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December 27, 2004
"The House in Good Taste"
Amazon: "The House in Good Taste" (1914/2004)
Originally published in 1914 and reprinted this year, Elsie de Wolfe's The House in Good Taste offers an interesting window into the history of interior design. De Wolfe is often credited as the "first professional interior designer" in America, and this book is actually based on a series of articles that she published in magazines and newspapers. Her ideas about design were completely at odds with the Victorian styles that were popular in the late 1800s/early 1900s. Since then, however, her influence can be seen in much of the design of the last century.
I think what I love most about the book is that many of the design ideas that are popular again are advocated nearly 100 years ago by de Wolfe. In the last few years, white-painted trim around windows, doors, etc. is popular again, an idea that can be traced to de Wolfe. The large picture or mirror hung above the fireplace? Classic de Wolfe. Those little indoor fountains that everybody was buying two years ago? De Wolfe thought we all needed them. I even think the overarching ethos of shows like Trading Spaces can be linked to de Wolfe. Early in the book she writes, "A person's environment will speak for their life, whether they like it or not," which I think summarizes pretty well why shows like Trading Spaces exist in the first place. There are increasing demands (especially in the media) that American homes get rid of their clutter, get organized, and get stylish. (Think about the emergence of the "home improvement stores" like Home Depot & Lowe's, plus the interior design stores like Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel. They are pretty much inventions of the past two decades, and I don't think they'd be such massive corporations if this persuasion process wasn't about style wasn't so effective). I also think that if you take the rooms of Trading Spaces as a whole (well, maybe not Hildi's so much, but that woman's just crazy), they are pretty close de Wolfe's three basic design ideas: "When I am asked to decorate a new house, my first thought is suitability. My next thought is proportion. Always I keep in mind the importance of simplicity."
It's a fairly fast read (just 201 pages), and I enjoyed it, although the latter chapters perhaps get into slightly obscure topics (indoor trellises of vines? Yikes.). De Wolfe is mostly clearly writing for an upper class audience, but at least seems aware that not everybody has a giant house (she even includes a chapter on decorating apartments). Admittedly, it's an odd little piece of non-fiction, but I could see myself re-visiting every once and a while as I re-decorate.
Posted by hannah at December 27, 2004 02:16 PM
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