally pleasant. Can't help wishing for just a splash of something edgy, dissonant and slightly incongruous in each room, however, to advance the tradition forward, keep the style evolving and upset the balance just a little.

This is what happens when piles of money and talent combine.
An excellent second effort from the designer to the super rich. Smith has exquisite taste and clearly a connoisseur's eye. The designer's own written text gives one good insight into the interior designer's inspirations and jumping off points for his interior schemes. The photography is splendid. A must for any design follower who relishes the English country house ideal as freshened by a young American.

weak
Its not as good as Michael Smith's previous book "Elements of Style". The houses presented are predictable and all appear to have a similar style, and this book seems to promote Smith as a decorator (through future projects like the Majorca house)and dealing with his life history and his motivations (which he is still too young for)instead of giving the reader information and ilustrations on different solutions and approaches of interior design. After having read "Elements of Style", this book is weak, boring, and a let down.