Rooms for Living: A Style for Today with Things from the Past

Suzanne has been a mentor to me and her design style is unspeakably chic, beautiful and original. Such an inspiration. This book is as much educational and inspiring as it is a beautiful addition to any coffee table or bookshelf. Makes a really unique gift.

Gorgeous book, I mainly bought it for ideas, but it is so lovely I just enjoy escaping into the pictures.

Wonderful photos, lovely rooms by a terrific, California-based Designer. Continuing to enjoy this book!

As a designer known for her clean and timeless interiors, Suzanne Rheinstein has a following that makes her a fail-proof author of books filled with her work. This new volume is no exception. Beautifully photographed by Pieter Estersohn and artfully published, it presents a number of newer projects in the designer's repertoire, most of which have not been seen before. As in her previous book we are again treated to her singular vision and apparently-effortless creation of livable interiors. On inspection, it's clear to see why the cover shot was chosen as that room and all its elements are truly wonderful, and certainly the best in show here. That aside, it must also be noted that Ms. Rheinstein's aesthetic appears to be shifting more toward the spare, off-white, and contemporary. In most projects presented here, the layers, evidence of lives being lived, are conspicuously absent as are the deftly-handled variety of colors. Some of this difference may involve the fact that the earlier book included two of her own elegant homes, and it's difficult for a designer to create a "collected-over-years" look for a client who hasn't or doesn't share the interest. Or it may be that she is simply responding to her clients' requests in this regard, both being swept along by the current tabula rasa design mania. It's not necessarily bad, but one can't help wondering if these rooms will endure the test of time as gracefully when compared to her earlier-published, much more classic work which stood out from the rest of the field. We'll have to wait to know, but in the meantime, Ms. Rheinstein, please give us more of Book #1.

Some of the furniture in the photos, especially the antiques, are absolutely beautiful . However, the rooms themselves look like hotel lobby spaces for the most part. Cold, the usual boring neutrals, and impersonal. I was very disappointed by this book.

Lovely book and elegant ideas that you could use in your own home. I have long been a fan of Suzanne Rheinstein's style.

Stunning pictures. Very classic

When I first opened the book and flipped through the photos, I immediately thought of my late grandparents home. Based on the title and description that is probably appropriate although I would have preferred a bit more of "a style for today ". The second reaction, in particular for the living rooms was that they seemed more like hotel lobbies and less like a comfortable home. I also noticed that in several the coffee tables where placed too far away to make them practical for use. The houses pictured in this book are certainly pretty but in the end I would have liked more color and less of a museum feel