Design Inspirations, Vol. 1 [Hardcover-spiral]

Charlotte Moss (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 26, 2004

The first volume of the Design Inspirations series takes an in-depth look at four exquisite rooms created by Charlotte Moss for four different New York decorator show houses. Drawing on inspiration from history as well as her own travels and favorite people, Moss shares her design philosophy and process from the initial spark of an idea to the final creation of a sophisticated and timeless room. The founder of Charlotte Moss & Company and Charlotte Moss Interior Design in New York City, Moss has designed houses throughout the United States and in the Caribbean.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

The founder of Charlotte Moss & Company and Charlotte Moss Interior Design in New York City, Charlotte has designed houses throughout the United States and in the Caribbean and her work has been featured in numerous publications and over a dozen decorator showhouses. Charlotte has received numerous awards, and for 10 years her retail shop was recognized internationally as a unique source for fresh and eclectic home furnishings. Her home fragrance, decorative accessories and upholstered furniture are distributed nationwide.

Product Details

• Hardcover-spiral: 96 pages
• Publisher: Moss & Company (October 26, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0975276905
• ISBN-13: 978-0975276907
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #930,273 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

79 of 82 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Maybe it's me, but really rather disappointing., March 6, 2005

By 

Decorating Diva (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Design Inspirations, Vol. 1 (Hardcover-spiral)

I've been a Charlotte Moss fan for years, beginning in the late 80's when she opened her decorating shop in New York City in the 1980's and consider her books, "A Passion for Detail" and "Creating a Room" to be my very favorite interior design books (and I have quite an extensive collection). So, when I understood that her latest design book, "Design Inspirations" was being published, I was very much looking forward to it and ordered it sight unseen. Sadly, I found it quite disappointing and not nearly in the same league as her other decorating books.

First, I should explain that the book examines four rooms that she has designed in recent years for interior design showhouses in NYC. It is not her rooms that I find fault with -- all the rooms are absolutely gorgeous, as I have always found her designs -- but the book itself is the disappointment. Unlike her previous efforts, this book is a thin volume -- not even 100 pages in total -- and unexpectedly small -- not much larger than a standard paperback. It is not the substantial, coffee table beauty that I've come to expect from this author. The illustrations are lovely, but there's very little text at all and I don't imagine the author spent much time writing the text and organizing the illustrations. In addition, one of the four rooms, the bedroom, has been covered and illustrated extensively in at least two recent home decorating magazines. The other three rooms are also well illustrated on her website, so there will actually not be too much new to be found in this book.

Maybe it's me, but this book seems more like a little companion guide -- with some pretty illustrations -- to the showhouses in which she participated, than the beautiful and substantial "Passion for Detail" that I have revisited with enjoyment many times since it was published almost 15 years ago. In summary, I probably would still have bought this book, had I seen it first, but it would not have been the automatic purchase I thought it was when I ordered it.

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars an intimate look at where a decorator's inspiration TRULY comes from, September 21, 2005

By 

nyccreative (New York, New York United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Design Inspirations, Vol. 1 (Hardcover-spiral)

Perhaps if the reviewer "Decorating Diva" had read the information regarding the dimensions of the book and the page count (not to mention the price) she--or he--would not have been so disappointed.

While it's true that this is no coffee table book--and there are plenty of other decorators' coffee table books out there if that is what you are interested in (and, further, from what I understand, Ms. Moss will have a new one of her own coming out later this fall)--what I loved about this book was its almost keepsake aspect documenting four of Ms. Moss' favorite rooms from decorator showhouses. Though diminutive, this book is packed with information--96 pages is A LOT to learn about only 4 rooms. And, since showhouses exist for such a short period of time, this was an interesting memoir approach to the process of their creation.

While many people in the design world often talk about their "Inspiration", it is very rare that you actually hear first-hand the actual experiences/images/dreams that lead up to the creation of something beautiful. In addition to being talented, Ms. Moss is a very interesting woman personally, and that is what shines forth in this book--how the essence of the creative person translates into her work.

A worthwhile purchase for Ms. Moss' fans, as well as anyone interested in the ideas behind ideas.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Design Inspirations, Vol 1, January 4, 2007

By 

Mr. Mcgoo - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Design Inspirations, Vol. 1 (Hardcover-spiral)

This is a brief overview of Design. I found it unsatisfactory. I was expecting a book similar to Charlott Moss' book "Winter Home". Winter Home is a delightful book. Design Inspirations, Vol 1 was not.