Elaine Griffin and "Design Rules"

Elaine Griffin understands "The Rules", and fortunately for us, she's ready to share. When I say rules, I don't mean "The Rules" that women were told to follow a few years ago. Remember that book? Don't say yes to a date if the man asks two days in advance. Why pay for the milk when a man can get the cow for free. Etc. Etc. The rules that Elaine wants to talk about are Design Rules. Thank goodness!

I recently spent a weekend reading Elaine's new book, and I have to say that it is a very worthwhile guide to decorating. Elaine spells out in an easy to understand way how to place furniture in a room, how tall end tables and bedside tables should be, even how to transform the forgotten basement into a room in which people want to spend time. There are chapters on kitchens, dining rooms, window treatments, and such. And the great thing is that the book is never dry. I think what I found most helpful is that there were certain rules that I knew and that made sense to me, but I never knew why we did it that way. Elaine eliminates the mystery.

I attended a luncheon with Elaine last week, and her enthusiasm for design is infectious. She told us that she wanted the tone of her book to be like a best friend giving decorating advice to the reader. After meeting Elaine and reading the book, I think she accomplished this most successfully.