Attention to Detail: The finishing touch in more than 100 contemporary rooms [Hardcover]

Suzanne Trocmé (Author), Andrew Wood (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2, 2004

Professional designers know that it's attention to detail that truly distinguishes an interior. Light fixtures, door handles, textiles, fittings, accessories: these are the components that can transform a merely stylish space into something more personal and unique. Without them, even the most professionally decorated homes can end up looking like a museum-beautiful, but intimidating and ultimately lifeless. Showcasing actual residences in hundreds of stunning, full-color photographs, this volume zeroes in on the critical fine points and finishing touches that give a room individual character. Through a casebook method of presentation that mirrors the way most of us approach home renovation-room by room-Trocmé emphasizes a practical design philosophy in which functionality is as important as pure form.

Representing a range of contemporary styles, the featured interiors reveal how real people have addressed a wide variety of decorating challenges. A directory of sources refers readers to manufacturers of top-quality materials and products.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Design expert Trocme (Retro Home; Influential Interiors; etc.) advances the theory that attention to detail can make or break a home's interior. The architecture and design editor of Wallpaper is quick to point out that by "detail" she doesn't mean cushions, vases and "the more nebulous bits and bobs we find arranged around the home." Rather, she's concerned with the design and structure of a home's major elements, from windows to flooring to stairs. Attempting to show readers how to integrate these elements into a harmonious whole, Trocme showcases rooms from around the world that she considers to be exemplars of good design, then breaks each room down into "functional detail" and "decorative detail," scrupulously examining everything from fireplaces to faucets. Trocme's taste clearly tends toward expensive minimalism, and while she'd certainly agree that good design transcends class or income level, most of the brands and features she proposes are out of range for all but the fantastically wealthy. For readers who fall into that category, or for those rich in aspirations, Trocme is an entertaining guide. Her design tips are spiked with observations on how contemporary lifestyles are changing our living spaces (noting that his-and-hers bathroom sinks are becoming increasingly popular in an age of double-income stress, she muses, "perhaps the bathroom is the new social venue for a couple to squeeze extra time together"). But despite Trocme's best efforts, the book never quite shakes off a slightly chilly aura of elitism that limits its usefulness for general readers.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Writer and journalist SUZANNE TROCME has contributed to the New York Times, Architectural Digest, House & Garden, Vogue, and Wallpaper, and she is the author of several books, including The New Classics (Stewart, Tabori & Chang). She is currently European editor of Interior Design magazine, and lives in London with her husband and two sons. Andrew Wood specializes in photographing interiors and fashion. Based in London, he works for a variety of magazines, including Vogue and the Sunday Telegraph Magazine.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Stewart, Tabori and Chang (March 2, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584793600
• ISBN-13: 978-1584793601
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 9.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #948,626 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars They were not kidding when they titled this book "Attention to Detail.", July 28, 2006

By 

Amy Hilliard (VA, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Attention to Detail: The finishing touch in more than 100 contemporary rooms (Hardcover)

This is one of the most informative non-textbook on interior design I have ever read. The author goes into great detail on the items she chose and why she chose them-hence the name. "Attention to Detail" is split into three major sections with several chapters in each section. The sections are Casebook, Functional Detail, and Decorative Detail.

The chapters in the Casebook section represent each area in a house. There are several cases described in each chapter. For each case the author describes what the client's desires were, each item in the room, and how it incoporates the clients desires. There is a floor plan of each room. She also describes a concept and how the case illustrates that concept. For example, the first chapter is about living rooms. Case Study 1 is about Ralph and Ann Pucci's living room. They like their environment to be "neat, but easy." The concept this case illustrates is comfort. The author describes how the color, style, and placement of furniture, art, windows, books, etc. was done just so to evoke the feeling of neat and easy comfort.

The second section Funtional Detail contains the chapters surfaces, walls, floors, structure, services, water, heat, light, and storage. In these chapters the author describes different types of items and concepts in each category. For example in the wall category she describes inserting walls, bare walls, cladding, tile, color, and pattern. This section does not give you step-by-step instructions on how to achieve the effects-there are other books for that-it describes some examples in each category and why you might want to incorporate them into a room.

The third section Decorative Detail has chapters on accessories, such as furniture, soft furnishings, and art and ornament. There is also a list of resources for the book.

I like "Attention to Detail" because it not only shows great pictures, but unlike most interior design/decoration books, gives you the decorator's "assignment" and how she accomplished it. The interior design style is modern, but the information can be applied to any style. I think this is a great edition to anyone's interior decoration/design library

2.0 out of 5 stars a waste of money, November 19, 2011

By 

appreciator of art - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Attention to Detail: The finishing touch in more than 100 contemporary rooms (Hardcover)

i wasted my money buying this book. i didn't find the rooms very attractive. Their decor was too high end to provide me with any ideas to use in my own home. i didn't feel there was anything particularly interesting about any of the rooms.