Vintage Design Books - Spaces

ll,",B6onStyl" T

llililflflilJlll[ililllll il1il[

B Y P arRrcra Sxacxsrrono

achyearI sort throughthe offeringsof new desisnbooks to see which ones shouldioinmy library.Onceyou haveestablisheda bit of a collection,it becomeseasier to turn a discerningeye to the new selections.In orderto find a spot on my shelves, a bookneedsto havea timelessquality.I but they canadmiretrends in magazines, won'tfind a permanenthome in hardcover. So how to determinewhich spine I will reachfor againand again?Look back,not forward: Vintagedesignbooksare the cornerstones of any designlibrary,and every

Leftt Kathg Kel/g disp/ogsher co/lectionof design books in her oronge-locquered

hashis or her favorites. aficionado Like all good things, vintagedesign

librarg. Above:A folio t'rom Decorotion, Kel/gs most-prized design book.

bookscan cometo you in three ways:You caninherit,you can hunt,or you can buy

Kelly, a partner at Helix Architecture+ Design,was lucky enoughto havea generous grandmotherwith a good eye. "My

themnewand find 20 yearsfrom now that youhavea treasureon your hands.Kathy

favoritevintagebook was given to me by

my grandmother,Mary Kelly,a self-taught interiordesignerin Fort Lauderdale,from her own collectionwhen I went into design and school,"Kellysays."lt is titled Decoration

,{,;-rttff;ft;;"

it was publishedby French and European Inc. for the American design Publications market." VrNraGE BEGnEEN-CoLLEcr GreenStamps Mygrandmothercollected insteadof designbooks,so I've had to build m y collectionsth rou gh th e h unt . I bought my first vintage design book at Spivey's manyyearsago.There,the architectureand photography books are right as you walk in t h e door. Colle ctin gis in the bac k c or ner . T h enup the crea kystairs,pa s t t he m ap and militaryrooms,lust next door to historyand you'll find a small room devoted presidents, t o u rbanpla nn ing An d in a lig ht edc los et ,a secretnook Iikethe wardrobeto Narnia,are the designbooks. I haveunearthedcopies of severalediGuidesto tions of HouseO Carden'sComplete by Roger lnteriorlnspirations Decorations, lnterior

BanksPye,severalvolumes of Architectural Di4ests compilations,and one of my favorin this closet.But Decorates, ites,BiliqBaldu'in I my first find, Mark Hamptlnon Decoratinq, happenedon in a stack right outside the door.Firstedition Signed.A very good day Thisvisitthere werea coupleof volumes Diqestseries, Colefaxand of the Architectural toyChesterJonesand a copy of TheArt Fowler by I D Cracepublishedin of ColourDecoration 1912. I wantedit even more becauseit bore the librarymark of JackRees,a pillar of the Ka n sasCit y d esign co mmun it y who died recentlyFor me, the mark made the book better,but that is not alwaysso.

l{ERAGE Sre'sRsallv SHowrNG W hichhrin ps u s to co nd it ion.You need to be awareas you are collectingbooks that c o n dit ionwill h avea n imp act on t he v alue Damageto the spine, the looseningof the b i n ding,fading ,te arin g a nd m is s ing pages all decreasethe value of the book. A first e d it ion,aut ho r'ssig na turean d pr is t r nedus t ;acketincreaseits value. lf you see several

copiesof a particularbook hereand about there,be more discriminating

lection,havingpickedup a volume or two

the condition.If you stumbleacross

most-wanted volumes. "l bought a lot

something more rare, like Yogue'sBook

of books becauseI adore the designer's

People, 1968with phoGardens, of Houses, tographs by Horst and a foreword by Diana Vreeland,be much more forgiving.

Terrance findsincluded Otherinteresting and 100oftheMost BedandBathBook Conran's BeautifulRoomsin Americaat Prospero'sin owner,Will Latham, Westport.Prospero's sayshis designbooksturn overrelatively with quickly.He creditsthe neighborhood "There areveryworksomeof that interest.

everyyear until her shelvesgroanedwith

and a good selectionof Di4est compilations Not just shelfupon books. MarthaStewart

style, but my favoritesare the ones where you can replicate the look. Let's face it: Not

shelfof overruns,but casesof rare books, safelybehindglass,aswell.

everyonehas l2-foot ceilings,"she says.

booksshouldnot be of storage, Speaking that or keptin directsunlight environments

buying now? Like my children, all mY

So what books would I recommend design books have special characteristics

have significanttemperaturefluctuations, that make me adore them, but recent favorites include House€' Garden'sBook of Also,acidsfrom like atticsand basements. newspaper and cardboardcan harm books, plastic promotes moldand mildew. and

Stgle,SouthernAccentson Color,Farrow€" Ball: The Art of Color,Michael S Smith's Elements of StUIeand Lynn von Kersting's La Strada

able older homesaroundherewith good architecture.Peopleare looking for ways

THINKING AHEA D

dellaDolceVita.This year's Michael Smith's

to makethose housesworkfor today,"says Latham.Vintagedesignbooksare full of

Sometimesyou end up with classic booksin your collectionbecauseyou were

future classics.Check back in 20 years to

inspirationfor renovators. HalfPriceBookshadquiteof fewcopies

wiseenoughto buy them whenthey were published.LocalantiquesdealerSuzanne

Cooper in building my collection. One can

Beautiful series,a fewArchitectural Cooperhas amassedan outstandingcolof the House

Housesand RegencqRedux top my list of

s e e i f I w a s a s d i s c r i m i n a t i n ga s Su za n n e

o n l y h o p e .I