GILLIATT, Mary

PERSONAL: Female.

ADDRESSES: Home—Wiltshire, England, and France. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Watson-Guptill Publications, 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003.

CAREER: Interior designer and writer. Host of British television series on decorating.

WRITINGS:

English Style in Interior Decoration, photography by Michael Boys, Viking (New York, NY), 1967.

Kitchens and Dining Rooms, photography by Brian Morris and others, Viking (New York, NY), 1970.

Bathrooms, photography by Brian Morris and others, Viking (New York, NY), 1971.

A House in the Country; The Second Home, from Cottages to Castles, photography by Brian Morris, Hutchinson (London, England), 1973.

Decorating: A Realistic Guide, photography by Michael Dunne with Michael Nicholson and others, Pantheon Books (New York, NY), 1977.

(With Douglas Baker) Lighting Your Home: A Practical Guide, photography by Michael Dunne and others, Pantheon Books (New York, NY), 1979.

The Decorating Book, photography by Michael Dunne, Pantheon Books (New York, NY), 1981.

Making the Most of Living Rooms and Halls: A Creative Guide to Home Design, Orbis (London, England), 1983.

Making the Most of Kitchens and Dining Rooms: A Creative Guide to Home Design, Orbis (London, England), 1983.

Making the Most of Bedrooms & Bathrooms: A Creative Guide to Home Design, Orbis (London, England), 1983.

Mary Gilliatt's Mix and Match Decorating Book: An Ingenious Idea-Book with over 250,000 Combinations of Wallcoverings, Fabrics, and Floorings, Many of Which Are Available by Mail, Pantheon Books (New York, NY), 1984.

Making the Most of Children's Rooms: A Creative Guide to Home Design, Orbis (London, England), 1984.

(With Susan Zevon and Michael W. Robbins) Decorating on the Cheap, photography by Tom Yee, illustrations by William Ruggieri, Workman Publishing (New York, NY), 1984.

The Complete Book of Home Design, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1984, revised edition, 1989.

Designing Rooms for Children, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1985.

Setting up Home, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1985.

The Mary Gilliatt Book of Color, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1985.

English Country Style, photography by Christine Hanscomb, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1986.

Dream Houses, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1987.

The Complete Book of Home Design, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1989.

(With Elizabeth Wilhide) Period Style, Conran Octopus (London, England), 1990, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1991.

Mary Gilliatt's New Guide to Decorating, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1991.

Mary Gilliatt's Short Cuts to Great Decorating: Simple Solutions to Classic Problems, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1991.

The Blue and White Room, foreword by Pierre Moulin and Pierre LeVec, design by Timothy Shaner, Bantam Books (New York, NY), 1992.

Decorating with Mary Gilliatt, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1992.

Introduction to Decorating, Conran Octopus (London, England), 1992.

Mary Gilliatt's Interior Design Course, Watson-Guptill Publications (New York, NY), 2001.

Mary Gilliatt's Complete Room-by-Room Decorating Guide, photography by Andreas von Einsiedel, Watson-Guptill Publications (New York, NY), 2003.

Mary Gilliatt's Great Renovations and Restorations: A New Life for Older Homes, Watson-Guptill Publications (New York, NY), 2003.

Mary Gilliatt's Home Comforts with Style: A Decorating Guide for Today's Living, photography by Andreas von Einsiedel, Watson-Guptill Publications (New York, NY), 2004.

Mary Gilliatt's Dictionary of Architecture and Interior Design: Plus Essential Terms for the Home, Watson-Guptill Publications (New York, NY), 2004.

Author's articles have been published in numerous magazines.

SIDELIGHTS: Interior designer Mary Gilliatt is also a prolific writer of books on decorating and design dating back to her first publication in the late 1960s. In Business Wire, Beth Irons noted that Gilliatt "has incredible insight and talent, along with the ability to easily communicate a wealth of ideas about all aspects of decorating to amateurs and professional decorators alike." In her 1991 book, Mary Gilliatt's New Guide to Decorating, the author focuses on amateur designers and outlines a do-it-yourself approach for interior designing. She discusses stylistic approaches, decorating trends, and the basic elements of design. Much of the book focuses on specific projects, such as outlining how to install lighting and lay tile. Writing in Interior Design, Charles D. Gandy found that the book's "main pitfall … is that many topics are introduced and a smattering of information is provided … just enough information to be potentially dangerous." Nevertheless, Gandy went on to note that "it is an ambitious book with an incredible amount of information. If it does nothing else, it emphasizes the overwhelming complexity of our profession and the thousands of details that are essential in producing an interior of quality."

Mary Gilliatt's Interior Design Course provides a lesson in practical but creative ideas for interior design. In the first half of the book, the author discusses the basic elements of design and provides a catalog for referencing various design influences. She describes specific approaches for designing walls, windows, floors, and furnishings, as well as tips on solving specific problems—such as discolored tile grout. She also broaches choosing particular accessories and other design details. Writing in Booklist, Barbara Jacobs noted that the author "has mastered the art of showcasing decorating tips in an easily accessible manner." In Mary Gilliatt's Complete Room-by-Room Decorating Guide, the author discusses various approaches to design for each room of a house and emphasizes the options of choosing specific styles, following contemporary style elements, or taking an eclectic approach. The book also includes a history of interior design style. Booklist contributor Jacobs noted that the author can "turn many elegant phrases in interior home design" and wrote: "One book truly fits all."

Gilliatt focuses on updating old homes in her book Mary Gilliatt's Great Renovations and Restorations: A New Life for Older Homes. The book is not a how-to-guide per se, but rather a discussion of whether or not people should renovate or restore their older homes; examples include homes from the 1950s and as early as the sixteenth century. The book includes 350 photographs and a comprehensive discussion of various decorating styles common throughout Europe and the United States. Writing in Library Journal, Gayle A. Williamson noted the book would interest readers who "have a great interest in period decorating styles." Booklist contributor Jacobs called the book "Another impressive accomplishment from this doyenne of design."

In Mary Gilliatt's Home Comforts with Style: A Decorating Guide for Today's Living the author places an emphasis on personal comfort in decorating a home, touching on topics such as darkness in bedrooms and the need for quiet spaces. The book uses a step-by-step approach as she leads the reader through the home and includes discussions of home office space and home libraries. In addition to typical design issues such as colors and window treatments, the author discusses topics sometimes overlooked in design books, including storage, scent, and sound. Her suggestions are made in the context of the specific type of home being decorated, from apartments to detached homes. Writing in Booklist, Vernon Ford wrote that the book "is filled with beautiful photographs that reflect the integration of style and comfort that makes even a casual perusal delightful." In a review for Library Journal, Gayle Williamson commented that Mary Gilliatt's Home Comforts with Style contains "practical advice for every room of the home."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, October 15, 2001, Barbara Jacobs, review of Mary Gilliatt's Interior Design Course, p. 372; August, 2003, Barbara Jacobs, review of Mary Gilliatt's Complete Room-by-Room Decorating Guide, p. 1942; December 15, 2003, Keir Graff, brief review of Mary Gilliatt's Complete Room-by-Room Decorating Guide, p. 717; January 1, 2004, Barbara Jacobs, review of Mary Gilliatt's Great Renovations and Restorations: A New Life for Older Homes, p. 806; December 15, 2004, Vernon Ford, review of Mary Gilliatt's Home Comforts with Style: A Decorating Guide for Today's Living, p. 705.

Business Wire, October 7, 2004, Beth Irons, "World-Renowned Interior Designer Author Comes to Washington Metro Area for Book Signing."

HFN: The Weekly Newspaper for the Home Furnishing Network, April 1, 1996, Sarah Johnson, "Someone's in the Kitchen—And It's Mary Gilliatt," p. 30.

Interior Design, June, 1991, Charles D. Gandy, review of Mary Gilliatt's New Guide to Decorating, p. 122.

Library Journal, September 15, 2003, Gayle A. Williamson, review of Mary Gilliatt's Complete Room-by-Room Decorating Guide, p. 56; January, 2004, Gayle A. Williamson, review of Mary Gilliatt's Great Renovations and Restorations, p. 108; January 1, 2005, Gayle Williamson, review of Mary Gilliatt's Home Comforts with Style, p. 106.