Celerie Kemble: To Your Taste: Creating Modern Rooms with a Traditional Twist [Hardcover]

Celerie Kemble (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 4, 2008

Celebrate what’s beautiful about traditional style while breaking some of its rules: Take a page out of a designer’s book and add your own sense of relaxed whimsy and exuberant personality to create spaces that are versatile, original, and truly livable.

That’s designer Celerie Kemble’s philosophy in a nutshell. It’s all about blending a classic sensibility with a dose of irreverence and a dollop of humor to achieve a home that’s tasteful, eclectic, always evolving, and always welcoming.

Celerie takes you by the hand, gives you a detailed look at many of her signature interiors, and enthusiastically reassures you that, with the right information and attitude, you can overcome challenges and artfully achieve the ultimate design goal—a perfect blend of beauty and comfort.

From finding inspiration in childhood memories, current trends, and favorite belongings to working around real-life design dilemmas (such as a lack of space or light, or awkward floor plans) to selecting just the right furnishings (including rugs, lamps, and accessories), Celerie Kemble: To Your Taste infectiously proves that when making a beautiful home, the process is the best part.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“[Celerie Kemble: To Your Taste is a] decorating book for Bright Young Things…[and will appeal to] the young and the fashionable looking to create traditional interiors with a kick.” – House Beautiful
“[Celerie Kemble is] a decorator whose thorough approach means loads of style—but no predictable look” – Elle Décor
“New York "it girl" interior designer Celerie Kemble and writing partner Karen Kelly give readers a snappy, in-depth guide to cultivating personal style at home.” – Veranda
 
“Celerie Kemble, the Manhattan socialite designer whose name and face are everywhere from The New York Observer to House Beautiful, knows a lot about taste. It’s in her DNA.” – South Florida Sun Sentinel
 
“[In Celerie Kemble: To Your Taste, Celerie Kemble] celebrates what’s beautiful about traditional style while breaking some of its rules.” – OCALA Star Banner
 
“Celerie Kemble: To Your Taste…is fun and instructive, with lots of dos, don’ts and insider tips throughout its 256 pages. Fans of Hollywood Regency style, cheeky and the unexpected will be pleased.” – MCT News Service
 
“[Celerie’s] liberal use of pattern, color and the unexpected accessory of fabric…bolster her assertion that she’s there to help execute your vision, not her own. But she’ll show you how it’s done.” – Star Tribune
 
“In barely more than a decade in the business, Celerie Kemble…has become an interior-design luminary” – The McClatchy Tribune
 

About the Author

CELERIE KEMBLE is a principal in Kemble Interiors, a design firm started by her mother, renowned designer Mimi McMakin. Celerie is one of the most sought-after decorators, with designers like Tory Burch and Lela Rose turning to her for fresh home interior looks. She has been featured in such publications as the New York Times, Elle Decor, Metropolitan Home, House Beautiful, and Domino.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Clarkson Potter; 1ST edition (November 4, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307394425
• ISBN-13: 978-0307394422
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 1 x 11.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #75,751 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Readable, relatable, practical, January 3, 2009

By 

Maggie Dillier "progressive teacher" (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Celerie Kemble: To Your Taste: Creating Modern Rooms with a Traditional Twist (Hardcover)

Class bias ("Look to your parents' decorating style" - what, TV trays and laminate furniture?) notwithstanding, Celerie Kemble has written an eminently readable, relatable, and practical guide to beautiful design. From the general - create an interesting conversation between the pieces in a room - to the specific - side tables should be 2 inches below arm height - Kemble educates us and inspires us in equal parts. She's provided a guide to great rooms that helps a novice visually dissect the elements. I know what I like, but now I know how to recreate what I like in my own home. This book is a gem and a keeper for reference forever.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars best guide out there, January 7, 2009

By 

sloan (Nashville, TN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Celerie Kemble: To Your Taste: Creating Modern Rooms with a Traditional Twist (Hardcover)

rife with eloquent & entertaining prose, this decorating guide is just that...a guide. unlike many other decorating books, this one combines the inspiration of beautiful photography & the practicality of an explanation. if you're interested in finding a book that explains why designs work & why others don't...this is the book for you. of the many, many decorating books i own, this one is the absolute best.

if i could give it 6 stars, i would.

14 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars NY Times Review, November 6, 2008

By 

NY Reader "Reader" (NY, NY USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Celerie Kemble: To Your Taste: Creating Modern Rooms with a Traditional Twist (Hardcover)

Elegant but No Dilettante
By JULIE SCELFO
Published: October 29, 2008
The New York Times
It would be easy to dismiss Celerie Kemble. First off, her name is Celerie. Then there's her privileged childhood in Palm Beach, and the fact that she joined an interior design firm founded by her mother. But that would mean missing out on the talent that put her at the forefront of a new group of society designers and that is evident throughout "Celerie Kemble: To Your Taste" ($45; Clarkson Potter). A tiny nine-point font was used to fit all her advice into the 256-page volume, which shows, step by step, how to design rooms that are elegant and personal. It isn't often a decorating book includes a tribute to artisans and an apologia, but these sections, along with what must be Ms. Kemble's genetic predisposition toward humor (her mother named her Celerie, after all), are what make the book so engaging.