My friend and author Hutton Wilkinson is up to more vivacious storytelling with his latest release that is an absolute must for all design lovers. 

Order your copies ASAP before they sell out again on Amazon!

Flynn Kuhnert and Hutton Wilkinson have written a story of historic fiction in two volumes called The Walk To Elsie’s and The Walk From Elsie’s, telling the story of the first ten years of Tony Duquette’s career and the last ten years of Elsie De Wolfe’s life.  This two volume set is entirely illustrated by Tony Duquette with never before published drawings from the period.
 
The story spans the years 1941 to 1951, taking you on a rip roaring romp between Europe and America with the likes of Billy Haines, Vincente Minnelli, The Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Diana and Duff Cooper, Princess Aspasia, Cole Porter and so many other stars of that era.
 
A major Hollywood studio is acquiring the novels to turn The Walk to Elsie’s into a landmark television series, projected to span 7 seasons.

A limited edition of 3000 numbered sets.

This bespoke Authors’ edition is presented in a gold-stamped, linen slipcase which features original artwork by mid-century artist Tony Duquette, the first American to have a one-man show at the Louvre in 1951. They are now pleased to offer a new limited authors’ luxury edition with a gold printed slipcase in four colors including citron, pistache, framboise and mandarine.

Both hardcover books feature gilded edges and include hundreds of original illustrations by Mr. Duquette, never published before, and printed in a four-color process to fully capture their sepia tones.

Book One: The Walk to Elsie’s / Book Two: The Walk from Elsie’s

Want more?

SYNOPSIS: Elsie de Wolfe, seventy-five year old superstar, must abandon her beloved Villa Trianon at Versailles in advance of the invading Nazi army. It only takes a minute for the world s first professional interior decorator, a tastemaker to kings and the world s original Queen of Branding , to proclaim that she is going Hollywood… to be with the royalty of America! The movie stars! Tony Duquette flees the town of Three Rivers, Michigan, realizing that he has to make a new life for himself and his family. With his father’s financial ruin, the teenager knows that it is up to him to provide for his parents and siblings, and he intends to do so by making a name for himself in Hollywood. Inevitably, the two stars collide to form their own galaxy. What ensues is a midcentury romp across continents and café society featuring the most glamorous globetrotters of their day: Cole Porter, Billy Haines, Louis B. Mayer, Vincente Minnelli, Judy Garland, Christian Dior, Carlos de Beistegui, Doris Duke, the Windsors, and dozens more!

Authors Hutton Wilkinson and Flynn Kuhnert have written a pair of novels, imparting inside knowledge of a woman who wasn’t born rich or beautiful but made herself both. As historical fiction, they share for the first time inside knowledge of Elsie de Wolfe, who had entrusted her life’s secrets to Tony Duquette. This Auntie Mame tale carries the reader on a lavish adventure across the United States and Europe, between the years 1932 and 1951, as young Tony becomes Elsie de Wolfe s last great protégé. Based on a true story, The Walk To Elsie’s is a tale of irrepressible joy amidst loss, determined rebirth, self-invention, and most importantly, continuance. It is a journey, which irrevocably binds together two diverse personalities… a pair of iconoclasts who just happen to be the most fabled of 20th century tastemakers.

Be sure to subscribe to THE ENGLISH ROOM for extra news, giveaways and discounts.

 Let’s get friendly on Facebook,  Twitter,  Pinterest,  Tumblr and Instagram. 

 Please feel free to contact The English Room if you are interested in our interior design services in Charlotte or beyond.