SUZANNE RHEINSTEIN: A WELCOMING ELEGANCE

Author Suzanne Rheinstein, with Michael Boodro
Photographs by Pieter Estersohn (Rizzoli)

Among the most memorable phrases that the late Suzanne Rheinstein had used to describe herself is “few things but better things.” No interior designer was better able to adhere to her own self directive. In her new, and alas, last book, published just days before her death, viewers see exactly how she was able to create rooms that incorporate seemingly disparate elements, but which result in spaces that are cohesive, refined, and elegant. Rheinstein admitted, too, to a penchant for living with artworks and personal collections of things. Here are rooms filled with objects and furnishings, every one of them noteworthy, but there is never a sense that the finished space is overdone or crowded. Rheinstein remained a master of restraint and, in so doing, effect. She continues to teach us all.