Howard Slatkin’s Fifth Avenue Style is a gorgeously illustrated book where the esteemed yet fame-shy American interior decorator opens the doors of his legendary Fifth Avenue apartment where he reveals a highly sophisticated yet comfortable bijou home that amalgamates 18th Century European chateau style, czarist Russia, Chinoiserie and Orientalism. This guided tour into his 6,000 sq.ft. Manhattan pre-war co-op and each carefully planned and cleverly arranged room illustrate perfectly the ease and flair of the extravagant tastemaker.
Slatkin’s palatial eyrie is a tour de force and masterclass in multi-layering fabrics, textures, colours, sizes and styles which, as by magic, never clash, detract or compete with each other; on the contrary, all of these ornate decorative strata live harmoniously side by side. Slatkin is notoriously famous for being an obsessive perfectionist and power entertainer; each and every single detail like the doorknobs, tiles and 19th Century silk lampshades were designed by him and his parties and their ‘tablescapes’ are legendary too.
What is fascinating about this book is that Slatkin ‘bares all’ from furniture plans, resolution of challenges, construction concepts to the selection of finishes and exquisite craftsmanship. Comparisons with Renzo Mongiardino and Henry Samuel are inevitable. There is undeniably a lot to take in when you look at these spectacular and completely bespoke interiors but blog A-Gent of Style took immense pleasure in taking the time to scrutinise, analyse and ultimately admire every single detail and ‘not to just look but see’as the maximalist himself professes. I hope you will too and that you will enjoy this compelling odyssey into Olde Worlde romantic artistry and boundless, lavish imagination that epitomise Howard Slatkin. (A-GENT-OF STYLE )
Joelle’s Tips:
Fifth Avenue Style: Howard Slatkin: 9780865652897: Amazon.com: Books
