I recently read a fantastic nonfiction book called The Devil in the White City. It's been around for a while, but it's due for some renewed attention owing to the fact that it's in development as a film starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Not only is the tale itself riveting and repellent all at once, but the author's adept storytelling places you smack dab in the middle of the mayhem. Evocative details bring to life Gilded Age America in all its luxe, louche glamour; and I now seem to spot the era's signature opulence everywhere I turn.
It's present in the stunning Brooklyn brownstone showcased in today's Home & Garden section of the New York Times, the owner of which happens to be the founding member of a new museum devoted in part to the Victorian fascination with death and mourning. It's there in the dramatic floral motifs that are popping up in fashion runways and interiors editorials alike. It's even evidenced by the legions of sunny-natured folk who are trading their bright whites for dark bedroom walls.
The sensibility isn't for everyone; in fact I had to take frequent breaks while reading Devil in the White City because too much macabre puts me in a gloomy mood. But styled in a way that highlights their history, antique finds like those at at Elsie Green can go a long way to lend a sense of gravitas to any space. For all its darkness, the look belies a vibrant curiosity that can't be snuffed out.
P.S. Score the moody vintage look in person tonight through Saturday at Elsie Green's annual sample sale, taking place at their studio in the San Francisco Bay Area!