Falling in Love with Interiors, The Romance of Design

As I stare at the images in interior designer Suzanne Tucker’s new book, Interiors, The Romance of Design, I am reminded of a quote by the great acting coach Konstantin Stanislavsky. He said, “There are no small parts, only small actors.” Likewise, in the world of art and design, “There are no small rooms, only small designers.”

Suzanne Tucker illustrates this expertly when she transforms intimate spaces into memorable masterpieces. No detail is left unturned, as seen in the tiny terracotta powder room, above. It’s nothing short of inspiring. I love the way Suzanne echoes the carved marble shell of the sink basin with the scalloped arch of the ceiling, and how the reclaimed floor tiles resound of the stenciling on the vanity.

This is the kind of attention to detail that separates good design from great design, and substantiates the fact that Suzanne, herself a visual poet, is one of the country’s leading interior designers. Her projects have been published in magazines worldwide, and Architectural Digest has named her repeatedly on their AD100 list of top designers.

Of course Suzanne’s lavish opulence is not limited to only intimate interiors, evidenced in photo after glorious photo of her design triumphs…each page a masterpiece on nearly 300 glossy oversized pages.

Posing above a swirling oval entry hall, above, is an arresting sculpture by Manuel Neri.

My favorite part of the book is the chapter titled “A Sentimental Journey,” in which Suzanne generously allows readers a peek into her spacious home–“a decorating laboratory,” as she calls it, “where pieces are studied and come and go,” she said.

Above in her own sanctuary, just a touch of leopard in a hall, bright with light, flanks a French eighteenth-century console.

“As we evolve,” she said, “our homes should, too. When a house is overlaid with one’s personal collections–art, furnishings, accessories–it can become an expression of individuality and a vessel for memories, tangible and intangible,” she added.

Such is the case in her dining room, for example, where the antique carved rock crystal chandelier is part of the legacy of her mentor, the late Michael Taylor.

“The eclectic mix of the living room,” above and below, “includes an eighteenth-century French mantel and Régence chairs found in Paris,” she stated, “and a late Qing period low table.”

Suzanne’s interior world is a cornucopia of sumptuous fabrics and rich colors drenched in the gorgeous natural light of Marin County, with spectacular views of the San Francisco Bay Area. The photographs are so ultimately tactile that one can almost feel them.

“Our tiger, part of my husband’s family lore, was rescued from the circus in the sixties,” she explained, “and lived out his life as the Michigan Air National Guard mascot.” A bold and socially-responsible tribute to nature, its exotic pelt leads the eye to the fabulous fireplace, which is punctuated by the orange abstract painting by Tom Holland, a piece which also belonged to Michael Taylor.

Suzanne stated, “A house can be a lifelong romance, and we should find ourselves falling in love with our homes over and over again.”

Interiors, The Romance of Design, follows Suzanne’s first book, Rooms to Remember, currently in its third printing. Her textiles and tabletop line for Suzanne Tucker Home are in luxury showrooms and stores nationwide.