A Review of: Atmosphere The Seven Elements of Great Design By James Michael Howard - Interior Decor

Jim Howard creates a luxurious yet comfortable atmosphere for his sophisticated clients around the country. His design work is known for the sort of evocative atmosphere that characterizes the world’s great spaces. “Atmosphere” is the magic of a place, the embodiment of all its power to capture your attention and embrace you—some might call it the “wow factor.” Howard understands that even as it excites, atmosphere also soothes, offering an overall feeling of well-being and calm. Howard wrote this book to convey all he has learned about crafting atmosphere at home, wherever that home may be, whatever aesthetic it might have. Doing so isn’t just a matter of rules or formulas; it is a science as much as an art, which Jim shares in a dozen captivating chapters.
Howard’s first book encompasses his seven elements of great design. First, there is style; then scale and proportion; followed by rhythm, light, color, texture and, finally, one too often relegated to afterthought: sound. The author illustrates each with five exemplary residences, then dedicates the new tome to his wife, lauded decorator Phoebe Howard, with whom he shares shops in Charlotte, Jacksonville and Atlanta, and a furniture line with North Carolina-based Sherrill Furniture.