The House in Good Taste

I have tried to read this interior design classic by Elsie de Wolfe twice. Despite her enormous influence on the way we Americans decorate our homes even today, I find this reprinted compilation of her articles to be tedious.

Perhaps it is because she speaks of things that have nothing to do with my life. The placement of the piano and the writing desk, the blessings of chintz. Wonderful as an abstract, but my piano has to go where it is, and a writing desk? In the drawing room? I don't think drawing rooms are legal on the West coast. And my husband is irrevocably opposed to chintz.

But if you are a fledgling interior designer, interested in the underpinnings of today's fashions, this volume could be of interest to you. But, note to self, not to me.