Friday, September 26, 2014

Markham Roberts, Decorating the way I see it.

The fine folks at Vendome Press recently sent me a copy of Markham Roberts new book, Decorating the way I see it, and I spent a happy evening perusing Robert's trademark 'un-decorated' style.
While Roberts modestly claims in the book to not have a trademark style I would disagree.  Each house has the style of its' homeowner graciously pulled together by the talent of the designer.
I hate those blogpost spoilers you so often see that share every image in the book; why purchase the book then? Seen highlighted in this post is one project seen in the book out of many that was previously published by House Beautiful (seen HERE).
The house was originally designed by noted architect H.T. Lindeberg (about whom I have blogged many times HERE) in the Locust Valley section of Long Island and retains all of the era's charm and graceful proportions.
The book is split into HOW Roberts works and starts practically, with the room's floorplan (seen above). Nothing fancy is needed.  The designer sketched the furniture to scale over a drafted floorplan to see how the room functions and what scale of furniture was required.
 The house is a charming brick structure. The room in question is the side wing seen above.
A true sign of any designer's talent is how they live themselves. The last few chapters of the book are devoted to Robert's own homes and the sneak peaks are delightful, particularly his private dressing room seen below where all of his interests collide.
The book Markham Roberts, Decorating the way I see it, is a delightful read full of Robert's obvious charm, modesty, and wit with a peak at some of his many projects which don't scream 'decorated' but rather are gracious homes where people can actually LIVE.
All photography in the book and this post by Nelson Hancock 

3 comments:

Karena said...

Stefan I just finished Markham's book last night and enjoyed every single page. He has a fine wit and does not seem to take himself too seriously. You are right I also see his design aesthetic to make his clients as comfortable in their surrounding as possible for the way they live.

Loved that he has an entire chapter on Art and its importance in INterior Design as well!

xoxo
Karena
The Arts by Karena

Mark D. Ruffner said...

I look forward to reading Markham's book, and I would add that Vendome Press does a great service by documenting the best in current interior design.

I personally would not want to hire an interior designer who was known for his or her own style. That implies that clients are subjugated to a taste not their own, and one that's a formula.

Deana Sidney said...

Well I am coveting the tiger chair and that wallpaper that looks like some giant snake's scales. Seems like this fellow has quite a style indeed and uses color in a marvelous way -- such a green!