Attention to Detail: The finishing touch in more than 100 contemporary rooms - Hardcover

Writer and journalist SUZANNE TROCME has contributed to the New York Times, Architectural Digest, House & Garden, Vogue, and Wallpaper, and she is the author of several books, including The New Classics (Stewart, Tabori & Chang). She is currently European editor of Interior Design magazine, and lives in London with her husband and two sons. Andrew Wood specializes in photographing interiors and fashion. Based in London, he works for a variety of magazines, including Vogue and the Sunday Telegraph Magazine.

Design expert Trocme (Retro Home; Influential Interiors; etc.) advances the theory that attention to detail can make or break a home's interior. The architecture and design editor of Wallpaper is quick to point out that by "detail" she doesn't mean cushions, vases and "the more nebulous bits and bobs we find arranged around the home." Rather, she's concerned with the design and structure of a home's major elements, from windows to flooring to stairs. Attempting to show readers how to integrate these elements into a harmonious whole, Trocme showcases rooms from around the world that she considers to be exemplars of good design, then breaks each room down into "functional detail" and "decorative detail," scrupulously examining everything from fireplaces to faucets. Trocme's taste clearly tends toward expensive minimalism, and while she'd certainly agree that good design transcends class or income level, most of the brands and features she proposes are out of range for all but the fantastically wealthy. For readers who fall into that category, or for those rich in aspirations, Trocme is an entertaining guide. Her design tips are spiked with observations on how contemporary lifestyles are changing our living spaces (noting that his-and-hers bathroom sinks are becoming increasingly popular in an age of double-income stress, she muses, "perhaps the bathroom is the new social venue for a couple to squeeze extra time together"). But despite Trocme's best efforts, the book never quite shakes off a slightly chilly aura of elitism that limits its usefulness for general readers.
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