Living Traditions: Interiors by Matthew Patrick Smyth Reviews

Living Traditions: Interiors by Matthew Patrick Smyth

Classic style and impeccable attention to detail are hallmarks of the work of interior designer Matthew Patrick Smyth. His comfortable, timeless rooms are tailored to fit his clientsâ€™ personalities and lifestyles, whether they are dynamic young couples with children or cultured art collectors. Smyth masterfully blends contemporary pieces with antiques to endow each space with a sense of solidity and history while maintaining a completely fresh, modern sensibility.
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3 Responses to "Living Traditions: Interiors by Matthew Patrick Smyth Reviews"

Annie Kelly says:

June 24, 2011 at 11:30 am

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

I love this book!, May 15, 2011

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Annie Kelly (Connecticut) –

This review is from: Living Traditions: Interiors by Matthew Patrick Smyth (Hardcover)

Matthew Patrick Smyth is one of the finest traditional decorators in America, and much can be learned from this new book. His interiors radiate calm and comfort, and are full of carefully thought-out details, which include russet-red moss fringing on a beige suede sofa, wall-to-wall framed antique prints of 18th-century Paris in place of wallpaper, and the quiet glamor of armchairs upholstered in pleated silk.
As befits a fabric designer (Smyth sells a range of his fabrics at F. Schumacher,) he uses color and texture in many different ways– the book ranges from elegant townhouses in New York, to his own Connecticut Colonial house in Sharon, and showcases one of my favorites- a wonderfully grand apartment in London that you may recall seeing on the cover of a recent issue of Elle Decor magazine.

In his easy-to-read introduction Smyth tells of his start as a decorator, “The reality of working as a designer came as a shock. I discovered that I would only be devoted to actual design 10 percent of the time. The rest, the hard and important part, was detail–running around, problem solving, organizing on a massive scale with military precision.” Living Traditions comes with all the benefit of Smyth’s years of experience, and he writes, ” Design is a set of relationships, of interactions among objects, colors, patterns,materials, and light–all with definite parameters. Through point and counterpoint, I strive for balance. Balance is everything.” This fairly sums up this gracious book, as page after page features Smyth’s elegant decorating, where every seat is comfortable, and nothing ever looks out of place.

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Christina C. Juarez "publicist" says:

June 24, 2011 at 12:10 pm

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

The New Traditionalist, May 11, 2011

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Christina C. Juarez “publicist” (New York City) –

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This review is from: Living Traditions: Interiors by Matthew Patrick Smyth (Hardcover)

Matthew Patrick Smyth’s “Living Traditions” from The Monacelli Press is a beautifully written design book with spectacular photographs that clearly relay the fact that Matthew Patrick Smyth is a “New Traditionalist”. His interiors are founded in the classics but are by no mean ‘traditional’ in the ordinary sense of the word. He takes the classic in the form of family heirlooms and American antiques and combines it with the unexpected—a splash of red in the form of his signature deep red walls or a contemporary painting, a Saarinen side table or a bit of surprise in a detail, a fabric or a work of art or objects. His interiors are inspiring, serene and very much in the genre of a new and quite spectacular traditon.

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mrg says:

June 24, 2011 at 12:50 pm

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

Beautiful!, May 10, 2011

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mrg –

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This review is from: Living Traditions: Interiors by Matthew Patrick Smyth (Hardcover)

This is an absolutely beautiful book. The designer, Matthew Smyth, uses rich fabrics and the juxtaposition of interesting collections in an unparalleled way. His luxurious treatment of the classic and traditional is evident throughout but his treatment of ultramodern collections are equally flawless.

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