DESIGN BOOK ADDICT: Forty Years of Fabulous

Interior design Bunny Williams; Photographer Thomas Loof

Forty Years of Fabulous by Steven Stolman is the MUST HAVE book of the season.  You do have your copy already, don't you??

If not, I am here to convince you to boot up Amazon and order it right this very second.Forty Years gathers all of the most fabulous rooms in the venerable Kips Bay Show House since its inception. Anyone interested in design should have a copy in their library, because, really, it's all in there.  Yup, the entire design code.

Interior design by Sherrill Canet: Photographer Nick Johnson

The book is organized loosely by style (the "Tradionalists", the "Modernists", the "Classicists", and so forth) with special sections devoted to the "Legends" and the "Newcomers."

Interior design by David Barrett Inc.; Photography by Phillip H. Ennis

There a brief bit in the beginning about the history of the show house, which honors some key figures.  Otherwise, there is limited text--primarily quotes from the participating designers.  Most of the book consists of huge giant pictures to drink in.

Interior design by Harold Simmons and Peter VanHattum; Photographer Phillip H. Ennis

Stolman notes that the organizers of the Kips Bay Show House have not done much with recording each year's edition. Almost all of the photos came from the participating designers, and it sounds like his efforts to gather them together were exhaustive.

Interior design by Amy Lau; Photography by Kris Tamburello

40 Years Cover

I see no reason to clutter this post with a lot of words,  because Forty Years of Fabulous  really speaks for itself.  There is no other source where you are going to get the find the best in interior design from the last forty years gathered in one place.  Stolman has done those of us interested in interior design an enormous service.

Buy it now.

All photos reprinted with the permission of Gibbs Smith. Thank you to them for the review copy of the book.