Customer Reviews

Modern Glamour: The Art of Unexpected Style

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

If you bought all the "Trading Spaces" books, or worship at the altar of Christopher Lowell and Nate Berkus, then this is probably NOT the book for you. This is not a helpful hints, step-by-step book, or a book of designer secrets. It's the edgy boutique hotel of decorating books, not the Hilton.

It's a book of inspiration. Wearstler's interiors show the rewards of having patience and searching for the absolute perfect color, perfect item, perfect chair. She shows how to twist tradition with a blend of unusual pieces, unexpected finishes, and wild patterns and colors.

Every time I pick this up I find a quirky detail in one of the rooms. Whether it's a ceramic dog positioned to be peeking over the back of a sofa, or a large black tassel hanging from a brass door handle, or a lacquered wall. All stuff I'd usually cringe at, but here done with the author's wit, and it works.

You may not wish to have any of that in your home, but I bet you'll start finding the courage to display more than just a Crate and Barrel vase on the coffee table.

As a designer myself, this book was a great read. No, it is not an instructional book on how to decorate, but more of a personal portfolio of this designer's very stylish work. Ms. Wearstler is a very talented designer in that she has developed a very strong style that is recognizable among today's design work. As for the pictures of Ms. Wearstler herself, I very much enjoyed them, because her style of clothing absolutely reflected the glamour of the interiors she designs. I would say not to get this book if you know nothing about design, but read this book if you appreciate visual design that is unique and very bold. Congratulations Kelly Wearstler on showing us what personal style is all about!

Is Kelly Wearstler Jonathan Adler in drag? Or vice versa? Both are wildly talented people, who just happen to use the same things in their work, same colors, etc. Jonathan is an artist, who adoringly references and copycats retro pottery, and makes it unqiuely his own. Kelly is a cool chick, good dresser, has tons of style and can make a pretty room out of old glam junk and ideas. I love them both, and their books are worth having. I wish Kelly had more personal rooms. Too many hotel rooms which are very stagey. In the book she says she didn't like doing set design, yet that's what she does - designs sets for cool people like her to inhabit. Hollywood Regency is the word bandied about to describe both Jonathan & Kelly, he sometimes getting the East coast moniker of Palm Beach Style too (and she the West coast of Palm Springs). I say if you shop on eBay you will see all this great junk (just search Hollywood Regency) that I call eBay Regency. Both books give you a few ideas of how to put it together. Jonathan is more playful, Kelly more serious, but both make wonderful, zany, colorful, retro inspired modern human rooms. I think they bring back the words INTERIOR DECORATOR, so refreshing after everyone and his mother is a DESIGNER (used to be everyone's mother was a station wagon driving decorator with a business on the side). I wonder if these two have ever met, and if so do they like one another, or are they really the same person?

By the way get his book too, if you don't already have it JONATHAN ADLER PRESCRIPTION FOR ANTI DEPRESSIVE LIVING - they have it here at Amazon.

Yes, this book does feature many pictures of Kelly Wearstler in her interiors, but who cares? Her personal style obviously ties into the interiors she does, and what's wrong with that? Fashion and design are inextricably intertwined, in my opinion. This is NOT a how-to book, so if you are looking for that, this isn't for you. It does show many Hollywood Regency-type interiors, and while all are not my style, I can appreciate them as examples of different interiors. If you need everything spelled out for you, don't buy this. If you just want to see what is happening with design, and can be inspired by pictures to think of your own ideas, you'd probably appreciate this.

For those of us that truly love and get excited by design, this book is a wonderful example of why we are fascinated by this field. Rather than giving us the same old dry verbage about visual decor and "furniture placement," this book tailors itself directly from the author's personal point of view. I loved the way Ms. Wearstler discussed her framework of reference for her own designs, but in a way that allows you to decide for yourself how they might be adjusted to work for your own sensibility. Some of her spaces shown in the book are a little too staged for my own taste, but they give one ideas of how she might approach designing spaces of her own using texture and pattern to similar ends.
As a fellow professional of this field, I most certainly and highly recommend this book.

Kelly Wearstler is not only lovely and stylish, but very talented. Shelter mag junkies will recognize her one of the great designers of our time. This book is inspiring. If you are well-versed in design, this is a book with infinite layers. This book sends me into create daydreams that can last for hours. It's the visual equivalent to the experience of drifting into a thousand other places from a great line in a book. Kelly has an incredible talent for drawing from a number of varied styles to create a space that looks as though it has been lived in, buying the best of the best and acknowledging high-brow trends, for decades. Her spaces have the feeling that they have evolved over time. Hollywood Regency has been attached to her, but she has a style that draws most dominantly from David Hicks (they have red rooms that are nearly identical). She has clearly been a student of everything visual that she could get her hands on. She has taken instruction from the greatest designers and has been able to put a signature on her interpretation. Kelly has an incredible eye for color, pattern and detail. Her style is not as much a revival as an homage. This for me defines design right now. Look closely, there are a number of people following suit. To see how much skill is required to achieve the elegance that Kelly does, look at the kitschiness of Jonathan Adler's recent interior endeavors. He has a similar sensibility, but is such a near miss. She has an incredible eye and like all good designers can mix the expensive with the inexpensive, but don't be tricked, her rooms are chock-full of very important pieces. I always tell my sister that she can make Salvation Army look like Madison Ave. and she says that I can make Madison Ave. look like Salvation Army. There is such a fine line and Kelly understands this. The result is rich but unpretentious. The only thing that I can say critically is that, although Kelly is attractive, I don't really need to see her in so many photos and fear that her new book (due out oct.'05) has even more. I also cringe when I see the picture of her sitting with asian antiques dealers while wearing a rice farmer hat. ugh! Nonetheless, to my sister and me, she is a cool friend-in-our-heads.

Let me begin by saying that I LOVED THIS BOOK!!! How refreshing to open a book that draws you into the details of the designer's mind and creative talent. This book is all about luscious, full-color saturated, delicious photos that pull you into the setting of their spaces- there are sections in the book of full-bleed pages of photos, some in close focus of particular details. It's amazing to see the contrast and combination of some of the things the designer combines within her designs- things that on their own seem odd and out of place, but juxtaposed together work to create a whole new visual treat. From the photographs and graphic layout of the book itself, to the content of the projects displayed, this book just oozes creative talent.
I'm not exactly sure why having the designer's picture in the book seems to offend some of the above readers, but for me, I liked having a "face to the form." It's cool to see how the designer's own personal sensibility affects the type of work that she creates. What other interior design book out there combines fantastic architectural spaces and fashion with such aplomb! I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves interior design and/or fashion- you will not regret the purchase, I can assure you!

The book is really great when it comes to interior decoration. Ms Wearstler definitely has a knack for colour, and I like the creative way she used fresh colours and chic furniture to create new looks.

Beware though. Ms Wearstler seemed to like Asian religious icons in her decoration. I do not think that this gives due respect to our religion. As this is common amongst western interior decorators, this use of objects sacred to others as mere decorative items, Ms Wearstler could be forgiven for this.

I really liked this book from KW. The interiors and exteriors were fabulous and made me want to spend lots of money. Too bad, I can't really do that. But overall this is a fantastic design book from a fabulous designer. Also read her other book., Domicilium Decoratus.

Kelly Wearstler deserves all her success. Along with Jonathon Adler they helped launch a whole new era of design: Hollywood Regency. It's glamorous, exciting, with vivid jewel toned colors, dramatic white, black and even pink. I was so sick of midcentury modern and am glad there is a whole new style out there. Wearstler book is a great example: all the essential pieces are there and layed out beautiful in high quality large photographs. It has become my favorite decorating book. I am a feng shui consultant and have been able to incorporate many elements of Hollywood Glam style into my practice. LOVE IT!