At Home with Designers and Tastemakers: Creating Beautiful and Personal Interiors

I have been a fan of Quintessence for several years. I've spent an enjoyable afternoon going over Stacey Bewkes' wonderful photos. Susanna Salk is so gracious and supportive when she visits someone in their home that she gets designers to reveal the real dirt: they use Iron on tape and thumbtacks and a glue gun to get that instant gratification just like the rest of us mere mortals. Susanna tells us time and time again that we can all do this!You get to take your time and wander through designers' cupboards and shelves, admiring the doo dads and treasures without having to hit pause. Perfect thing to enjoy on a cold wet winter afternoon when you have half a bottle of wine to kill and don't want to dust. Maybe you'll see something that's in your collection. You'll definitely see many things you want. There are so many good ideas worth "stealing". Reading the backstories makes you want more and Isn't that the sign of a great book? Thank you for this wonderful companion to the Quintessence series.

I love love love the “ quintessence“ video series and this book provides a detailed look at some of the intriguing homes they have toured. I love that these homes are not overly staged, and show how these creatives really live. Stacey’s photographs capture so many intriguing details. I love the introduction and how Susanna invites us to incorporate small “ tastes” of these details and elements into our own homes, using her experience as an example. Fabulous! A feast for the senses!

I'm going to be paging through this book a lot. I'm a big fan of House of Brinson, which is why I bought the book but I'm finding a lot of inspiration from most of the homes featured. I like that it's not a monograph of one designer's work (like a lot of home design books are lately) so there's a great diversity in the homes pictured -- so much interesting art work and unusual furniture and color combinations. These places look like real homes; not just show pieces. I had few expectations but it was surprisingly enjoyable to flip through this book.*My few criticisms: 1. The plain white book cover with the weird purple lettering is hideous. There are so many ways to make a book cover beautiful these days, why is this one so bland?? The cover looks cheap. The end sheets on the front and back of the cover are a spectacular blue pattern. Why not put that pattern on the cover?? Unfortunately this is not a book I want to display because of the weird cover.*2. The book title. "Tastemakers" is such a snobby term.*3. Why did Susanna Salk feel the need to put so many pictures of herself in this book. I get that she's the host. But she's not why we watch her video show Quintessence. We watch because of the amazing homes featured. In fact she herself (and her cringe-y fawning) are off-putting. Just my personal preference for interior design books NOT to not see shots of people posing.

It is always remarkable when an interior designer and featured blogger goes to the effort of showcasing other professionals homes and work. This book is a testimony to appreciation of others talents and a very noteworthy and welcome addition to the library of fine interior design books .

I’m a fan of Salk’s video series, and on the strength of some of these videos I bought the book without knowing which “designers” and “tastemakers” she and her co-author would be covering. I shouldn’t have rushed but rather waited to peruse the book at a book store. While I was hoping designers like Windsor Smith would be included (loved the YT video), no such luck. There was not ONE home or interior I’d trade my own for, and that’s really unusual for me to say. One of the highlights when spending $50 or more for a coffee table book is to be inspired, to glean ideas, or even have the cheap thrill of imagining yourself living in some incredible homes and locations. Perhaps the following list of names of people whose homes are covered in this book will help: Jill Sharp Weeks, Lulu Powers, Suzanne Rheinstein, Michael Trapp, David Netto, Martin Cooper and Karen Suen-Cooper, Pieter Estersohn, John and Rachel Robshaw, Susan and Will Brinson, Alexandra Champalimaud, Alex Papachristidis, Darren Henault, Kate Brodsky, Charlotte Barnes and Johnson Hartig. If you’re familiar with these folks and enjoy their style, this book is for you.

This came recommended from a review in one of the shelter magazines. No theme to the photographs and very ordinary decor.

Pictures not as good of quality as other design books, would like a bigger sized book as well.

The photos were harsh and the colors hard and unpleasant. The text had some left it but not enough. The homes were a cluttered mess. Some didn't even look clean. All in all very disappointing.