Book excerpt: David Linley has achieved international renown as a designer of custom-made furniture and accessories that reinterpret and transform traditional styles in a refreshingly modern way. In Design and Detail in the Home his uniquely personal approach is explained and expanded to encompass the world of interior design in general, showing how a wide range of traditional influences can be blended with contemporary styles to create new, visually exciting, yet harmonious interiors. Looking at the historical context of various living spaces and tracing an imaginary journey through the home, Linley begins with the entrance, progressing through living, dining, and cooking areas, to rooms devoted to work, recreation, rest, and bathing. He explains how decorating his own homes has taught him that something as simple as the arrangement of furniture can dramatically change the perception of a room; how scale and color can be used to create a sense of surprise; the importance of dramatic focal points; and how the creative use of lighting can greatly enhance ambience. He also emphasizes how the smallest details, such as linens, glassware, and flowers, can be used to great effect. Each chapter also investigates the ways in which rooms can be arranged and adapted to suit the immediate environment, their owner's personal taste, and the practicalities and varied demands of modern living. The book is illustrated throughout with more than 200 sumptuous color photographs, specially commissioned to demonstrate Linley's own appreciation of widely differing styles. These include examples of classical architecture, modern design elements, antique furniture, and Asian artifacts -- all of which appeal to himpersonally and illustrate the principles of design he most admires. The locations featured include David Linley's own houses as well as homes belonging to his friends, family, and clients both in Europe and North America. Informative, entertaining, anecdotal, and often refreshingly quirky, Design and Detail in the Home reflects David Linley's highly individual taste for the unusual as well as traditional approaches to the subject of interior design.