One Man’s Folly: The Party and The Book.

First, thanks so much to Bunny Williams and John Rosselli for hosting this amazing party to celebrate one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever seen: One Man's Folly: The Exceptional Houses of Furlow Gatewood. Second, thanks to Jonathan for including me and for my copy of this stunning book!

And third, I didn’t take one single picture during the party! I am way too short and the crowd was huge! This image and the three below are from the New York Social Diary’s coverage of the party, and if you know exactly where to look, you can see Boy, of Reggie Darling fame. And that’s Furlow Gatewood in the bottom left in the loden jacket.

This was a very personal party, to the point of Furlow having made the pimento cheese and the cheese straws himself. I also had a chance to meet and speak with Julia Reed, and if you don’t follow her writing in Garden & Gun magazine, you need to do so right away. She’s a great writer and is HILARIOUS!

The whole three-hour train trip back to Baltimore after the party was spent reading One Man's Folly: The Exceptional Houses of Furlow Gatewood. The foreword and afterword are both beautifully and personally written by Bunny Williams, who, along with her husband, John Rosselli, are great friends of Furlow’s.

The images in this book are stunning. There is not a bad picture in the lot (although mine of them aren’t great). From the peacocks to the carefully chosen collections, this is such a unique place.

Furlow Gatewood was using architectural salvage for his houses years before anyone else, and he collected pieces from everywhere and everything. He often built houses and rooms around a certain piece.

Every single page has a beautiful image or two, or three. The photographers, Paul Costello and Rodney Collins did such a magnificent job on the hundreds of pictures.

And Julia Reed’s text is funny and personal. She’s got such a way with words, and understands the Southern persona. She gets the whole mix of high and low, like the china pieces mixed with a Dash & Albert indoor/outdoor rug.

I can’t recommend this book enough. It is destined to become a classic, much like Furlow Gatewood himself.

The book will be published on April 22, 2014, but you can click to pre-order One Man's Folly: The Exceptional Houses of Furlow Gatewood.