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Her use of decorative candles will have you rushing to your local candle shop to duplicate the sense of punctuation Florence de Dampierre masters in her own home. While some decorating books or magazines frustrate with an over-the-top, can't possibly do attitude about them, Florence de Dampierre's casual elegance, backed by photos and notes on exactly how to go about incorporating very specific items into the spaces of your home, had me carrying the book around the house while pushing furniture with one knee and balancing pictures, candle sticks and pillows any way I could. It eases you into considering the past as well as the future. As you read Ms. Most importantly, unlike other decorating book, French Chic is not only a "coffee table" display book -- it is beautiful -- it is a work book. Florence de Dampierre French Chic: The Art of Decorating HousesThis is more than a decorating book.
It drives you to consider the whole in addition to each part. The author does not force her perspective on you, she gently envelopes you with a sense of history, purpose and style -- all of which she takes very seriously while not taking herself so much so. I makes you want to try new things. I look forward to sharing sections, photos and historical background over the holidays and into the new year. It provides a historical context for critical decorating decisions as well as accent pieces. de Dampierre's book, you want to share each page with those around you.
This book will not be collecting dust, any time soon. I found myself using post it notes marked with the names of family members and friends to call out pages I know will be of interest to them.
It is a book on the history of decoration, entertaining at home, and tips for affordable and accessible decorating.You will finish the book with a much deeper understanding of the history of decoration, and many of the reasons behind elements that we take for granted in today's houses, plus some useful recipes, and inspiration for table settings. Here, she explains and suggests various decorating ideas, coupled with period prints and reference photographs from France. This comprehensive decorating book opens with a quick tour of de Dampierre's elegant house, but then embarks on a historical journey describing French style and its influence on the United States, including the ties between America and France through Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, two giants of American history, who returned from visits to France shortly before the start of the French Revolution, and who brought back crates of objects, furniture and books, in addition to many ideas for the newly conceived America.In the second chapter, de Dampierre uses her own house as a starting point. She discusses the history and use of floor plans, wall color, doors, windows, fireplaces and lighting fixtures, all with an eye to their use in France, and how they can be incorporated into the American house.Then there is a more comprehensive visual journey through her own house; this is more than just a guided visit through her domain--she is constantly explaining the decorative elements in a historical context, interspersed with advice. This chapter includes French-inspired menus and recipes, enlivened by photos of Dampierre's own table settings, which are inspirational enough for their own book.French Chic is more than just a decorating book.
Many interior designers develop complicated and elaborate interiors only a billionaire could afford. If you want the luxury of French style in your home, but want it to be consistent with American life today, this book is a MUST HAVE. The book is filled with practical advise and suggestions that help you find what you need. French Chic is a treasure because it bridges the divide between the great French historical tradition of interior design to practical design for today's home. De Dampierre gives the reader beauty and design with historical tradition, yet it is something that most households can acheive and afford on their own. BOFFO de Dampierre. This is the practical bridge that Martha Stewart acheived with cooking and household items; de Dampierre does this with interior design.
I had planned to give this as a Chritmas gift, but changed my mind once I received it. The cover is beautiful, and that's about the best part of this book. The house is pretty, but in an expected way that has been done before in so many other books, and I would call it more "traditional" than French. Disappointed. Ho-hum.just not enough to hold your interest.
The historical sections seem, at first glance, to be at some distance from the way we live now, but the idea of using a historical approach to taking a renewed look at the way you use the space you live in, turns out to be eminently useful. It's delicious to dip into when I have a moment to kick back and think about how to finish my own house. Bravo Florence de Dampierre, and merçi. Florence de Dampierre's French Chic splendidly accomplishes what few decorating books succeed in: combining practical advice and inspiration with a delicious voyage through French history and culture. But I find that I'm reading it, too, for the wonderfully witty and eclectic references that are sprinkled throughout as well: from Voltaire's observations about how women of his time weren't embarassed to receive visitors when spread out on a day-bed, to Flaubert's remarks on the idiocy of architects, to Thomas Jefferson's inventory of furniture brought back from his years in France.
Incredibly learned, yet endowed with great common sense, Florencence de Dampierre shows us how each room in the house evolved through time, taking on different functions according to how life was lived. De Dampierre points out, for example, that in the 17th century more than one room was used for dining. As recounted in the book's chapter on dining, the varying expedients resorted to throughout history suggest many different possibilities for making your living space into a "moveable feast" [Hemingway's description of life in Paris]. De Dampierre opens up the possibilities of pulling up a small table near the fireplace, or setting up a table in the library for a special tea, among others.This book, with its spectacularly beautiful pictures by Tim Street-Porter, already has a favored place in the stack of architecture and decorating books I keep on a tea-table in my own living room.
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