Vicente Wolf is a design icon and his new book, The Four Elements of Design is proof-positve why he is who he is. He has solidified himself as a top designer in the world many times over with his unforgettable design aesthetic and stylish decor books. Based out of New York, Vicente travels the world gaining design inspiration from everything from fabric to trinkets and often brings back many treasures from his travels that go into his projects.

Vicente’s new book is an inspirational guide for not only the interior designer but the novice decorator looking to approach design in a new way – not to mention a great book to add to your summer reading list! The four elements is based on four natural elements: earth, water, air, and fire, which Vicente believes are the building blocks for any great interior.

In Elements, Vicente shows off his amazing photography skills, and combines it with great tools on how you can design with elemental processes. And for any of those who follow this blog, you know how important elements are to feng shui. But I should note, our elements are a little different and so is our approach which is geared to remedy a space. But, with that said,  I love that Vicente is using his celebrity platform to bring this design approach to the masses.

The four elements Vicente Wolf

In it he shares projects that display examples of how he describes the following elements:

• Air has projects that contain a lightness of spirit, open in feeling, with a palette that creates an atmosphere without boundaries.
• Earth features grounded interiors, where stone, wood, and natural textures form the foundation.
• Water shows fluidity and environments with reflective shades of blues and aqua,
• Fire deep colors, reds, and dramatic qualities

Vicente includes a dozen or so projects from Long Island beach houses, Manhattan apartments, to sumptuous homes in New York, Connecticut, and California. While I see his approach as more of an aesthetic and how he sees these elements, it’s a great way to reach design that helps a person get a certain feeling in a space.

I would be remiss not to mention that In feng shui we approach a space through five elements: wood, earth, fire, metal and water. Our colors associated with those items are similar, but items are often seen by shape and color first, before we look at what the item actually is. I say this only because I don’t want Vicente’s book to be confused with feng shui principles. Our principles are meant to heal a space in an ethereal way by utilizing elements to calm or stir up a space. For example, in a dingy dark basement I might use a destructive color cycle to draw energy up and make it feel less blah. Even though Vicente’s intention’s were mainly to explain feeling of decor, it’s definitely a start in the right direction, and his interiors are extremely pretty which is terrific feng shui to get you started.

Need help with your project? Let’s talk! I’d love to hear about your project and how we can make it kick ass!