Elle Decor's Margaret Russell on Style and Substance

This November, Filipacchi Publishing unveils Style And Substance: The Best of ELLE DECOR by Margaret Russell and the editors of ELLE DECOR. A tome celebrating twenty years of the magazine's publication, this book is filled with images of rooms culled from ELLE DECOR's archives, including spaces by renowned designers like Nate Berkus, Jamie Drake, Albert Hadley, Charlotte Moss, Thomas O'Brien, Michael S. Smith, Vicente Wolf and Bunny Williams.

Style and Substance also delivers peeks into the homes of celebrities like Cindy Crawford, Sarah Jessica Parker, Madonna, and Julianne Moore, as well as fashion icons including Yves Saint Laurent, Ralph Lauren, Ralph Rucciand Donatella Versace.

ShelterPop caught up with Margaret Russell, the book and the magazine's editor, to chat about the last twenty years of ELLE DECOR. (Margaret's been there since day one!) Here's what she had to say:

You ran several of the rooms from "Style and Substance" in the recent issue of ELLE DECOR. What is it that makes a room timeless? A timeless room exudes both confidence and comfort. Rooms that have a sense of history to them -- even if they were created relatively recently -- are the most memorable, as they reveal the personality and taste of the people who live in them. At ELLE DECOR, we are drawn to interiors that look as if they were put together over time, not overnight, and the most interesting and inviting interiors are put together by people who have flair and a sense of daring, who are unafraid to take risks.

What do you think has changed most about the world of interior design in the last twenty years?
The Internet has changed our lives; now everyone, literally all over the world, has unlimited access to extraordinary ideas and inspiration, an infinite amount of information, and amazing shopping sources.

What remains the same?
What remains unchanged is the desire for people to live well in comfortable homes that suit their needs, their personal taste and their budget.

How has ELLE DECORs point of view changed in the last twenty years?
In truth, our point of view has stayed remarkably constant: ELLE DECOR celebrates where style lives. As a sister publication to ELLE and one of 25 ELLE DECOR editions around the world, we offer a comprehensive sourcebook for sophisticated readers, a guide to the best the world has to offer -- where to travel, what to look for, where to shop, what to buy and how to incorporate the design found on our pages into your own lives. We believe that luxury needn't be expensive, great design can be had at little cost, and affordable furnishings can be chic.

In ELLE DECOR's Shortlist, you ask design world luminaries what twelve things they can't live without. What are some of the things you can't live without?
Strong morning coffee; vintage jewelry; garden roses, hyacinths, peonies and sweet pea; freshly pressed linen sheets; and very, very high heels (I'm only 5'3").

How would you describe your style at home? In what room do you spend the most time? Why?
I live in a very sunny and very white apartment, surrounded by books and artworks and all the things that mean something to me. And I'm rarely home, but when I am, I'm in my bedroom. I have a Gustavian-style bed, a sublime mattress set from the Four Seasons Hotel, and crisp white linens. I really don't like to wake up.