Monday, April 11, 2011

"I am a wanderer."


I'm not sure exactly what I expected when I met Charlotte Moss.  I can only say that she was "more."  I expected her to be gracious and smart, but she was more than that, really.  And, I think the most pleasant surprise was that she was as interested as interesting; it's an engaging combination.


She served my coffee in a Pearl River Market coffee cup with clever cover and it was a relief to see someone who is so stylish so unconcerned with label and tag.


Moss's latest book, Charlotte Moss Decorates, is a compilation of show house rooms that she has designed.  She liked the concept of these projects as they reflect a start-from-scratch approach.  "It is what a lot of homeowners face - four blank walls."
  

This blankness allows Moss to create a story, to develop a character, to build a room to suit a life.  Moss revels in travel and you can sense from her stories that she is an observer, someone who is cataloguing experience and impressions along with color and shape and scale.


She notes that the "high/low" happens; something clicks.  When these types of things are contrived it is obvious - anything forced looks it in the end.  Moss noted that so much work goes into these show houses, and that the vendors and supplies are so incredibly generous, that they "don't get the shelf life they deserve."  We can certainly enjoy them in this latest book.

All images courtesy of Rizzoli from Charlotte Moss Decorates; photography by Pieter Estersohn, except the last which is Moss's inspiration board for Kips Bay 2008.
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18 comments:

  1. AllieApril 10, 2011 at 11:27 PM

    What a marvelous post. These interiors are stunning. I can't wait to see this book for myself. Have a great week.
    www.skylarkmanor.com

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  2. Allison EganApril 11, 2011 at 6:31 AM

    Charlotte Moss is so inspirational! thank you so much for sharing! so lucky to spend time with her!
    xo Allison
    www.spicerandbank.blogspot.com

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  3. JWKApril 11, 2011 at 8:56 AM

    Love her work, that makes me so happy she's as real and down to earth as her interiors look...

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  4. maryApril 11, 2011 at 9:15 AM

    Thanks for nudging me a little bit more the go to Amazon and buy this great book. Mary

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  5. design elementsApril 11, 2011 at 9:28 AM

    marvelous post! love your way of writing.. I feel somehow inspired...just want to take a pencil and draw...

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  6. Michele from BostonApril 11, 2011 at 10:10 AM

    Any chance you could reveal the fabric source of those two green pillows on the white sofa? I seem to be inexplicably mesmerized by them! I often wonder what "great" decorators are like in person. Nice to hear that Ms. Moss is exactly as she appears.

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  7. Toby WorthingtonApril 11, 2011 at 11:51 AM

    The first room shown in this post is wonderful in
    so many ways, but above all, in the restraint used
    for the curtain design. That Charlotte Moss saw no
    need to trim them out or embellish them in any way,
    showed enviable authority and directness. Her work
    gets better all the time. Thanks for this one, Mrs B.

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  8. AnonymousApril 11, 2011 at 12:23 PM

    Could you give us a little more detail about the meeting, as in, why, where, what, how. What is the mystery and frankly, the coffee cup is an insult. It screams you are not worthy of the "good stuff". When listening to her interview on the SRT, I found Moss to be overbearing.

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  9. Mrs. BlandingsApril 11, 2011 at 12:34 PM

    Michele - I'm afraid I don't know. It appears to be velvet - I bet there are lots of good sources.

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  10. Mrs. BlandingsApril 11, 2011 at 12:35 PM

    Toby - finely noted.

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  11. Mrs. BlandingsApril 11, 2011 at 12:41 PM

    Anon - an amusing perspective. No mystery here - we met at her office the last time I was in New York. She's a designer with a new book out, I'm a design blogger, it was an interview. As for the coffee cup, I'm sure it was not intended as an insult ("She's only a blogger from Kansas City - hide the Sevres and serve the Pearl River Market.") nor was it received as one. They are pretty and have a jazzy little lid that keeps your coffee warm. I liked them so much I asked where to get them. Moss uses them so she doesn't have to continually reheat.

    She was not, in any way, overbearing.

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  12. AnonymousApril 11, 2011 at 3:43 PM

    Love, love, LOVE her.....and we here in Richmond are very proud that she has Richmond roots!!

    Great post!!

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  13. Michele from BostonApril 12, 2011 at 9:01 AM

    For the love of Charlotte - just registered at our Design Center here in Boston for a talk she's giving on May 3rd. Can't wait to see more from the book!

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  14. RoyApril 12, 2011 at 9:15 AM

    IMHO, Charlotte Moss is divine! I had a chance encounter with her last fall at a book launch party and she couldn't have been more friendly, down to earth, candid, and funny! Her work is lovely and timeless and I can't wait to see the book.

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  15. UnknownApril 13, 2011 at 8:03 AM

    Mrs B - to spend time with Charlotte Moss...well, that had to be an amazing experience.

    I devoured her newest book this past weekend and loved hearing her voice in the video she did with Jonathan Adler for TRADhome.

    We are all so forturnate that she shares her experience and style with us - Pearl River cups included!!

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  16. AnonymousApril 15, 2011 at 11:51 AM

    by any chance did she mention max sinsteden ?
    he seems to have vanished from the design world

    john in nc

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  17. French By DesignApril 17, 2011 at 11:49 AM

    I love cm style and have been an avid reader of her books since she started her career in design thanks for sharing would love to hear more about you visit with her

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  18. aliceJuly 6, 2011 at 10:35 PM

    Oh my goodness I can only imagine how exciting it must have been to meet THE Charlotte Moss! She is the object of my designer obsession du jour lately. I too love hearing that a designer so high up is so gracious.

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