This was my response to reading Adam Lewis’ Van Day Truex, The Man Who Defined Twentieth-Century Taste and Style. Best known for his long reign as design director at Tiffany & Co., but also known and revered for his years of unfaltering leadership at Parsons School of Design, he has developed the tastes of America’s design leaders.

Anyone who enjoys interior design, fashion, architecture and furniture design will find this portrait of Truex a fascinating read. The names, the stories and the interlocking worlds of art and design all come together in the life of a man that Brooke Astor called “one of the most charming men I ever knew.”

From my last read-through of the book (it has become something of an annual ritual), I took this quote from Charles Sevingny, a Paris-based international decorator and former Truex student to heart: “I was at my drawing table looking through some shelter magazines, like House and Garden, you know, and he came by and asked what I was doing. “

“When I said I was getting ideas for an assignment, he was furious: “ ’ Go to the source for ideas, go to the Metropolitan Museum, find your inspiration in nature, to the Museum of Natural History, but never rely on something that someone else has done.’ ”

Shortly after reading this, for the first time, I canceled all my magazine subscriptions. Wise words from a wise and talented man. I hope you enjoy this as much as I have.