Book Description

"Texas Style," is now reflective of America itself. Rugged individualism, high quality, large living, and impeccable taste are values that Texans share with all Americans. Tyler Beard, who is known as the "King of Texas Style" and whose own ranch has been featured in dozens of books and magazines, introduces us, in a way that only an aficionado could, to homes that are incredibly appealing in beauty, architecture, and pure Texan spirit. Vibrant photography by Jack Parsons offers inspiration, ideas, and a glimpse of how Texans are living today. Beard examines architectural and design elements throughout the home, both inside and out, highlighting details of furniture, construction, art, and history along the way. An in-depth resource guide will help readers find all things Texan, no matter where they live. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Rustic Western Interiors at Their Best!
Without exaggeration, this is the best book to date documenting rustic western interiors. The extraordinary Cowboy and Indian memorabilia collections featured in these homes will make you green with envy. Large, beautiful photographs of exceptional Texas homes, no sterile contemporary interiors here. I've always admired Beard and Parsons work, this is the best to date. No disappointments here! ... Read more

Book Description

The external facades of a building are more than a protective mantle, or an intelligent skin regulating temperature and light, they also determine its very appearance. By unusual choices of materials and the use of complex technology, facades have become increasingly significant in recent years. External surfaces are being perceived as an integral part of the building and are therefore being designed as such.

This volume focuses on the wide-ranging aspects of facade design, from the selection and use of materials to the advanced technical possibilities now open to the architect. A wide array of carefully selected international examples show the theory in the practice. All plans, details, and large scale sections of the facades have been researched with the high degree of competence typical of the editorial stafffrom the review Detail. Expert authors provide the essential information needed to plan and design facades and elucidate on the latest developments in technology and materials. ... Read more

Book Description

Because the edge you need begins with the space you occupy . . .The Office Interior Design Guide enables facilities professionals with little or no design experience to become knowledgeable, active partners with consultants and designers in developing efficient, flexible office spaces that work. It is also intended to serve as a general overview of the office environment for the design or engineering professional.

This practical book covers the entire planning and management process for both conventional and alternative officing, with important information on The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, indoor air quality, fire safety, and more. From building support systems to key elements of interior design, this comprehensive guide shows you how to:

• Create a strategic facilities plan
• Put together an effective in-house team
• Define project needs and objectives
• Build solid relationships with management, technical, and creative consultants
• Choose the right design firm
• Select appropriate facilities
• Develop an on-target schedule and budget
• Achieve adaptable, cost-effective design solutions.

Complete with sample letters for requesting proposals and qualifications, plus a detailed programming questionnaire to help you specify project requirements, The Office Interior Design Guide enables you to create hardworking environments equipped to handle today's business challenges and tomorrow's organizational needs. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Intelligently Presented and Extremely Useful
After sourcing out dozens of books on office interior design, I found Julie Rayfield's Guide To Office Interior Design more than helpful. It was a real gift from heaven! I'm totally new to the world of design and about to start a job in sales and management for an international office furniture supplier and designer. I needed some information quickly. And I wanted it in a user-friendly, comprehendible manner. Reading the Gudie to Office Interior Design was like doing a crash-course in interior design without the heavy technical approach you would normally be subjected to.

The book recognises that office design and execution is no simple task. It does what few books do -offers numerous ideas and tools to get the job done perfectly in a step-by-step guide that makes sense. It's a real life saver because using the outlines and project-oriented structure it offers, you can't go wrong. It's like a map that will get you exactly where you want to go without the sweat, drama, and disappointment that you could face if you weren't sure what to do or which direction to take.

If you need a simple, easy to understand and very useful guide to office interior design, you can't get a better book than this. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

So beautiful and filled with ideas
Until I got this book, my favorite decorating book in the last year or so was French Influences. This book is in the same vein as French Influences, but it is shot in what look to be American homes. The European style decorating ideas are translated for you. Not only do I love this book, but so many of my friends pick it up and want it when they come over that I've started giving it as birthday and wedding gifts.

Romance for American homes
I had to write my own review because I just read a review from someone who said that the book was about European interiors (or something like that). The book is clearly photographed in American homes and is full of romantic ideas that I can use here in the northeast. I can easily translate the ideas in the book using new furniture and decorative accessories from local stores and from some of my favorite catalogs (like Ballard Designs and Rue de France).

What's missing are the "details" ...
If you're expecting a DIY 'how-to' of Romantic Style, you will not find it in the pages of this book. Granted, it is filled with beautifully-breathtaking photos of all of the homes showcased but, if you're looking for the "real" how-to "details," they're sorely missing.

Looking at photos is definitely awe-inspiring -- but, I want to hear the 'details' of how each look was achieved ... along with alternative options for creating the same, or similar, looks on anyone's budget. Romantic Style took the form of a somewhat elitist expression of 'lifestyles of the rich and famous' instead of a 'to-the-masses' type read.

And, at least in my circle of friends, acquaintances and design colleagues, very few have the unlimited funds to jet off to Europe, Asia or Africa whenever the urge strikes to bring back antiques, furniture and furnishings to transform their homes into the "romantic style" as most of the homes showcased have described. With a unlimited gold card and frequent access to jet around the world I, too, could create rooms to rival the ones in this book - but, in the real world, it would have been more beneficial if the book had shown a wider range of ideas for achieving the looks -- from budget-conscious - to - carte blanche.

The photos are definitely beautiful, but the true substance leaves something to be desired.

Beautiful, sophisticated, comforting
As a designer, I look for books like these that show my clients what's current in design. The Euro style thread that runs through the book represents a soft old world quality that is sophisticated and comforting at the same time. The book is full of good ideas. The only thing I didn't care for was the author's naive, golly-gee-wiz tone in writing about her own trip to Paris.

Gorgeous photos, good ideas, hint of French style throughout
I saw this book and knew I had to have it. It's me! The rooms they show are so soft and pretty yet filled with ideas. Lots of styles are shown, but there is a little thread of French style running throughout the book. ... Read more

Book Description

When you cross over the threshold of your home or apartment, what is your initial reaction? Are you inclined to kick off your shoes, pour yourself a glass of wine, and sink into the sofa with the evening paper? Or are you overwhelmed by the urge to pull your hair out, burn the futon couch you've had since college, and throw something -- anything -- over your latest horticultural failure: the skeleton of a ficus that sits leafless in the corner? The first rule of creating a comfortable living space is getting rid of the headaches, and Terence Conran has all the advice you need to get started. He also lays some inspirational groundwork for decorating your home to fit your life. Conran addresses four key concepts, Elements, Comfort, Function, and Detail, in depth, providing advice on everything from space and light to the importance of adding your own personal touches. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Easy Living by Terry Conran
Purchase this book if your objective is to get good ideas on the
subject of interior design. The author describes comfort zones
in multiple dimensions i.e. relaxation, touch, sleep and bath.
Relaxation is defined as mental breathing space. Touching
refers to how various textures of fabric evoke physical
responses. There is a section on functionality of interior
decorating. Functionality encompasses orderliness in the living
space. That is, a limited space may be utilized for storage,

shelving, hanging and containing personal objects.
The book is colorful. The artwork provides many perspectives
on how to emulate the interior designs depicted in the setting
of your own home, living or work space. This work will assist
you in optimizing the living space and making it visually
appealing.

An easy book from the master
Easy Living is another masterpiece of the master. What can I say? It seems that, as he gets older, he turns more and more easy living himself.

As he says (in another words): "I write a book because I hope you'll read it. Please, don't miss the text of this book". And he's absolutely right, the text is the best part of it; where he teaches everything he knows and believes. All in a very simple way. Believe it or not, the photographs turns into mere coadjuvants here, nonimportant decoration items. But you won't need them!

Conran, together with Niemeyer and Corbusier are the masters of modern living (to me, myself and I, of course). When I find myself in front of one of my masters criatures I surrender because that's the only thing I can do! Admire my masters talent.

Beautifully written
This book was marvelous. I enjoyed the fact that the book had no strict guidelines about decorating, just a kind of common sense approach. Now, if you are looking for step by step, (which I was) this may not be for you. But give it a try anyway. It may surprise you!

An Honest Overview Book about Modern Living
This book is divided into several components ie. elements, comfort, function, detail which are further broken down into small components. Pictures are used sparingly & most of them are taken from the same source anyway. I do not learn anything new in this modern living book but rather, reinforcing what I have already learnt from other interior books throughout the years. Just because Terence Conran is rendered as the guru of modern living, it doesn't imply that he's the person that has reinvented the wheel but just that person with the extra edge or confidence to apply what we have already known all along about modern living, that person who opts to lead a simplistic life. I'm very appreciative of him of stressing one point about the rigidity of minimalistic living, & people keep mixing up the word "minimal" living with "modern" living. Whilst it's true that their fundamentals are more or less the same, they still aren't the same thing.

Simple Living
I love the Conran's shop in Japan. It's simple, but makes me fun. There are simple interior in this book. But less colorful, I felt something missing. ... Read more

Book Description

Effective color selection can be a powerful element in any design. "Interior Color By Design" takes the mystery out of the color application process by: Providing over 250 color samples to experiment with different combinations Featuring over 100 full-color images that illustrate key concepts like adjacent colors and overall design Exploring the interactive effects of color combinations on interior design and archticture ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Would Like More Photos
This really explained the mysteries of color wheels, chroma and values, monotone color schemes and all the color terms that always mystified me in decorating books.
In some cases it was a little difficult to see the range of colors in the photos or the sample rooms were a bit bizarre. That distracted from understanding how a real person could use tetrad or discordant colors. I certainly wouldn't want a room looking like some they showed.
Overall it was helpful, I just wanted more room photos showing how some of the color schemes look when applied.

practical (and inspiring) guide
I went to the public library and looked through dozens of books before choosing three to buy. This was one of the three. The author first introduces color theory -- basic (attributes, temperature, mixing) and advanced (color interaction, hierarchy, proportion, harmony) -- and then moves on to schemes (monotonic, monochromatic, analogous, complementary, discordant). The second (and lengthier) part of the book contains 36 color photographs illustrating the various schemes, each accompanied by more than a few alternative color chip palettes.

I learned a lot and enjoyed doing so. Great photos!

(The other two books I chose at the library were C. Barnes's Color for Your Home and J. Miller's Color: Period and Regional Style From Around the World.)

Excellent explanation of color theory
At last a book where color theory is well and fully explained! They cover what tints, shades, pastels and other terms used to describe and build colors. Excellent! ... Read more

Book Description

Lofts today can be furnished in a host of interior styles, from raw and salvaged to sleek and sophisticated. What makes a loft is no longer quantifiable in floor area alone but has to do with more fundamental qualities of open space planning and design, qualities equally applicable in more conventional surroundings.

This book includes an extensive number of examples and details including floorplans and comprehensive information on suitable finishes, materials, and furnishings. A special section looks at patterns of use and explains how fully to exploit the loft space whatever your circumstances. ... Read more

Book Description

“There are those who spend lifetimes in houses that have nothing to do with who they really are. They may be perfectly designed, yet if they fail to reflect the personalities of the people who live in them, the very essence of intimacy is missing and this absence is disturbingly visible.”
—From “a window inside”


One of the most influential designers working in America today, Rose Tarlow knows that creating a truly beautiful room is as much an emotional matter as it is one of color, light, fabric, and furniture. In The Private House, she offers insights into the mind of a master designer—as well as a glimpse into some of the extraordinary homes she’s decorated.
Drawing upon her wealth of experience as an antiquaire and a designer, Ms. Tarlow discusses and illustrates simple principles of creative design that are appropriate to any home. Always arrange your comfortable, upholstered furniture first, she writes; pay special attention to how light affects your spaces; and use carpets as background only, never as the focus of a room.

With chapters on lighting, fabrics, color, and intimate spaces, Ms. Tarlow encourages readers to plan and decorate each area of their house with elegance and personal style, covering all the essential elements of design—including the emotional ones. The result should be a house that welcomes family and friends, one that enhances our quality of life.
... Read more

Reviews (11)

Subtle and Serene
Rose Tarlow invites us into her rarefied world, and aren't we lucky. She has created sublimely elegant furniture and environments for a number of years, yet her work has not received the kind of extensive editorial converage that some of her less talented contemporaries have. She has composed a relatively slim volume of words and images that is at once very personal yet instructional.

We are given a peek into her private life with descriptions of the house she grew up in as well as the creation of her magnificent home in Bel Air California and other projects.She shares some of her fundamental design pricipals in addition to a history of how she began her very unique and successful career.

This is a book for anyone who appreciates extraordinary design in addition to being a wealth of information culminated from a lifetime of exploration and study.

Intense Beauty
I waited a long time for a Western interior design book that speaks directly to me; it was worth the wait. Paul Goldberger says it best in his foreword: "Rose Tarlow's work celebrates the reality of living -- the way in which, out of a complex mist of memories, emotions, aspirations, and knowledge, each of us builds a life that is like none other. Her rooms are like no other, and they are marked by a natural grace." Her wonderful, delicate text and intensely satisfying photographs are to return to time and again; this is a treasure that is much more than an obsessive-compulsive personal summary of what antiquaire Rose Tarlow teaches in her UCLA master interior design class. As she also writes (and I've long agreed), "If I were forced to choose, I would much prefer to live surrounded by carefully selected and much loved books than by indifferent art" -- add the fabulous At Home With Books by Estelle Ellis to your purchase. A true connoisseur.

it should be "MY Private House"
This book is minimally instructional. It's filled with the author's memories of the small things that make life interesting--but they don't make the book interesting. This is really a poorly-organized memoir, and not a book on design. The "tips" that the author shares are fairly common knowledge, and it's not worth slogging through yet another paragraph on the joys of a finding a scrap of exquisite fabric in a shop in Paris after a lovely little lunch at an out-of-the-way cafe, and how lovely it looked in Mr. Insert-Name-Here's quaint chateau. Rose Tarlow should have just written her autobiography and not tried to disguise it as a design book. Two stars for the fact that it wasn't completely false advertising.

Rose Isn't Giving Away the Store
Rose Tarlow knows more about art history and interior design through the centuries than any living person. Unfortunately, she really isn't interested in teaching you a thing.

I read the book carefully and then went through it a second time to see if there was a single design principle or piece of advice I could come away with. Amazingly there wasn't.

Rose plays her card close to her chest.

A textbook for scale and porportion
Rose Tarlow's home is filled with Museum quality furniture however, the principals she espouses can be used by everyone. If you are starting your first home this book is wonderful, she discusses furniture placement, how to make a small room look larger and good ideas for using color. Some of the rooms are filled with many shades and others are serenely absent of much color. I have decorated many homes and found Ms. Tarlow's book filled with good ideas. I find myself going back and rereading portions of this book, especially when I'm faced with a decorating dilemma. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

This is my style!
Contemporary details is a very focused book: good examples, excellent photos and contents.
As an interior designer, I recommend.

The details are not exactly what I was looking for
Although I do not own a copy for myself, I intended to purchase it. The pictures are wonderful and there are a myriad of products. But, while browsing through a copy at my local bookstore I realized that the items pictured where not exactly my taste. The fixtures and furnishings are definitely modern, but tend to have an extremely hard edge. I love contemporary interior design, but something a little softer, a little less abstract. If you are interested in that end of the contemporary spectrum, then go for it. If you are like me, you may be dissapointed.

Not bad, but not what I expected.
This book is a valuable resource like a previous reader stated if you are redoing a home, or if you want some ideas on innovative installations of materials, but being that I was thinking with a mind of an architect, when I first read this title I thought I would literally see some construction details of some of the more innovative ideas (what materials were used, what thought went behind the design, etc.). Instead, I got some pretty pictures and lots and lots of names of manufactuers, businesses, and architects. A bit disappointing, but a good book to have either way.

Extra-ordinary 5+ stars
If you are marrying or changing the concept of your home decoration, this book should be the first guide you should be counting on. I am marrying in 5 months and when i first saw this book at my friends house, i said "ok, my house is going to be like this" And i came home and ordered this book from amazon.com. This book, you can look and inspire for the rest of your life. ... Read more

Book Description

Provides a "real-world" perspective on the preparation of construction documents.
* Highly visual book with extensive drawings and details.
* Essential reference for NCIDQ examination. ... Read more

Book Description

A one-stop, on-the-job resource for modern office space planning and design. Considers optimal use of space; employee and task space needs; enclosed versus open-plan offices; furniture, fixtures, and lighting; climate and comfort; and much more. Includes case studies from major international companies. Covers topical issues such as design for productivity and technology, on-site parking, daycare, and gym facilities. ... Read more

Book Description

The Ocean of the Soul is one of the great works of the German Orientalist Hellmut Ritter (1892-1971). It presents a comprehensive analysis of the writings of the mystical Persian poet Farīd al-Dīn ‘Aṭṭār who is thought to have died at an advanced age in April 1221 when the Mongols destroyed his home city of Nīshāpūr in the north-east of Iran. The book, which resulted from decades of investigation of literary and historical sources, was first published in 1955 and has since remained unsurpassed not only as the definitive study of ‘Aṭṭār's world of ideas but as an indispensable guide to understanding pre-modern Islamic literature in general.

Quoting at length from ‘Aṭṭār and other Islamic sources, Ritter sketches an extraordinarily vivid portrait of the Islamic attitude toward life, characteristic developments in pious and ascetic circles, and, in conclusion, various dominant mystical currents of thought and feeling.

Special attention is given to a wide range of views on love, love in all its manifestations, including homosexuality and the commonplace sūfī adoration of good-looking youths. Ritter's approach is throughout based onprecise philological interpretation of primary sources, several of which he has himself made available in critical editions. ... Read more

Book Description

A comprehensive, illustrated reference for those who choose fabrics for interiors. Fabrics provides designers with the information they need to make their fabric specifications easy, informed, and appropriate to the job at hand, considering aesthetics, performance, and green design. It describes and illustrates the many fibers, construction techniques, processes, finishes, styles, and applications of cloth for furniture and window-, wall-, and floor coverings. 300 color illustrations. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

It's in the fine details
Yes, the pictures are lovely...but as one reviewer noted, one will want to go through the book several times just to see everything one missed. On my second time through, I noticed almost every photo had many books (sometimes shelves full of books)in the background. 99% of those books were titles in English. Yes, yes, I know the French speak English very well..but what are the odds that ALL the books would be in English? Wouldn't they at least own a few titles in their native language? Made me wonder where some of these homes are located and if I was truly looking at an American (or UK) home decorated in French Country style.

Beautiful inside & out
A fine representation of French country decorating style. This book covers exterior, interior and a bit or garden landscaping. It has many fresh ideas for a real french country feel, but with a touch of elegance. Wonderful "Rooms for Living" with decorating ideas to suit every budget, as it mixes all kinds of things. The traditional effects are softened by simple yet beautiful touches. Once you go through the book for the first time you will want to go through it again to catch all the detail work you missed the first and second and third time.

I gave this book 4 stars only because I wanted more to see!
This lovely book is quintessential French country. The authors take the reader on a tour of vistas from the Mediterranean Sea to Provence; country homes range from the rugged to the elegant. The text reveals to the reader the common elements to be found in the variety of homes found in the French countryside. Vibrant colors follow paticular painterly selection if one wants to create the true feel of a French country home. Shutters are French, not American. Lace is typically at the windows, or for a more grand effect billowing panels with French pleats, caught and pulled to the side about 3/4's from the top of the drop. Window boxes brimming with color are essential for this style, and borders of lavender would make you feel that you are really there. Terracotta roof tiles would complete the exterior view. Inside, the walls vary, but they definitely make the statement: I am France. Terracotta tile floors are very common, but hardwood floors are fine, too. Mouldings are landmarks, and they are abundantly visualized in this volume. Provencal prints, bergere chairs, ladder back dinning and/or kitchen chairs, flowers---all are shown in French homes. In the kitchen, pots on display, wall tiles, a baker's rack, a country table, open shelves, walls that are rubbed with earthy hues make the room inviting and warm---a gathering place. Dining is wonderful, inside or out. The French love to eat outside. The bedroom is simple or elegant, but deliberately French. Lace, panels, sometimes two layers, billowing to the floor, European pillows, and definitely a bolster and duvet enrich the feeling of a retreat. At least a touch of toile should be seen. I remember a French friend telling me once, that one of the most important things a true French person does when considering something for their home. She said the French don't decorate like Americans do, try to figure out if an object will work; for the French, if they like something, they find a place for it. They learn very early how to put things together. And you can always see it no matter how much they have to spend. It's just perfect. This beautiful volume is filled with beautiful pictures to create your own French Country style.

For a short book lots of good ideas about french designs.
Excellent pictures and easy to understand and to follow, just love the book, wish it was bigger with more great ideas. Makes you feel like you are in France. Miriam ... Read more

Book Description

Patterns-bold, colorful, muted, delicate, intricate, splashy, spare, figurative, abstract, dizzying, calming-are the subject in this comprehensive reference, the first to examine pattern as an essential part of twentieth-century design history.

With stunning color plates and lively text, Lesley Jackson takes readers on a tour of the development of twentieth-century patterns from around the world. Organized by decade, Twentieth-Century Pattern Design details the technical innovations that affected the development of modern textiles and wallpapers. Focusing on surface pattern in the home, Jackson draws frequent parallels to the worlds of fashion, packaging, and graphics, and explores the interrelationship between painting and pattern design. The result is a book as inspiring as it is informative.

Twentieth-Century Pattern Design is an invaluable resource for modern design enthusiasts and historians, collectors and interior and graphic designers. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Mary Gilliatt's Complete Room by Room Decorating Guide
Noted interior designer Gilliatt has dispensed decorating advice to do-it-yourselfers for over 30 years in close to 40 books. Here she provides decorating suggestions for every room of the home-including hallways, home offices, and patios-with advice on lighting, flooring, window treatments, walls, furnishings, and accessories to create a comfortable, attractive decor. Color photographs depict a sophisticated look of a variety of decorating styles-e.g., modern, ethnic, and country. However, despite the updated styles found here, amateurs will probably prefer Gilliatt's The Complete Book of Home Design, whose easy-to-use format is more accessible. Recommended for academic and large interior design collections.

Breathtaking ideas, styles and color schemes
Mary Gilliatt's Complete Room By Room Decorating Guide is a captivating interior decorations guide which offers both amateur and professional interior designers a wealth of tips, tricks, and techniques for sprucing up and adding unique individual touches to every corner of the home. Full-color photographs taken by Andreas von Einsiedel of breathtaking ideas, styles and color schemes fit well with Mary Gilliatt's thoughtful and inventive advice stressing balance and attention to detail. Mary Gilliatt's Complete Room By Room Decorating Guide is a thoughtful and thought-provoking contribution to Interior Design reference collections and reading lists. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

samurai luvs this book
I'am looking for a book that has it all for estimating from floor finishing to window treatment and all the way to bedcovers and table clothes. And this book came up to me. And not only teach you for the estimates but also, the author explained it clearly about the history of each materials and there advantages and disadvantages.
A must for the serious interior designers...

Great estimating guide
Good for people just entering the interior design business, where they're unsure of how to estimate costs for various items. This takes you through it all, pretty much step-by-step. It's complete with diagrams and examples of schedules that you'd write up to pass on to painters, tilers, and the like. The only disadvantage is that I have to translate all the measurements, as they're all in yards and feet. ... Read more