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A Flair for Living is a tribute to interior decorating and a celebration of this profession as an art form. Author and respected American interior decorator Charlotte Moss’ career began in 1985 and spans twenty-three years. For Moss living is a luxury and one’s surroundings should attest to that.

   Charlotte Moss was born in Richmond, Virginia, dividing her time between homes in Manhattan, East Hampton and Aspen. She runs her own lines of furniture, wallpaper, fabric, fragrance and linens.

She recently began an endeavor known as the “townhouse concept” – a chain of retail outlets in which every room is designed to represent a room in a house.

    Moss confesses that she began by creating beautiful rooms for her clientele, without giving too much thought to practical aspects; however, over time her focus has shifted towards a combination of beauty, elegance, functionality and practicality. She insist her clients form their own personal aesthics, as opposed to imposing her style on their homes.

   According to Moss the architecture of the house comes first, followed closely by the placement of furniture. Ideally, the architect and the interior decorator should work in close proximity. The shape and proportion of the furniture to the room should be decided in these initial phases that any awkward sizes problems can be avoided early on. The interior of the house must work in partnership with the landscaping, or the views of the garden from inside the house. To Moss, the exterior of the house is an extension of it. Every item must be chosen with great care for detail. A taste for Roman mythological figures and nineteenth century French furniture are the main design enhancements in the home referred to in the publication.

The arrangement of furniture should serve to compel conversation between guests when they are seated and not isolate visitors from one another. These are some examples of Moss’s personal insights that readers are exposed too.

  Moss has written extensively in this publication and although the residences presented do not belong to her, many entries are personal memoirs of the emotions evoked by certain rooms and furniture. Anecdotes about family are used to illustrate how she managed to decorate a house to suit an entire family’s needs. This publication serves to give confidence to people with a taste for interiors. Although certainly not a textbook how-to, the illustrations alone give readers insight into one of America’s most sought-after interior decorators.

Keywords: American, Assouline, David Krut Bookstores, David Krut Distribution, Decor, Design, Interior, International