With our Book Club series, we hand over the proverbial mic to our Experts—letting them share their work, thought process, and best tips, all in their own words. The following is an excerpt from Leanne Ford’s new book, published last month with Abrams.

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My love of Elsie de Wolfe started the same way as most every other self-proclaimed design lover’s, with a quote about white paint…

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“I believe in plenty of optimism and white paint.” And that, of course, was followed, as it is for everyone else who knows and loves her, by the quote: “I am going to make everything around me more beautiful—that will be my life.”

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But for me it didn’t stop there; that just wasn’t enough. Who was this woman more than one hundred years ahead of me? It was as if she was talking to me, as if she were a kindred spirit through time. I leaned in. I bought her book. The original. I didn’t want anyone’s modern edit of her words. I wanted her words, all of them. I dove in deep into The House in Good Taste, and so now here I am, offering some of her philosophies, her visions, her out-of-the-box ideas, her progressive design-isms, to you.

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Now, don’t get me wrong, Elsie and I aren’t fully simpatico. Her fascination with chintz, for one, is absolutely unrelatable for me. But her love of pushing back on the rules, of trying ideas and solutions were a bit “out there” for back then.

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I read every word of her book with a pen in hand, shocked by how she thought, how she talked, and how she designed in 1913. Her love of thinking about design in a new way, with new eyes, pushing the limits of what her friends and colleagues were doing in their own homes. Now that I get. I felt like she was talking to only me. This is a woman whom I understand and whom I deeply relate to. As I sat in my own home (which was built around the same time she was writing), I was constantly reminded of the why of the decisions they made for this house, even then. And now, the decisions that we ourselves had made for our life and our space. And through her words, and through her voice between the lines, it felt like I was definitely on to something: Do you ever read something, see something, or hear something that seems to tell you you’re on the right track? This was one of those moments for me. I love those little twinkles in life. Elsie is a twinkle.

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I’ve gathered many of my favorite words of hers here for you because Elsie deserves to be shared. The truth is these quotes are all just proof that good design is good design, through time and space and taste.

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“And so it was furnished, bit by bit, need by need.” —Elsie de Wolfe

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Welcome to my “office,” or think tank, if you will. The bathtub is my A–number one in life. It’s where I read, where I take calls (of good friends and some patient clients and colleagues), and where I write—in fact, this is where I wrote most of my book! This bathroom was a total gut job, but I like to think you can’t tell. The vintage doors swing open to our second-floor patio, so I can always have myself an indoor/outdoor bath, all year long. Better than vacation!

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“The color should be selected with the due consideration of its becomingness to the hostess. Every woman has a right to be pretty in her own dining room. The chairs should not be the conventional dining chairs.” —Elsie de Wolfe

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What a room. I found this chandelier at a vintage shop down the highway from me. The owner warned me this light was “very big” and that it may be too big for my space. He obviously hadn’t seen this gem of a room. It feels like it’s always been here, right?! I think it always will be. Again with the juxtaposition—one may not think to add mid-century to such a traditional room, but when twelve Knoll Handkerchief chairs became available, I swooped them up and introduced them to their new home. I believe everyone gets along swimmingly, don’t you?

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“How they would have marveled at our audacious use of color, our frank joy in it!” —Elsie de Wolfe

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But think about it: why are we always changing everything? Why are we always demoing everything? Why are we taking the beautiful beat-up tiles out? Only to add new tiles that we paid extra to look old? What is it that makes us think we need to get our little paws on everything to leave an impression? Sometimes you just need to take the stand-back approach—the less we touch, the better everyone will be, kind of thing.

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You don’t need to show you were there by overdoing it. That’s like a makeup artist caking makeup on, just to show they have value in being there. When in reality, a light touch could be the most beautiful outcome. That’s us. Always looking for the light touch.

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“The color fairly made me gasp, at first, but then it became fascinating, and finally irresistible.” —Elsie de Wolfe

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Vision isn’t the only sense that matters in design. It’s how you feel, what you touch, how it smells, what it sounds like.

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Order Leanne Ford’s new book for more tips, or book a consultation with Leanne to get personalized advice for your space.