Fiorentina Books

This is a review of the 1972 edition of BILLY BALDWIN DECORATES with a Forward by Cleveland Amory. Tellingly, it is dedicated to his late mentor Ruby Ross Wood (who headed the first department store decorator department and was the ghost-writer for THE HOUSE IN GOOD TASTE). For the uninitiated, some of the most striking aspects of the book are the still-stylish rooms and still-valid advice. One of the Fathers of American Decorating, Billy Baldwin gives his thoughts on interior design illustrated by drawings and photos, in black & white and in color, of his projects. The photo reproduction quality is not to the standards of today's glossy coffee table books, but the content makes up for the short fall. Chapters are Taste and Logic in Decorating, Rooms to Live In, How to Work With A Decorator, The Elements of Decoration, The Bones of a Beautiful Room, Decorating for How and Where You Live, Your Own Personal Stamp, and The Big Question of Change. Each chapter also has informative sub-chapters.

Some of his most famous projects are featured. Readers can draw their own conclusions as to the similarities of two of the most admired -- his own small studio apartment in a modern high-rise building on Manhattan's Upper East Side and Cole Porter's apartment in the Waldorf Towers which housed is late wife's collection of French furniture. Both iconic Bachelor Pads have inspired countless imitations, rightfully so. Although Mr Baldwin claimed that "if you can tell I did a house, I didn't", his sense of style was unmistakeable and a good lesson to us all. This book is a must-have for everyone interested in residential design.