Book Description

From classic swags to minimalist breaths of muslin, window coverings are no longer simply a way to keep out the sun; they're the subtle accent that can make or break the decor of a room. THE NEW CURTAIN BOOK is an innovative decorating guide filled with practical information and technical advice from the top curtain and blind makers. In what is part reference book, part showcase, Hoppen has consulted with the world's foremost interior designers. In exclusive interviews, they discuss their inspirations, the origin of their ideas, how and why they choose fabrics, and what they see as future trends. Lush full-color photographs--400 in all--taken by Fritz von der Schulenberg highlight each designer's work, creating a master portfolio of window-covering style. THE NEW CURTAIN BOOK integrates stunning inspiration, in a range of styles from Grand Baroque to elegant contemporary, with invaluable advice from design experts to make this a truly helpful guide. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Misleading Title?
I was disappointed in this book. The title suggests that it is a how-to book and I was expecting "lessons" in curtain making. This is not at all what this book is about.

Wonderful
This book gave me such wonderful inspiration for redoing my window treatments. So many different styles are covered that I had a hard time deciding which was my favorite, but I love feeling like I got advice from a variety of designers. If you aren't sure what kind of curtains or blinds will go with your room, get this book! ... Read more

Book Description

Exceptionally authoritative and applied, this handbook/tutorial/workbook provides a firm foundation in the basics of color harmony and usage and explores the vast and often hidden ways in which color affects our everyday lives—culturally, psychologically, and physiologically. Based on well-controlled, scientific studies, it separates color myth from color fact, and shows readers how color affects, for example, our health, spending habits, perceived image, communication, weight, sex lives, and consumer brand preferences. Self-contained segments on different aspects of color or specific application areas provide convenient handbook use. Detailed experiential exercises cross over into many fields—e.g., interiors, fashion, graphics, healthcare, architecture, environment and landscape, hospitality, etc.The Color Connection. Color: Pigment and Light. Color Myths and Biases. Color and Health. Color and Psychology. Color in Interiors. Color in Architecture and Landscape Design. Color in Advertising and Marketing. Color in Fashion and Textile Design. Color in Culture and Society. Color Order Systems. Color: Pushing the Envelope.For Interior Designers, Interior Decorators, Product Designers, Graphic Designers, Architects, Product Designers, Fashion Designers, Healthcare workers (specifically Physical Therapists, Chiropractors and alternative medicine practitioners such as Aromatherapists, Color Therapists, and Holistic Medicine Practitioners and well as holistic Veterinarians), and Education Administrators. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Fabulous Book!
This is the best book on color I've ever found. It gives a really comprehensive overview of how color affects your entire life. If you want to redecorate your home, or influence people by how you dress, or learn how to use color to make your life healthier you absolutely must read this book. Color: The Secret Influence really goes way beyond anything I've ever read about color before in showing how it totally affects our lives. It clearly states that the serious study of color is in its beginning stages but it also gives an amazing amount of information that anyone can use today, right now to make their lives better. You've gotta read this book!

Disappointed
This book is like Reader's Digest. It trys to cover too much subject matter and winds up turning into a survey. It says a little about a lot. I returned it.

Tickled pink:)
Color affects everything, "Color The Secret Influence" examines the science, psychology, and history of color. The information and studies discussed within touch on many facets of everyday life. The book begins by defining color, and discusses it in the context of it's affects on health, psychology, architecture, landscape design, sales, marketing, packaging, fashion, and culture in general.

If you have the slightest interest in learning about color for commercial purposes, designing and decorating your home, improving or understanding your color preferences, or how your everyday color choices and preferences affect you, buy this book!. It's is phenomenal, absolutely the best all encompassing book on color I've ever come across. While the information contained within, can be applied to web and graphic design, the depth of this book goes FAR beyond anything else I have read! It covers MUCH more than just creating attractive color combinations.

Color: The Secret Influence
I think this book will really help me in my work. I have a floorcovering business and I have read a lot of books on color trying to learn things that I can use in my business. This is the first book that has given me really solid information. I now understand color for the first time. I really recommend this book to anyone who wants to know how to use color as a way to make their lives better.

Great Job!
This book has lots of info and is put together really well. It's amazing to learn how much color affects your life and to realize that you can make your life so much better by knowing how to use it. This is a great book. ... Read more

Book Description

"If you can put together an outfit, you're already overqualified to decorate a room," believes Emmy Award-winning Christopher Lowell. Now, the most popular and colorful personality on the Discovery Channel brings his proven Seven Layers of Design system to readers in a lively blend of design theory and hands-on advice for do-it-yourself projects. In this book, as on his program, Lowell brings his humor, wit, and charm to a host of decorating projects and ideas, making them simple, fun, and rewarding.

Christopher Lowell's Seven Layers of Design solves decorating dilemmas by encouraging you to look at a room piece by piece, layer by layer, from the floor up. By following this process, home decorators can avoid costly disappointments and learn inexpensive tricks for changing the personality of a room. With his colorful presentation of the Seven Layers (Paint & Architecture, Installed Flooring, Upholstered Furniture, Accent Fabrics, Non-upholstered Furniture, Accessories, and Plants & Lighting), Lowell lays the groundwork for simple yet stunning home design. He demonstrates how color is the foundation of a room, why decorating a room around a favorite upholstery fabric is a recipe for disaster, how to create fabulous fakes using paint and plywood, why you should never paint a ceiling white, and how to deal with an interior designer.

Each chapter of Christopher Lowell's Seven Layers of Design walks you through room makeovers with dramatic before, during, and after photos, and solves a variety of design problems. In "Even the Kitchen Sink," Lowell works his magic within the constraints of existing walls and appliances, countertops, and cabinets. "Home Office Haven" demonstrates how to create an efficient home office and still welcome houseguests. "Living Large" helps you to reduce clutter by making use of space you never knew you had. "Dining Room Drama" shows how to bring romance into any room of the house. There are also plenty of tips, secrets, and shortcuts to tackling a stylish Deco bathroom mirror, faux-finished kitchen cabinets, a chic chaise lounge made from plywood, and more. Best of all, most of these projects can be completed for under $100. ... Read more

Reviews (60)

Help for the decorating dazed and confused
I enjoy Christopher Lowell's television show, and found his book equally terrific! The advice about interviewing and working with an interior decorator is worth the cost of the book by itself. The projects are challenging but definitely add to your home's look without putting you in the poorhouse. The best thing about Christopher Lowell? He starts with *paint*. Paint is cheap, and can simply be painted over without incurring thousands in re-dos and "buying mistakes." Paint also makes a huge impact, and you don't have to change furniture or buy expensive accessories.

It's not brain surgery, but home decorating can reduce the most self-assured woman to a tearful wreck. This book can either be followed to the letter or used as a springboard to other decorating books and magazines. Christopher's breezy writing style and easily understood explanations make the most fearful home decorator ready to finally pick up that paintbrush and get busy!

Christopher is AMAZING and so is his book!
Of course we all love Christopher, but I'm not praising his book just because I think he's fabulous. His book provides us with hands-on material we can read and re-read until we completely understand. The book explains each of the 7 layers of design and makes it sooooo simple to decorate an entire room. He also has instructions for projects and they're so easy to understand. You'll love the chaise lounge in the back! The book is written the way christopher talks. It's fun, and easy to understand. He even gives you a list of basics to have in your "tool box"! If you're planning on re-decorating a room this book is essential!

Pictures were nice, but pretty over powering.
It seemed like everything in the book was just as over the top as he is. Instead of showing you a really tastefull way of going about decorating something, everything was just bigger, and more colorful, and fluffier. I think that is kind of his style, and I guess I'm just not a fan of it.

I think if you really enjoy him, you will like this book. I guess I don't enjoy him or this book.

Fun and informative
This is a fun book. However, if you already have furniture and can't afford to buy a lot more accessories, this might not be the book for you. He advises doing things in layers, which, in theory, is a great idea. I just don't have the time or money to do all the things he suggests. If you have an empty room and are starting from scratch with no paint or paper on the walls and can fill it with furniture and accessories, then this is great. Also, the big problem that I've noticed with some of these interior decorating books is that they don't offer a lot of different ideas. I have one book that has quite a few color palette ideas in the back and I've found that I use this a lot more, since it gives some definitive "use these colors to look coordinated" advice without being restrictive.

A Great Read!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had very high expectations for this book...and Christopher sure came through!!!!!!!! All the tips were great and Chris looked great as always!!! I love his show and now i love his books!!!!! I can't wait to read his next book. thanks lowell...i love you man!!!!! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great book!!
This book features many amazing pictures- of exclusive hotels as well as private homes. I was most impressed with the pictures of Amanjiwo- a famed Aman resort - and with Begawan Giri in Bali. This book is also well laid out and well written. Highly recommended for people who are interested in Balinese and tropical architecture and design. ... Read more

Book Description

• Respected interior designers showcased on the popular HGTV program offer tried-and-true decorating advice for all budgets and personal styles.

• Includes rooms with designer looks and their low-cost alternatives.

• Offers "make-a-statement" decorating ideas for remarkable living and family rooms, dining rooms, and bedrooms.

• More than a dozen easy-to-make projects with step-by-step instructions, estimated completion times, and materials costs-to help readers stretch their decorating dollars.

• Helps home decorators make rooms look professionally designed through creativity, planning, and smart shopping.

• An informative quiz helps readers identify their personal style.

• Bonus shopping guide assists with choosing furnishings and accessories that suit budgets and tastes. ... Read more

Book Description

/*0-13-048399-0, 4839J-7, Riggs, J. Rosemary, Materials and Components of Interior Architecture, 6/E*/ Taking into account the dramatic advances being made in materials and technologies, this innovative book on interior architecture offers a refreshing, synergistic approach to the field while exposing readers to many exciting nonstructural materials available to today's designers. With an eye on the environment, it provides a firm understanding of the products, properties, and uses of all materials, covering everything from floors, walls and ceiling to installation, and recycling. Progressing from the ground up—literally—it looks beyond the more decorative aspects of design to study the properties and uses of both finishing materials in the design field and structural materials in the architectural field. For interior designers and specifiers. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Broad Outlook on Interior Products
This book is a good reference for anyone who is currently designing or building a luxury home, but for a general education on construction interiors, this is not the book. There are many references to the latest products, which include both color and feature description that will be quickly outdated. Most of the discussion centers around materials that would be used in an affluent home rather than your typical family residence, and product descriptions focus on the unique product, not the typical. Dimensions for comfortable clearance and layout hints are useful for residential layout, but the commercial references are very limited. ... Read more

Book Description

The most comfortable rooms in the world are those that have aged gracefully. Bearing the traces of their owners' lives and tastes, these spaces beckon you to enjoy them, to make yourself at home. The Well-Worn Interior is an illuminating tour of these beautiful rooms, visiting older residences and historic houses in the United States and throughout Europe and exploring the evolution of these special places over time. There is much to learn from these timeless interiors.

Evocative photographs explore the warmth, charm, and beauty of faded and gently decayed interiors-the peeling paint, vintage fabrics, worn floors, and other testaments to a place's history. This "lived-in" look will appeal to anyone seeking the comfort of home. As subtle as the loving wear of decades can be, there are simple strategies for achieving such an intimate aura without working, or waiting, all those years. The Well-Worn Interior is the essential guide to helping you make decoration decisions that are sensitive to your existing home. A reference section illustrates how long-neglected techniques such as limewash, graining, and gilding can be applied to today's interiors, and a directory points you toward the right materials. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Warm, Rich Photographs of Beautiful Lived-In Rooms
This is one of my favorite decorating books. The photographs are rich and warm, revealing the interiors of beautiful, aged, classic homes. If you like the look of distressed original walls, furniture, rugs, and paintings, you will enjoy this book. There is no chrome, plastic, or formica here.

Many of the photos in this book remind me of the classic "Ralph Lauren" look, featuring English or European country style with the patina of age. The interiors have the "shabby chic" look, but without the overabundance of white paint on everything that "shabby chic" usually implies.

There is a lack of fussiness and frilliness in these rooms. They look lived in -- these are not museum-type rooms, for show only. These are rooms where you can sit down, kick off your shoes, read a book, enjoy a meal, or sleep comfortably, without worrying that you're going to ruin something.

I give this book my highest rating -- five stars. ... Read more

Book Description

As an interior decorator you will have a rewarding, high-paying job that lets you use your creativity to make homes and businesses more beautiful and comfortable.

As long as you have the desire, you can become an interior decorator. No special education or experience is necessary to break into interior decorating and succeed. (Unlike becoming a certified interior designer which has strict requirements including two to five years of post-secondary education in interior design.) You can start interior decorating and become an interior decorator immediately.

If you would like to be paid to decorate homes or businesses, the FabJob Guide to Become an Interior Decorator is for you! In this book you will discover how you can get started and succeed in the exciting career of interior decorating.

This FabJob guide focuses on information that is difficult to find elsewhere – how to get hired as an interior decorator. However, if you also want to learn interior decorating, this guide can save you many hours of research time, because it includes step-by-step interior decorating instructions. The book explains how to get hired as an interior decorator with a retailer, home builder or other industry employer. It covers how to find job openings, prepare a resume and portfolio, and do well in an interview.

It also provides step-by-step instructions on how to start an interior decorating business, set your fees, find clients, and get discounts of up to 50% on furniture and materials. The CD-ROM that comes with this book includes sample forms, checklists, furniture cut-outs, etc., plus links to interior decorating resources (including many free resources). ... Read more

Book Description

Slesin and Cliff (French Style and English Style) with their coauthor and photographer from Caribbean Style look at the richness, diversity, and never-ending romance of how the Japanese live today, as expressed through interior design. 770 full-color photographs. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Playing In the Shadows
In another book I recently read of the importance of shadows in the domestic architecture of Japan. Openings aren't created simply to provide light, they are used t leave part of a room dim and private and to provide illumination only exactly where needed. The photography in Japanese Style (by Gilles de Chabaneix) captures this beautifully, even as the writers focus on other possible threads.

Any discussion of the intimate side of Japanese architecture and space use will spend a lot of time on the vast dichotomy between modern Japan and the style most Americans are familiar with - the traditional housing that represents over a millennia of incremental design. This book follows the same theme, moving from rural manor to a tiny Tokyo apartment, from beautifully carved wood to the unique character of poured concrete.

The more you look through this book, the more you realize that Japanese designers have managed to bridge the time gap rather than making an abrupt leap. Even though the change appears to be radical, the underlying sensitivity to arrangement and a knack for disciplined minimalism have been there all along. One glance at the photographs of a four level home build on a 320 square foot lot is all you need to realize that there is an unerring understanding of harmony and purpose. Style becomes a two way street - Tokyo has evolved as an expression of the Japanese esthetic, at the same time as the conditions of the city have shaped the artistic experience.

Buy this book for the photographs. For the most part the writers contribute little, other than providing some context. But De Chabeneix has an intuitive sense of how to see what the Japanese resident is seeing. Often the shots are magical, different angles of the same room look so difference that it is only on the second or third glance that you realize you are looking at the same room serving multiple purposes. As a result, you capture what it takes to make the Japanese Style happen anywhere, with any materials.

Well worth the price
Because we are in the process of designing and building a Zen Danish (as we call it) new home I purchased this wonderful book in order to get some specific ideas. Of special interest are the similarities between the Danish and Japanese styles that we love.

What amazed me is this book was published in the 80's yet I swear this book looks like it is a 2003 or futuristic publication that is timeless and well worth the hefty price of the book.

The section on Small Spaces is excellent and a chapter I would recommend for anyone who is looking to build either a small yet open home for one or two, or the second home in the mountains or sear the seashore.

I love the section on lofts and how they can be made to be classy, and not cluttered. And the whole chapter on craftsmanship which is actually what makes a Zen style living area so wonderful to me. Beginning on page 100 I gained some excellent ideas for our new garden and wisdom on how to have just the right amount of plant life and a koi pond to make the outside a part of ones living environment, rather than the grass and other high maintenance yards the average American has.

It is a book I find myself picking up every few days, reading a few pages and getting new ideas I can actually use.

Excellent Book, Beautiful Photography
This has got to be one of the best "Style" Books ever published. Excellent examples of architecture, beautiful interior design, and superb photography. Just the right juxtaposition of traditional and modern. Each of the major sections has both Japanese and Western Styles. Normally this would not mix, had it been contrived, but all of the examples in the book are real houses where people live and work. No Architectural Digest type of Houses that look artificial and posed are to be found in this book. My favorites are the tranditional Japanese houses of which there really great examples. This book can give you hundreds of ideas for decorating your house tastefully. The photography really does justice to these houses and the subtle aesthetics of the Japanese Style.

I collect "Style Books", and this has long been one of my favorites. I have had this book for over ten years and still look at it from time to time.

I would like to point out that the other review for this book below refers to a Miniature version of this book, and is probably a misunderstanding of some sort.

A LITTLE book, indeed
To have this book labeled Paperback edition of the original SUPERB hardcover book without qualification is a little bit too much for me.

Even at a quarter of the price, this 4 1/2 inch book is nothing compared to the original edition.

And still I don't regret having it, because it reminds me of the big hardcover book... ... Read more

Book Description

Interior Color by Design 2 is an upscale primer on color?possibly the most important design element used in decorating interiors. Effective color selection can be a powerful element in any design. This book takes the mystery out of the color application process.

Included are more than 250 color samples to mix and match and experiment with to achieve different looks that suit any style of decor. Beautiful color photographs bring key concepts to life and make them easy to understand and easy to apply to any room in a home or office.

The book is packed with information on planning color relationships, preparing color schemes for interiors, making color charts, selecting materials, putting together color samples, and working with additive and subtractive color. The author also discusses the psychological impact of color and how color can enhance functional spaces and solve a wide range of practical problems. ... Read more

Book Description

Color has always played an important role in interior design, from the earth-toned halls of ancient Cretan palaces to the bright surfaces of modern homes. Yet most people are largely unaware of the way in which color affects their surroundings. In this comprehensive introduction, readers discover the impact that color has on the way they see the world and learn how to effectively use color to beautify their environment.

With a wealth of information and images, the book is divided into three parts: a history of interiors from the perspective of color systems, an easy-to-understand outline of color theory and its underlying science, and a practical guide to using color to enhance interior settings and create specific effects. From James McNeill Whistler's Peacock Room in Washington D.C., to Le Corbusier's Villa Savoye in provincial France, to a Prairie-style interior by Frank Lloyd Wright, Ethel Rompilla shows how color creates the world in which we live. This lavishly illustrated volume is an indispensable and accessible guide for the professional and amateur decorator alike. AUTHOR BIO: Ethel Rompilla is a professor of color theory at the New York School of Interior Design in Manhattan, as well as a highly regarded interior designer. She lives in New York City. The New York School of Interior Design is an accredited school of interior design offering programs leading to undergraduate and graduate degrees in interior design. The school is located in New York City. ... Read more

Book Description

The aim of The Curtain Sketchbook is to show, in clear line sketches, hundreds of ideas for curtains and window treatments. This is not a "How to do it Book" - it is a book of window decorating ideas.First published in England by Shoestring Book Company. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Mainly Classic Designs
This book will not teach you how to sew curtains but it will give you loads of ideas for your window treatment.However, it is only ideal for those looking for classical designs since no modern styles are shown.

It also lacks new creative designs, I always felt that each design is familiar to me.

Great source of ideas for elaborate window treatments
The book contains line drawings of styles for all the various elements of a window treatment as well as ideas for dealing with different kinds of windows. The book decomposes window treatments into pelmets, valences, etc., etc., etc., with pages of line drawings of styles for each element. Then, it pulls the various elements together into a total look.

I was leant this book, but I found it so helpful I bought my own. It has drawbacks. If you want something simple and/or you plan to make them yourself, this probably isn't the book for you. There are no instructions or measurements of any kind, just the drawings. But if you're working with a decorator who knows a professional, or are a decorator yourself, then this book will help your imagination run wild.

The Curtain Sketchbbok 2 by Wendy Baker
This book is really great for any windows. Mostly if you are a interior designer. It gaves you lot of good examples which curtains will good in what rooms with different types of furnitures. This book gaves you something that no one esle has. You will be the first one to have that design in your room before someone esle does

Curtain Sketchbook 2
This is a great book if you're looking for unique window treatments. I wanted something everyone else didn't have. It is not a how-to book but the illustrations are very detailed. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (4)

The best decorating book out there, bar none!
I love to decorate, but as you probably know most decorating books cover just one subject, one room, or one style of decorating. This book truly covers everything and anything. It covers the hows, the whys, the color theory, and presents many pictures of beautiful rooms. Whenever I'm stumped for what to do in a room, I pick up this book and leaf through it. I have not been let down even once. There's always an idea I can adapt to whatever I'm looking for at that particular moment. I would highly recommend this book. It's a bit big, and might seem overwhelming to some, but don't try to read it all in one day. Leaf through it gingerly, or fast forward to a particular room you are wanting to work in. You will be inspired to try somethings, but always adapt them to what you would enjoy in your own home. In the summer months, my husband and I will be re-doing our 100 year old kitchen, and this book has already given me plenty of ideas to work with. Pick this book up, before all others. You can always narrow your decorating focus as you go on, and buy books on that focus. This book gives you everything and more.

I love this book
I am young, and just recently married.We just bought our first home and I had no idea where to begin.I got this book as a gift and I have loved everything about it.It has trully helped me decorate my home into something that I am proud of.I love that it gives an overview of lots of things like curtains, floors, painting techniques, and color.If you are decorating your home for the first time, or you just need some ideas to make some updates I highly recommend this book.

In trying to be everything, this book gives you nothing.
Pluses:
None as far as I can see.

Minuses:
This book tries to cover so many topics, it can only give you a little bit of info on each.I could forgive the lack of substantive information, if the pictures made up for it, but they don't.They are very boring and most seem outdated.In trying to appeal to the broadest range of people, the book misses the ideosyncracies of different interior decoration styles.

Recommendation:
I would skip this book.There are so many more interior decoration books that are so much better.Better Homes and Gardens and House Beautiful books are usually pretty good.Also, the Architecture and Design Library books are good sources for differnt styles.

A bountiful array of decorating ideas!
This book contains many colorfull pages of great ideas that are easy for the decorating beginner to follow. This book gives you simple solutions to jazz up you current rooms and offers more detailed solutions for you tocreate with many different products. I loved this book from cover to cover. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Radiant color is not merely joyously prevalent in Mexico, it is part of the national psyche. According to this energetic celebration of Mexican style, "the color that floods Mexico's streets and plazas, markets and homes (and the pages of this book) is language and metaphor--a form of communication, deeply bound to experience. Day and night, birth and death, rich and poor, feast and famine: color is always there. Earth, sky, and history conspire to make it so." The profusion of multihued walls, tiles, ceramics, textiles, and folk art that fill the home; the riotous juxtapositions ofvivid foods, flowers, supplies, and accessories that comprise the spectacle of the marketplace; the vibrant details that define everything from facades to clothing to handpainted toys--the Mexican obsession with color is everywhere, as is strikingly documented in this lively book. --Amy Handy ... Read more

Reviews (12)

A lot of ideas for my new home
I was (and still am) searching for books, information and pictures of mexican architecture and color. This book was helpful for me, and also brought back great memories of my two trips to Mexico. This country is amazingly beautiful and rich in cultural heritage, and in my search for rustic/mexican ideas that I can adapt to the design of my new hacienda-type home, I found that the book satisfied me with all the beautiful pictures portraing the real Mexico. A must have for mexican citizens living outside the country, and Mexico freaks (like me) as well.

Mexico lindo/Beautiful Mexico
Having travelled through most of the states of Mexico, witnessing the enchanting colorful culture firsthand I can say this book captures the essence and beauty of Mexico lindo. It reminds the viewer of the places and people of Mexico in all their colorful splendor. What traveler through Mexico can forget the mercado (outdoor maketplace)experiece with the aromas and color blending for an intoxicating mixture that stays with you for a lifetime? It is all captured here in this brilliantly colored book. An inspirational book for the artist as well, the splashes of color jump from the pages into one's imagination for new ideas based on centuries old traditions. Although the fantastic color photographs are the highlight of this magnificnet book, the text is equally as good and highly informative. Little known tidbits abound. Take for example the centuies old technique of hanging cactus upside down to attract cochineal bugs. The bugs are then crushed to extract a wonderful red dye for wool rugs. Nothing is wasted, the bugs are sun dried or toasted on a griddle and mixed with lime after being crushed to a powder. The 21 chapters cover all aspects of Mexican life and each deserves the utmost attention since the detail given to each is exquisite. Nearly half of the chapters are dedicated to some aspect of the home, whether the garden, renovated haciendas or charming homes away from home for the traveler, the peeks into the places of rest are magnificent. The section featuring four artists homes is fabulous. There is one particular chapter that I love most, it is simply entitled wood. Here one will find marvelous wood creations, including masks and furniture as well as the famous wood carvers from Oaxaca, who create whimsical, colorful animals that defy conventional conceptions. There are other places to find wood creations as they are featured throughout the book in one form or another. This book demands to viewed over and over. This is one not to be shelved but to be kept handy for reference or inspiration. I would highly recommened this book to anyone who loves the old world culture that is Mexico. It is one of my favorite books that I cherish, a special gift that I view often, colorful memories rekindled and brought to life again and again.

Sunglasses Required!
Put your sunglasses on (make sure there prescription, the font is really small) and get ready to feast your eyes on 176 pages of brilliant, intense colours. The book covers most aspects of the Mexican lifestyle and shows how colour is integrated into every part of their lives.

I had thought that the pictures where the leftovers from the authors other book, Mexicasa: The Enchanting Inns and Haciendas of Mexico, but this book seems to have been published first.

If you buy either one of these books, make sure you check out the binding really good, and keep your receipt. The bindings seem to be very poor and may totally fail before your half way through the book.

When I opened the book, I was like a kid in a candy shop.
Brilliant! Vivid! Alive! An optical tease, each chapter, every trichromatic photograph, allures you sensually. Walls, kitchens and tiles blaze with vibrant colors. This isn't a book that you read as much as it is a book that you experience. You will find yourself slowly flipping through the book, not once , but many times. Each time your visual senses will be stimulated. If you are thinking of redecorating in pulsing colors then this book is a must buy.

My decoration/collection bible
I ADORE this book!!!! I have poured over it SO MUCH that the spine is cracked open on certain pages. Masako's love for Mexico, the people, the artesania, the "flavor" of Mexican life (well detailed in her husband's book "On Mexican Time") comes screaming through loud and clear on every page. I am an AVID collector/aficionado of all Mexican folk art, handicrafts and artesanias, and this book is virtually my decorating bible. Well worth every cent I spent on it and so much more!

The only flaws (for me)are the chapters on Modern Mexican Architecture and the artists' homes- WAY too modern, as far as I'm concerned, and they do NOT blend with the rest of the book!!!!! However, I have LONG ceased to let those chapter ruin my enjoyment of this simply INCREDIBLE book- I simply skip over them, refuse to look at them, and revel in everything else in the book. My only REAL regret is that she doesn't hurry and come out with MORE books, MORE often!!!!! ... Read more

Book Description

In this handsome and accessible guide, popular decorating expert Mary Carol Garrity offers tips and ideas for re-creating her classic, relaxed style in the reader's own home. ... Read more

Book Description

A unique collection of original and inspirational trompe l'oeil motifs and practical step-by-step projects to embellish your home.

Murals and trompe l'oeil paintings are a unique way of adding personality to any part of the home. From the French term 'to trick the eye', they can create a particular atmosphere, enlarge a small space or create a focal point. Trompe l'Oeil Design Library contains everything you need to create the scene you want, from a country pitcher on a shelf or climbing wisteria, to curtains surrounding a window or a Greek landscape glimpsed through a marble arch. Each section contains two full-scale projects, one large-scale and one smaller, illustrated in step-by-step detail showing how the picture is built up.A wide selection of templates extends the theme, offering countless more designs. The tools, materials and techniques sections are comprehensive and easy to follow. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

447 Pages of Visual Decorating Candy
Large formate hardback with full page photos color each page, minimal captions, how to sections for creating your own unique interpretations of what you see. Compilation of photos from previous issues of Country Living Magazine condensed and available in one book. Abundant creative stimulation for moments when I just want to relax and allow myself some visual candy, snuggled comfortably listening to Miles Davis. Jazz and country? you bet! ... Read more

Book Description

Wine Country Architecture and Interiors presents a gracious, sophisticated way of life, born of a unique landscape and the agriculture it produces, and expressed through an impressive array of architectural influences. Northern California's architecture is the expression of the region's prosperity and heritage, embodying the charm of the old-world countrysides of Italy, Spain, France, and South America. From Tuscan-style farmhouses featuring warm colors and large kitchens to Mission-style terra-cotta tiles, stucco surfaces, and ornamental metalwork, to the turrets and grand circular staircases of the chateaux of Normandy, a variety of styles and their Wine Country interpretations are detailed in this book. Take an intimate tour of the homes and lifestyles of nineteen residents of the Napa and Sonoma valleys, an area of the country that shuns fast-food restaurants, billboards, and commercial motels. Full of lush photography and descriptive prose, Wine Country is perfect for the oenophile, the Europhile, and the Napaphile!

Includes chapters on: Napa Valley French Manor House Villa Pietra Quintessa Winery Nickel & Nickel Winery Far Niente Winery Franciscan Oakville Estate Mumm Winery

Mary Whitesides has designed everything from interiors and home furnishings to pottery and coffee mugs. Her Peruvian-inspired furniture collections are widely distributed and featured in museums, including the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. She was a founding member of the Sundance Catalog and a partner in developing the Sundance look, as well as the author of Desert Style, Mountain Style, and Wicker Design for Gibbs Smith, Publisher. She lives in Park City, Utah. ... Read more

Book Description

For readers who want to go beyond feng shui to the next level of home enhancement, this beautifully illustrated book looks to the mythology and psychology of the home, while showing imaginative and practical ways to use light, color, and sound to give any living space a welcoming and relaxing ambience.

Designing and arranging spaces that improve the quality of life-spiritually, emotionally, and physically-can make a home, be it a spacious house or a single room, a refuge from a stressful world. Readers will find the process of improving their home to be simple and fun as they follow the book's formulas. For example, the "Loose Living" chapter shows how people with no sewing skills can enhance a room by swathing and draping furniture in fresh fabric as an instant cover-up for a battered sofa-or use fabric as an ally to filter the light atmospherically or conceal a dismal view. The "Found Objects" chapter shows how finds from junk shops, flea markets, and other secondhand sources can be transformed into treasured keepsakes. Instructions for arranging the home to attract success and energy and clear clutter painlessly are among the many easy-to-implement tips presented. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Indispensable reading for anyone who cherishes their home
I've read so many books about interior decor, Feng Shui, space clearing, etc., etc. - but this book covers all aspects of making your home a true haven for body, mind and spirit. It is not only inspiring to read but beautiful to look at. Jane Alexander gives many tips which are easy to carry out without a great deal of expense. I can personally vouch for the fact that if you follow her advice, you will notice the difference in the atmosphere of your home - and so will your visitors. This lovely book makes a perfect gift, particularly for someone who needs their spirits boosting or is contemplating decorating their home, or perhaps moving house. Only trouble is that if you buy it for someone else, you'll probably be tempted to keep it for yourself!

Great Overview of different spiritual aspects of home
When I first looked over this book I did not get into it. But as I began to buy new furniture for a new home and pulled together my tastes and sytles (The Domain Book is great for that!), I found this book to be a wonderfully insightful book that helped me to consider Feng Shui and blessing my home and many other spiritual and tangible aspects of this place called my home. I have ordered a second one today for a friend.

One of the best "sacred space" books I've read
This book was a real "find" for me. I have several books on feng shui and space clearing, and this one was intuitive, yet practical at the same time. It is spiritual but loaded with remedies for clearing one's space on this earth while we are here! I never thought to talk to my house, yet it makes perfect sense! It reads almost like a novel and is just full of information. I wish I could go home from work now and continue with the "read"!

No pictures, but lots of good info.
This book is a good introduction to lots of new age stuff (and common sensical stuff, too) relating to homes. Alexander gives recommendations of other books if you want to dig deeper into a particular topic.

Lots of information but not enough pictures
I enjoy reading, but I am a very visual person and was disappointed in this book because while it offers suggestions that make sense, it takes longer to get through the book since it is practically all words and very few pictures for inspiration. ... Read more

Book Description

America's most famous architect was obsessed with small houses. Even though this exciting aspect of his work has been long overlooked, the truth is that Frank Lloyd Wright spent most of his career addressing the problems of houses intended for individuals or small families of modest means. In the only book on the master architect to focus on "the house of moderate cost," Wright expert Diane Maddex takes the reader inside a selection of his small houses from across the country, turning the spotlight on Wright's ingenious solutions to make these homes look and feel large. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Great pictures. Terrible text.
I think the premise of the book is right on target. FLW best work was in his small houses. They are much harder to design, build and were done so on a tight budget. The pictures of the houses in the book are fantastic. They are current day pictures versus pictures taken 10 or 20 years ago.

The text is not well written. Could have done a better job.

inspiring
The pictures and text boxes do a terrific job of explaining the reasons that Wright's architecture works. The themes of unity, making walls disappear with windows, use of natural materials and building for the site can be applied to many architectural styles, not just the prarie style he is known for ... Read more