Customer Reviews

Living Traditions: Interiors by Matthew Patrick Smyth

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...is that I thought the cover shot was underwhelming compared to some of the other photos in the book. I can't say I was that familiar with Smyth's work before, but after looking through the book and reading some of the text, I quickly became a fan. His projects look to be elegant, classic and of high quality -- the kind you could see that would just get better over time and age gracefully. If you're a fan of loud, trendy interiors, you've picked the wrong book. But if you like your design books to have quality photography of well-done traditionally-oriented interiors, you've come to the right place.

Matthew Patrick Smyth is one of the finest traditional decorators in America, and much can be learned from this new book. His interiors radiate calm and comfort, and are full of carefully thought-out details, which include russet-red moss fringing on a beige suede sofa, wall-to-wall framed antique prints of 18th-century Paris in place of wallpaper, and the quiet glamor of armchairs upholstered in pleated silk.

As befits a fabric designer (Smyth sells a range of his fabrics at F. Schumacher,) he uses color and texture in many different ways-- the book ranges from elegant townhouses in New York, to his own Connecticut Colonial house in Sharon, and showcases one of my favorites- a wonderfully grand apartment in London that you may recall seeing on the cover of a recent issue of Elle Decor magazine.

In his easy-to-read introduction Smyth tells of his start as a decorator, "The reality of working as a designer came as a shock. I discovered that I would only be devoted to actual design 10 percent of the time. The rest, the hard and important part, was detail--running around, problem solving, organizing on a massive scale with military precision." Living Traditions comes with all the benefit of Smyth's years of experience, and he writes, " Design is a set of relationships, of interactions among objects, colors, patterns,materials, and light--all with definite parameters. Through point and counterpoint, I strive for balance. Balance is everything." This fairly sums up this gracious book, as page after page features Smyth's elegant decorating, where every seat is comfortable, and nothing ever looks out of place.

Matthew Smyth's book Living Traditions is sure to be a long-lived classic. Mr. Smyth talks about design in context: the contexts of his clients' homes and also of his own life. A true professional with deep experience, he knows fad from fashion, and his interiors get better and better as they age. By all means, get this beautiful book.

Matthew Patrick Smyth's "Living Traditions" from The Monacelli Press is a beautifully written design book with spectacular photographs that clearly relay the fact that Matthew Patrick Smyth is a "New Traditionalist". His interiors are founded in the classics but are by no mean 'traditional' in the ordinary sense of the word. He takes the classic in the form of family heirlooms and American antiques and combines it with the unexpected---a splash of red in the form of his signature deep red walls or a contemporary painting, a Saarinen side table or a bit of surprise in a detail, a fabric or a work of art or objects. His interiors are inspiring, serene and very much in the genre of a new and quite spectacular traditon.

What a phenomenally beautiful book in every way. Smyth's interiors are lush and luxurious without ever being overwhelming or uninviting. Though they look like they should be behind velvet ropes at a museum, there is nothing forbidding about them. In some places, he even shows off a clean Modernist flair, but without any of the coldness one normally encounters in Modern interiors. Most importantly, every room bears the stamp of the client, not the designer, which is always the real trick in these things. Finally, the book is a beautiful object -- the paper, the printing, the text, the photos -- and looks great on my coffee table

Matthew Smyth's book offers creative rebuttal to the notion "there is nothing new under the sun" !

His work offers a refreshing take on the classics. He brings a new look to the traditional while maintaining both comfort and function. It makes for interesting reading as he reveals his sensible and sensitive points of view while the excellent photos prove a rich study of what makes something timeless. "Living traditions" makes the old young again !

This is an absolutely beautiful book. The designer, Matthew Smyth, uses rich fabrics and the juxtaposition of interesting collections in an unparalleled way. His luxurious treatment of the classic and traditional is evident throughout but his treatment of ultramodern collections are equally flawless.