Book Report: Charlotte Moss Decorates

By Marni Elyse Katz
April 22, 2011

charlotte moss

left: Interior decorator Charlotte Moss imagined this L-shaped room, pictured on the cover of her new book, Charlotte Moss Decorates, as a pied-a-terre belonging to a husband and wife who have a lot of stamps on their passports. Masses of watercolors, paintings, and etchings in mismatched frames hang above the desk, in a mosaic-like arrangement.

right: From the book, a detail of a bedroom inspired by the bedroom of Pauline de Rothschild at Château Mouton-Rothschild, a Bordeaux wine estate. A Paris-born American, Charlotte Moss calls her “an aesthete par excellence” of the 1950s and 1960s. In two corners, Moss used rope and pulleys to string up glass garden cloches turned upside down and mounted like hall lanterns. Also, notice the dressmaker details on the pillow; interior decorator Charlotte Moss includes this home decorating idea as a tip in this section of the book.

charlotte moss In Charlotte Moss Decorates: The Art of Creating Elegant and Inspired Rooms (Rizzoli, March 2011) the acclaimed New York City interior designer puts forth a collection of home interiors she created for designer show houses. Along with the glossy photos of gorgeous rooms, some sketches, notes, and even tips on ways to achieve similar fabulousness, are Charlotte Moss’s design inspiration collages. Moss considers each interior design collage to be the sketch of the room, and goes one step further saying, “A room is a collage of objects that give visual and spiritual pleasure and illustrate your personality.”

It is no surprise, then, that Moss, a self-described “hunter,” “collector,” “cataloguer,” and “stylist,” encourages readers to create their own collages or scrapbooks. In fact, Moss professes to he an avid scrapbooker herself. Perhaps our interiors would be more pulled together, if not unique, if we did as Moss directs: “Try buying a beautiful scrapbook or a box of file folders. Dedicate one to each room in the house, and start filling it.”

Inspiration Collages from "Charlotte Moss Decorates"

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Southampton: The collage for the gardener's cerise room.
Kips Bay: The collage for the worldly master suite.
Laurel Bedroom: This collage informed a room Moss describes as "a serene bedchamber," done in pale, watery colors.

The Inside Source: What are the key design elements of your rooms? Do you have a signature piece or look?

Charlotte Moss: My signature is a feeling one gets: comfortable and inviting.

The Inside Source: Who are your favorite interior designers?

Charlotte Moss: Renzo Mongiardino for his layered and rich theatricality. Billy Baldwin for his highly edited look and clean lines. Axel Vervoordt for the aesthetic, philosophical approach and flair for living. Nancy Lancaster, a Virginian, for her belief in comfort, hospitality, and that in one’s own home one should do as one pleases.

The Inside Source: Do you collect anything?

Charlotte Moss: I collect paintings of interiors, bronze perfume burners, and fashion photography. In the beginning, it just happens; the tough part is editing and being selective.

The Inside Source: Do you have any trips on the horizon?

Charlotte Moss: Yes, my book tour—so many cities. I am also looking forward to a trip to the Dordogne in June, and planning an India trip.

charlotte moss

Charlotte Moss designed this room for a woman who is an ardent gardener and a collector of art, whose themes are landscapes and flowers. Initially she was going to do a pale, sun- bleached interior décor, but instead decided on a bolder color: cerise. The interior designer found inspiration for this palette from the Red Room of the White House that French interior decorator Stéphane Boudin designed for Jacqueline Kennedy in the 1960s. The desk is a French Provençal antique and the gilded chair, upholstered in leopard-spotted cotton velvet, is Venetian. Charlotte Moss describes the combination as a mix of formal and country.

right: On the other side of the suite, a canopy bed (where top interior designer Charlotte Moss imagines the lady napping) is dressed with crisply printed floral bed linens. A miniature chest serves as a bedside table and petit chairs hold books.

The Inside Source: What was your earliest interior design moment?

Charlotte Moss: Rearranging the furniture as a child, and making flower arrangements.

The Inside Source: What do you always spend money on in décor? Where can you scrimp?

Charlotte Moss: As a rule, buy the best you can afford. Economize maybe, but never scrimp.

The Inside Source: You create a lot of picture walls. Any interior design tips on choosing frames, mixing artistic style, hangings?

Charlotte Moss: The frame should suit the individual work of art. Hanging just takes practice–distance between pictures, learning to stagger–your eye learns how to gauge over time. Finally, only mix pieces you love.

charlotte moss

left: Dark walls create drama in this room. Towel bars used as newspaper racks give the room a clubby air and keep it organized. Moss had architectural renderings copied to create custom wallpaper for the entry.

right: Another detail of the bedroom inspired by the bedroom of Pauline de Rothschild. In this photo, cherry blossoms fill a blue- and-white enameled cast-iron urn that sits on a commode with a black marble top. The curtains in the foreground drape a tall canopy bed that floats in the middle of the room.