cover image Tom Scheerer Decorates

Tom Scheerer Decorates

Mimi Read. Vendome, $55 (240p) ISBN 978-0-86565-305-4

Scheerer’s rooms are not mere curios, styled for effect only. As Read writes in her introduction, “Scheerer doesn’t try to bowl you over…. He’s the decorator for the long haul, the one who can compose a great-looking room that you never want to leave.” Read’s tribute to Scheerer’s work more than proves her point; she presents 16 of the decorator’s most successful interiors. Scheerer’s practical attention to detail is apparent in a New England summer cottage furnished in elegant but durable items that will wear over many seasons—paisley-printed slipcovers that will extend the life of a hard-working couch, for example. In an Upper East Side Manhattan apartment, the living room is neutral without being boring, furniture is formal in style but covered in unfussy fabric, and the arrangement has a sense of order without being overly composed. In a foyer he is likely to include “a warmly lit table, a mirror, a tray for mail, a dish for keys, and a chair for boot removal.” Read has a skill for pointing out why these elements work in Scheerer’s rooms, educating the reader on what makes him so good. (Sept.)