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Nancy Lancaster

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If you are anything like me, you are in the "middle" of five books.  A book for growth, pleasure, historical significance, skill development, and so on and so forth.  Sadly, this bad habit--this lack of focus--results in too few books fully read in my library.  As a personal goal for these last 4 months of 2010, I have decided to complete the 4-5 four books I have at my bedside, one of which is Nancy Lancaster: Her Life, Her World, Her Art.

I was not familiar with Nancy Lancaster prior to being introduced to this book (by my fabulous and ever so stylish Grandmother).  The larger-than-life designer from Virginia is known for her complex personality, wit, and eye for design.  And, although I'm not quite in the middle of the biography yet, I can already sense I'm in for a treat.  Here are some 'quotables' from Nancy Lancaster:

"Understatement is extremely important and crossing too many t's and dotting too many i's make a room look overdone and tiresome."

"If every piece is perfect the room becomes a museum and lifeless."

"A gentle mixture of furniture expresses life and continuity but it must be a judicious mixture that flows and mixes well. It is a bit like mixing a salad. (I am better at room than salads)."

"I've always liked a formal layout and informal planting," she explained. "First get the structure right, like the bones in a face, then plant it like a crowded shoe. If you have a strong layout, you can let the plants seed themselves all over the place. Haphazard, unexpected... I like to be surprised by a garden."

I'll fill you in on the highlights as I go.

P.S.--I haven't forgotten about the "Hotel Luxury" reveal, rather, it is approaching.  The window trappings are to be hung this weekend and a work-around with the side tables is being resolved.  Thanks for your patience.

Becker, Robert. 1996. Nancy Lancaster: Her Life, Her World, Her Art. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.