Florence de Dampierre French Chic: The Art of Decorating Houses Hardcover – October 21, 2008

BeautifulVery interesting and informative

When a part is used as a reference to a whole, it is a synecdoche. What Florence de Dampierre has done with this book is to offer her own home as a synecdoche for a level of French interior design that is beyond the imaginations of most of us. Located in the remarkable town of Litchfield, Connecticut, and on a row of homes dating to pre-Revolutionary days, her home is a magnificent tribute to French design. Were the Comte du Rochambeau to show up by surprise, he would find the de Dampierre lodgings very satisfying indeed. Cardinal Richelieu himself would consider himself right at home (providing Rochambeau had already departed).The fact is that French design works remarkably well in the Early American home. What makes this home - and this book - so remarkable is the cost-is-no-object approach. De Dampierre has approached the restoration of her home with a museum curator's attention to detail. Every molding, every fabric, every lamp...chair...table has received the curator's blessing. Whether you walk from room to room or flip pages through the book, you are struck with the obsession to detail that has produced it all. Day job? What's that?My favorite room in this home, the conservatory, is only visible in the background in some of the photos. While it may not house any treasures of French interior design, it does provide a a garden setting refuge during the long New England winters. It is a glassed-in porch, designed into to the south side of the house, and it is filled with plants and garden furniture. Perhaps de Dampierre's next book will be about French gardens. After all, she has left little to write about chic French interior design.

So far so good. i am taking my time but what I've read so far has been very good.

Like the first reviewer, I'm not sure what to think. I suppose its alright: there are some pretty photos, but her home (unlike the overdressed palace of Charlotte Moss) is not enough tosustain an expensive coffee table gewgaw like this book. I guess that's where the potted history of French decoration and *Chic Advice* comes in -- they serve as filler, because there are simply not enough photos. Ms Dampierre also seems to have an excessive interest in gilt mirrors -- there is a chapter on the subject, with multiple shiny views of the glowing goldiness of it all. I am also not certain why there are so many pages on table settings & recipes. Recipes do not interest me, because Maximum Toile does not cook -- she DECORATES! My rating: B-

I found this book TOTALLY INSPIRING. First of all there is so much detail in each photo and in Ms. de Dampierre's home to study and learn from....light fixtures, color, I just go back and look at the photos again and again. I love her tips on French Chic because I can really use them.She is really smart and knows the history of the home...I enjoy reading about that, this is not just another magazine like decorating book. And, I have made a few of the dishes in her recipes and she is right, they are really fast and very "French Chic"! My guests loved them. Also her rooms are all comfortable, that is so important to me. But, most importantly, she has a very special and unique sense of decorating that mixes the knowledge of old, with the new. She has a special sense of color and of homour and I want to add more of that to my home. I am stenciling already, adding more color, more flowers, and have taken out my grandmother's candlesticks and use them now mixed with modern things. It Works ! Thank you Florence !!!!

For once, the style depicted in a design book is one readily adapted to "real people" who have a budget that includes both nice antique purchases and Pottery Barn items. Her home is, of course, fabulous, but her advice is totally down to earth. The author is an expert on antiques and provides the history of dining, rugs, windows, etc.. My daughter was not interested in reading all this, but I loved it. We both loved the Chic Advice sections. While decorating my new "old" house, I've stepped a little outside my comfort zone because of this book's amazing photos and advice. Note that rugs designed by the author are readily available - just google- and at good prices. Highly recommend this if you are interested in history and like the idea of updating traditional design.

French Chic is a treasure because it bridges the divide between the great French historical tradition of interior design to practical design for today's home. Many interior designers develop complicated and elaborate interiors only a billionaire could afford. De Dampierre gives the reader beauty and design with historical tradition, yet it is something that most households can acheive and afford on their own. This is the practical bridge that Martha Stewart acheived with cooking and household items; de Dampierre does this with interior design. The book is filled with practical advise and suggestions that help you find what you need. If you want the luxury of French style in your home, but want it to be consistent with American life today, this book is a MUST HAVE. BOFFO de Dampierre.

Very disappointing book. There is some good text and nice recipes but in my opinion the actual decorating is mediocre and I would classify it as French flea market decoration. The author's style is certainly not on a par with that of Charlotte Moss or Nina Campbell or Charles Faudree, in my opinion. Consequently, I would not recommend this book to someone who is really interested in outstanding interior decorating.