Book Description
With a little imagination and creativity--and without hiring a professional--almost anyone can transform a small living space into a comfortable and stylish environment. Whether decorating a dorm room, an apartment, or a little cottage, what we strive for is a look and feel that expresses our individual personalities. Part style guide, part idea sourcebook, this handy volume--designed to meet the needs of real people with real budgets--is packed with smart ideas, basic design principles, and enough inspiration to get you off the sofa to make it happen.
In her lively, informative text, design guru Marisa Bartolucci takes readers inside 33 small homes from cities across the U.S. to reveal how a strong sense of style--rather than design know-how or unlimited resources--is the most effective tool for transforming an ordinary cramped living space into a smart yet functional private sanctuary.
Customer Reviews:
Lots of inspiration.......2007-09-22
Love the way the book shows apartments of varying small sizes and multiple solutions for small-space dilemmas (like little room for sleeping, tiny kitchens). I was able to brainstorm a solution for my own apartment after one look through this book.
My only complaint is that there are no product resources listed--just designers' names and contact information.
Fabulousity on a budget.......2007-06-01
Well, I guess I'll add my voice to the chorus of reviewers for this book:
This is a jewel of a book. Lots of fabulous examples of small spaces with a lot of character. People who love art, collect books and appreciate unexpected decorating ideas will enjoy this book."
A lovely book that could use a bit of fine-tuning to best serve its intended readership.......2007-04-06
I really liked this book, but it only gets 4 out of 5 stars because I think the definition of "small spaces" is too broad. This book would be better if it showcased twice as many spaces from 100-600sqf, rather than going all the way up to 1000. Maybe for people who don't live in cities, 1000sqf is tiny, but I think a lot of the book's target audience would find that amount of space to be truly palatial. Many of the larger spaces had yards or terraces, sometimes doubling the real amount of living space, so that feels like a "cheat" to me. I got the most ideas out of the first half of the book, and the rest of the book was enjoyable as a general interior design book rather than a "small spaces" design book. Many of the featured homes' remodels involve knocking out walls and really re-working a space, so if you're a renter looking for what you can do with a small space you don't own, you might be disappointed. All in all, a very nice book with wonderful photographs, I just wish there was a greater focus on spaces under 600sqf, and more creative rentals being showcased for readers who are renters.
Really small spaces!.......2007-03-26
A small but pretty coffee table book with great content and some good ideas for living in tiny, tiny spaces.
1) 16 of the 33 profiled spaces were 500 sq ft or less! The other 17 were 600 - 1000 sq ft in size. I haven't seen many books on small space living that focus on this size range. Most books seem to present 2000 sqft houses as tiny.
2) The owners of these spaces didn't all have an unlimited budget. Many were in rentals so gut renovations, moving walls, etc was not an option. Many did have expensive or design worthy furniture and art but quite a few were heavily furnished with IKEA and thrift store finds.
3) Most of the owners had to be very carefull with clutter and picking pieces that would work in the space and that they really loved. Some of the other Amazon reviews found this to be somewhat unrealistic but I think that when you live in such small spaces, you are going to have to keep things very neat and tidy.
4) Part of the title is "expressing personal style". There is plenty of that in the book mostly clustered around what I'll call "modern" (eams etc), "drama" (red, red everywhere), "eclectic" (high design items mixed with garage sale items) and "standard" (danish). Many of the owners have extensive collections that are well presented and show off their unique personal style.
5) Most of these places are inhabited by: architects, artists, interior decorators, makeup artists, writers, curators, floral designers, etc. Essentially those who are in the "profession". I got the impression that hiring someone is de rigur if you are an accountant or fireman.
6) I liked the organization of the book by size of the space, architectural diagram of the space, lots of well shot photos, a narrative of who the residents are and how the space came to be and a picture of the residents.
7) One of my favorites were Francisco Parod and Ximena Orozco, the couple from Mexico living in a 450sqft NY apartment...with a baby! Not only did it look comfortable and open, they furnished almost everything at IKEA. My other favorite was Karen Meyer. She had translucent screens that could slide between the living room and dining room. This provided flexibility to the spaces by making it more expansive or more private, as needed. A murphy bed that was behind a shelf unit in the dining room could be opened up to create a guest room. A nice example of rooms doing double duty.
All in all, the best book I've found for realistic ideas for very small spaces.
Living Large in Small Spaces.......2007-03-19
Although I was not overwhelmed with inspiration, I liked the set-up of this book. The spaces are grouped by square footage complete with pictures of all areas of the space and a floor plan so that you can visualize how the spaces fit together. I also liked the fact that there were various design styles. However, I could not visualize myself living in the majority of the spaces displayed in this book. The majority of the homes displayed were homes of designers and artists. Since I myself am not a designer or an artist, I could and would not begin to design like what was displayed in this book.
Book Description
Design-conscious readers can examine creative makeovers that cost less than $1,000.
Highlights 20 rooms from the show, including before-and-after photos.
In-depth instruction for projects from stenciling walls to customizing furniture.
ShowÂ's talented design team provides plenty of practical tips and foolproof techniques to restyle, recolor, remake, and rearrange any room of the home.
Includes a room arranging kit with dozens of templates.
Provides detailed buying resource information.
Customer Reviews:
Great designs.......2007-05-15
My mom thought they were too bright, but if you like a clean more modern look, this is the book for you.
Good ideas and projects.......2006-05-18
The book showcases some of the ideas from the show - with pictures, explanations and instructions for some projects. I also have "6 Steps to Design on a Dime" and I like it better - more useful info and nicer pictures.
Not as Good as the Show.......2006-04-07
After watching the show, I eagerly grabbed the book. Flipping past the designers' bios, I gazed in dismay at the uninspiring photos. Somehow the rooms look less on paper. Less high style, less creative, less appealing...
Maybe seeing the dismal "before" room on TV, and watching the team transform it, grabs the viewer. On paper, it is too static with the views too limited to excite.
Still there are some useful do-it-yourself projects such as making a padded storage cube. The room arranging kit, consisting of graph paper and some furniture shapes to cut out and arrange is pretty ho-hum.
Decent decorating book.......2006-03-28
I've looked at many, many home decorating books lately. This is the only book where the basic house and furniture looks like the mix-matched hand-me-down stuff I have. Going on a shopping trip to France for antique furniture is just not an option for me. I appreciated the everyday practical approach to design and decorating. Some of the designs are not my style but I found a lot of inspiration. I do wish the book was a little more detailed in the before and after pictures.
Very Few Inspirational Ideas.......2006-01-27
I checked this out of the library, hoping I would find some inspirational ideas. I was disappointed. When Design on a Dime first premiered on TV, I tended to only like 2 out of 10 of their designs. I have noticed over the past year, the designs have improved tremendously.
I enjoy home decorating projects and like sewing, upholstery and doing any type of project where I get to work with my hands. I believe that you don't have to spend gobs of money to have a beautiful environment that reflects your style. Knowing that many of these rooms were created on a $1000 budget, I expected more. The photography is not even very good. Many of the rooms look somewhat washed out and lack detail, as if taken with a lower resolution.
The "tips?" were so general that I did not find them helpful. The info is more like what you already know. There was a paragraph titled "Enliven with Fabric", the tip was "Extra doses of color enter the room through fabric on the chairs." It then described the fabric on the chairs, but nothing useful about fabric selection or why the colors were chosen. The worst part of the book was a lack of instructions for many of the projects shown. For example, on page 13 there is a caption for picture B that says "Summer prepares to complete a 1950's atomic-style light fixture." Where are the instructions?! Nothing! Why is there a picture of someone building something if there are no instructions or buying resources if it can be purchased (it is not in the Credit/Resources section in the back of the book).
This book needs work.
Book Description
“Heavy on ideas...elaborately illustrated...perfect for those would-be decorators who like to look at lots of pictures. Remarkably crisp and invariably eye-catching, the color photos make up the bulk of the book. They illustrate more than 1,000 decorating projects...this book sparks the imagination.”—Booklist. “Good advice...with information and tips on every aspect of decorating.”—Country Accents.
Customer Reviews:
The best decorating book out there, bar none!.......2004-05-04
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.......2003-04-19
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........2002-12-14
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!.......2000-04-02
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 to create with many different products. I loved this book from cover to cover.
Book Description
More than 100 new decorating projects from AmericaÂ's #1 home center.
More than 100 projects add finishing touches to every home surface.
All projects illustrated with full color photos.
Reviewed for accuracy by associates from The Home Depot, AmericaÂ's No. 1 home center.
Customer Reviews:
This Book + Your Creativity= Great Rooms!.......2003-01-26
As someone who has endlessly watched design shows like Trading Spaces and While You Were Out for ideas, I feel at a loss when it comes to actually making those projects happen. This book focuses on not so much design, but the "how to" on how make the projects happen. The book is filled with projects such as various moulding and painting techniques. One can get ideas for stenciling, tiling, wallpaper, windows, doors, etc... The beginning of the book give basic design styles and color schemes that usually go along with them. The projects are easy to follow. This book won't help you pick out a theme or interior design, but if you use your creativity and design ideas, you can make just about anything happen.
Very low-brow in terms of style.......2002-02-26
I guess I thought that a book with the word 'decorating' in the title would be more stylish than this. If you want a decorating book (a book full of ideas), do NOT buy this one. What this is is a mishmash of projects using decorative objects or materials. So, it teaches how to do faux finishes or how to install lighting but there is never any information on how to decorate. If you want to see rooms or get the 411 on how everything goes together in design terms, this is not the book you want.
Excellent reference for home decorating and painting.......2002-02-08
_Decorating 1-2-3_ begins with the "Color and Style" section. This section explains the colors, hues, tones and intensities used in the "Seven Basic Styles." The theme of these styles continue to re-appear throughout the book.
Country style homes are comfortable, efficient, work places. Common everyday objects (antique tools, garlic cloves, pots and pans) adorn the walls. Paints imitate colors created in a simpler age using milk, dirt, and metal oxides. Colonial style, like George Washington's Mount Vernon home are decorated with furniture from the 17th and 18th centuries and use more sophisticated historical colors developed in Europe. Other styles described are Southwestern, Traditional, Victorian, Arts & Crafts, and Contemporary.
The book is better organized than most on the market. Eight sections of the book are color coded and can be seen even when the book is closed. Step-by-step intructions with clear photographs cover a great variety of activities including cleaning a paintbrush, hanging doors, stenciling a floor, and resurfacing an old tub.
This book has been very helpful in many of my projects. I especially found the section on faux painting handy for my office at home. The information in this book is very dense and fills over 400 pages. This is the most comprehensive book on decorating I have seen. It is also a good value!
So-so.......2001-05-08
This book is not a book I would refer to for ideas on decorating style. I guess I can't expect Home Depot to offer much in that area. It does offer good how-to-do-it instructions for specific projects. So, I give it a C-minus.
More than 100 decorating projects.......2001-02-01
The Home Depot Decorating 1-2-3 is a comprehensive, "user friendly" instructional resource for anyone seeking to make their home or apartment look better by guiding them step-by-step through a spectrum of more than 100 decorating projects ranging from painting woodwork and trim to stenciling a wall. Enhanced throughout with color photography and more than 450 decorating tips, each project was reviewed for accuracy by Home Depot associates. Ideal for the novice and with much to commend it to even the seasoned and experienced home redecorator, The Home Depot Decorating 1-2-3 is a very highly, easy-to-follow "how to" reference for anyone seeking to spark creative interior design and decoration ideas.
Book Description
More than a million do-it-yourselfers tackle wiring projects yearly. * A comprehensive resource for homeowners of all skill levels * The most up-to-date information -- from replacing a switch to upgrading an older electrical system * 125 projects * More than 600 photographs * More than 30 illustrations * More than 150 tips
Customer Reviews:
Good reference for novice handyman as myself.......2007-05-15
I found this book to provide the basic information really well with lots of pictures and tips. I think this book provides the common skilled home owner with enough information to handle easy to medium high projects by themselves. There might be some better books out there however I decided to buy and use this one and I am glad I did.
Comparison of 3 home wiring books.......2003-01-07
...I found three books that seemed to have the information I needed: Wiring 1-2-3 by the people at Home Depot, The Complete Guide to Home Wiring by the Black and Decker people, and Wiring a House by Rex Cauldwell. Each is an excellent book with much to offer, but I definitely found that each had a slant that made it specialized in some way.
Of the three books, only the Cauldwell book was written in a person-to-person format. The author is a third generation electrician with years of experience, and as he says quite charmingly, "I have written this book from lifelong experience and knowledge--some of which has been passed down through each generation. However, there is no one within my family to pass the gauntlet to--no fourth generation to pick up the trade. Therefore, by reading this book you will become heir to my knowledge and experience. You, in effect, will become the fourth generation (p. 1)." His style is very much master of the craft to learning apprentice, explaining all facets of his field from how electricity is produced, how it is measured, what types of wires carry it to and into your home, and what tools one needs to do electrical work. He not only provides the information, he tells the reader the "whys" of what is, which I find helpful because it permits one to problem solve and trouble shoot more effectively. Particularly useful are those things that he tells the reader to avoid and what can happen when they aren't! The drawings are very helpful, particularly as they are clearer than photographs can be. Sometimes less is more in this regard. The schematic of the main floor of a house (pp. 22-23) which detailed how wiring is arranged for each room was quite helpful for my project, since it described what I should (and did) find in the walls when locating my power source and routing new wiring. I also found that the information on materials to select was helpful. I was able to go to the store and pick out just what I needed without any trouble at all.
While the Cauldwell book is a good one to read from cover to cover because of it's clear and thorough discussion of electrical wiring and its many helpful hints (which I did), it really did not help with my specific plans. It does cover some types of project, but I found that The Black and Decker book was more useful for my specific wiring goals. It's definitely a "how to do it" book with information on trouble shooting current wiring for potential problems (pp. 122-143), on code requirements (pp. 145-146), on how to calculate electrical loads and when to upgrade. It also includes simple repairs for the home owner, everything from checking which fuse controls which part of the house, to replacing plugs and repairing fluorescent lights. It also provides some advanced projects, like rewiring a kitchen or installing outdoor wiring. Of particular interest to my husband, the computer guru in our household, was the information on the home network wiring systems.
For my own project, I found the circuit maps for 26 common wiring layouts of greatest help. With the aid of this feature and the Cauldwell book, I was able to draw on paper the likely arrangement of the present wiring in my spare bedroom, and plan in the pathway to and from the projected new outlets. The diagrams on pages 155-167 also gave me a clearer idea of which wires connected to which specific sites on the receptacles, and what the pathway of the current would be. I was thrilled when I turned on the wall switch in the room, and the lighted crown molding actually came on, first try!
Wiring 1-2-3 is another group-effort type book like the Black and Decker. It'd made a splendid gift for the new home owner or prospective buyer. It provides the most extensive information on inspecting the home for electrical problems and providing measures for repairing them. The table of contents highlights almost every conceivable project, and each project has a list of materials, a skill scale that projects the level of difficulty to expect, and the amount of time that would be required by the experienced, the handy and the novice. It also makes some suggestions regarding the selection of a professional electrician for difficult projects, and does not urge the novice to go beyond their comfort level.
Although I didn't use the Home Depot book for actual planning and wiring, I found it was especially helpful with the messy stuff, things like drilling holes through the attic to route wires, the nitty-gritty of fishing for wires, and repairing the damage to walls where holes had to be made to route wires. In general these books are useful all round books.
I'd give all three books a 5, each for its own area of usefulness. If you're a person who likes to have a multi-perspective approach to your projects, then I'd recommend all three. Certainly the Home Depot book would be a very nice house warming gift.
Glossy, pictoral, easy to follow........2002-01-16
I can't complain about the price since I bought mine
used for around five bucks. However, I think Home Depot
could add a little more meat to the book and justify the
costs.
That's my only criticism. The book is eminently readable,
extremely useful and clear, and illustrates the common
household electrical challenges well. In short, it will give
a reader the necessary competence to accomplish the mission.
THE Wiring Book for Home Improvement.......2001-12-29
We recently had a 16x12 workshop built in our back yard. I decided to do all of the electrical work myself, something I had never done before. With Wiring 1-2-3 at my side, I was able to complete all of the electrical work in a professional manner and--thanks to the book--I knew exactly what I was doing. I later added an additional branch circuit to our service panel (something I never would have considered before reading the book) and plan on doing all of the electrical work when we refinish our basement starting next month.
As an unexpected side effect to reading Wiring 1-2-3, I actually found some things that the original electricians did incorrectly when our house was built (most notably the fact that our GFCI outlets are wired incorrectly). I can now fix these problems and avoid trouble in the future thanks to the book.
Useless unless you're a novice........2001-12-28
This book is way too basic to be useful to anyone other than a novice. Even then, it will not improve your knowledge enough to perform the most usual home wiring projects. For a much more complete and thorough overview of basic home wiring, I suggest the Black & Decker "Complete Guide to Home Wiring" which will be useful for novice and amateur Do-It-Yourselfers.
If you really want to know more about home wiring and the National Electrical Code, I suggest "House Wiring with the NEC" by Mullin. If want to know everything then get "Electircal Wiring-Residential" by the same author. It covers what electrician apprentices learn about residential wiring and isn't that hard to understand.
Book Description
Tours 22 rooms that cover decorating elements from floor to ceiling.
Lets consumers decide what to spend on various elements in each room.
Featured rooms use three budget options so readers can see and achieve three different results .
Plenty of use-what-you-have and inexpensive style ideas that fit any makeover.
Introduces dozens of cost-saving skills, including furniture refinishing and reupholstering.
Details how to take popular designer looks and re-create inexpensive chic versions.
Customer Reviews:
Too Tacky!.......2006-09-26
I found this book diffiuclt to use, like it's a commercial for the show. The projects were either difficult or lame; come on, cut up a dress for curtains? Maybe my grandmother would have done that in the 30s, but I'm not about to cut up any of my clothing for curtains when I have K-Mart and Target to turn to. Most of the projects were pretty tacky, and below K-Mart and Target standards.
Try "Instant Impact" instead.......2006-06-30
Although this book was ok, the Trading Spaces book, "Instant Impact," was far better in my opinion.
Inspiring But Too Much Fan Club Stuff.......2006-04-07
I liked that it had lots of room photos and tips for projects. Some turned out a bit odd or too home-made for my taste. Who really wants a dark blue wall with silver 5-inch squares stuck on it? I wish I could sew, then I could make a curtain out of a thrift shop dress. It would save lots of money over shopping at Penny's or Sears.
It really does get you to thinking of transforming garage sale finds and throwing around some paint to do a budget makeover for a room.
I didn't really need 13 pages listing episode-by-episode what had happened in each weekly show. I wanted decorating ideas, not a fan club book. Just skip past those parts and enjoy the photos and project ideas. Happy decorating!
There are better budget decorating books out there.......2004-08-24
There are a few good ideas in this book that inspired me, but you really need to have a lot of skills to do most of the projects. For example, it suggests that you can easily paint your own wall hangings, but forgets that some people may not be that artistic. Another suggestion is to build your own bench-style slatted coffee table, as if everyone has carpentry skills. It also says that you can make your own slipcovers, pillow cases, and drapes, just like the ones they show. Sure, it would be cool to have custom-made fabric drapes if I were a seamstress.
There are some step-by-step projects throughout the book called "Thrifty Projects". In one, it tells you how to make a storage bench in 7 steps, but with all the materials you'll need (NOT including all the tools!), it would probably be cheaper to buy one (definitely less hassle!)
Like the title, there are room makeovers from $100 to $1,000. The same room is showed redecorated with first $100, then $500, then $1,000. I was disappointed that every $100 room included paint, which cost at least $50 (except for one room project, it cost $12). Oh, and they only include four of these $100 to $1,000 featured room makeovers in the entire book, despite the title.
If you're interested in Theme Rooms, you may find this a useful book; although, they look a bit tacky to me. I thought the Safari Room was cute for a college student, but the Prison Themed Bedroom was downright creepy!
The Bottom Line: This is basically an advertisement for the television show. In fact, you're better off just watching the show, because there's nothing new here. They only show projects from shows they did, complete with a convenient little program guide in the back. Unfortunately, they left out a Table of Contents, so you have to flip through the book to find something you're looking for. Also, you need to already possess the skills and knowledge to do these "budget" ideas, and the four main ingredients for almost all of the room ideas are paint (and lots of it), fabric, MDF (instead of plywood), and floor tiles.
I'm going to insert a little peeve here I have about all decorating books I've read (about 5 so far): I rent an apartment in a community complex, so I'm not allowed to paint the walls or remove the wall-to-wall carpet to put in tiles or wood floors. Yet in EVERY book I've seen, the emphasis is on paint. Also, why does almost every living room have wood floors AND fireplaces? If any designer/decorator can redecorate a room with a soft white paint job, beige wall-to-wall carpet and white blinds (not allowed to remove them either), and no fireplace for a "focal point", then I would call THAT a decorating challenge!
Fun ideas, but too many fan club fillers.......2004-07-09
I liked that it had lots of room photos and tips for projects. Some turned out a bit odd or too home-made for my taste. Who really wants a dark blue wall with silver 5-inch squares stuck on it? I wish I could sew, then I could make a curtain out of a thrift shop dress. It would save lots of money over shopping at Penny's or Sears.
It really does get you to thinking of transforming garage sale finds and throwing around some paint to do a budget makeover for a room.
I didn't really need 13 pages listing episode-by-episode what had happened in each weekly show. I wanted decorating ideas, not a fan club book. Just skip past those parts and enjoy the photos and project ideas. Happy decorating!
Book Description
Interior Design Details brings together the best in contemporary interior design. Much more than an illustrated directory of the most beautiful and amazing objects available today, this book features a collection of inspirational interiors designed by architects and designers that show how to get the latest looks, alongside pictures of hundreds of products. Including the work of renowned designers such as Frank Gehry, Philippe Starck, Norman Foster, and Daniel Libeskind, this book contains a directory of over 800 suppliers, which ensures that all the products can be easily sourced.
With an emphasis on the very latest in "smart" technology and eco-friendly products, Interior Design Details is as inspiring as it is useful.
Customer Reviews:
Fantastic Source Book.......2007-07-17
As the title indicates all the details of fine design are covered and sourced. I spent days reading through this book. You don't want to miss anything.
Design Source.......2007-05-07
I didn't find anything in here that I didn't already know. That said, sourcing interesting, contemporary / modern materials, fixtures and finishes is my job. I was just a little disappointed that it didn't feel like there were more revolutionary ideas (some of the "green" or eco-friendly materials out there are gorgeous and ground-breaking - it's a great time to be a designer.) The book is a good source of ideas for those who are interested in the field and don't have the time or inclination to do the research themselves.
Interior Design Details by Nonie Niesewand.......2007-03-08
A must-have inspirational source book for anyone planning a new home, or refurbishing an old one. Full of stylish ideas and leading-edge space solutions with international product web-links. Everything for bathrooms and kitchens, with exhaustive research on lighting, heating, doors and windows etc. I just wish it had come out a year ago! Christopher Ward
Customer Reviews:
Has some wonderful ideas.......1999-03-08
This book is chock full of great ideas and includes some more modern furniture..something that many miniature books are lacking. The directions are a bit difficult to follow and have to be read very carefully. Measurements are sometimes not correctly stated. If your unsure..make a paper pattern first. Final results will be much better.
Everything you need to know to decorate your dollhouse!.......1998-06-14
Among "How-To" books, this is a standout. Includes specifics on how to build everything from victorian parlor furniture to a palm-shaded island porch. Instructions are clear, patterns are already in 12-inch scale. Beautifully illustrated. A must for any miniaturist!
Book Description
For nearly forty years and in numerous books, Alexandra Stoddard has shared her keen eye for design and sure sense of style. Now this renowned decorator and lifestyle philosopher teaches you hoe to see with the expertise and clarity of professional designers.
First, Alexandra helps you become more attuned to your surroundings-as you set a table, straighten out a linen closet, stroll through a garden, or browse in a thrift shop. Then, through personal anecdotes; examples from masters; a rich array of ideas, tips, and techniques, she reveals hundreds of ways to see and solve problems or proportion, pattern, color, and composition. Her simple suggestions-whether it's changing a lampshade, rearranging treasured objects on a table, or moving a chair-will yield dramatic results. Filled with practical solutions offered with warmth and encouragement , Open Your Eyes helps make each day a visual feats as it deepens your understanding not only of what makes something beautiful but what makes something beautiful to you.
Customer Reviews:
Open Your Eyes: 1,000 Simple Ways To Bring Beauty Into Your Home And Life Each Day (Harperresource Book).......2007-02-12
EXCELLENT ITEM!!
Glad I got it at the library.......2005-11-17
Some useful advice about solving problems like long rooms and such. But overall this book desperately NEEDED some good photographs or drawings to illustrate its suggestions and ideas. I think the messages are buried in the adjective-laden narrative and make the book much less useful than it could have been.
I do not recommend this book for that reason. Too much talk, not enough action.
excellent book.......2003-02-05
very informative. a pleasure to read. alexandra is a postive person and it shows in her words. great pictures of her own home...
A very disappointed Stoddard reader.......2003-01-16
I would have to say that this book was a disappointment in the extreme. Most of the ideas are old, tried, and true - there is nothing new in here, and her constant "name dropping" becomes quite annoying.
If you REALLY want a wonderful book... try Stoddard's "Living A Beautiful Life". It is much more worthwhile.
Happy Happy Joy Joy.......2000-02-03
This is one of the happiest little books you'll ever read. It makes you excited about decorating and improving your lifestyle.
Book Description
- Complete step-by-step guide that provides homeowners with everything they need to know to install a wide variety of tile and get beautiful room-changing results.
- Clear and easy to follow step-by-step photography along with easy-to-understand and logically organized instructions give readers the confidence to install tile in nearly any area.
- Relentlessly project driven, the second edition updates all the aspects covered in the original edition as well as offering up-to-date information on new material options.
- Most comprehensive and easiest-to-use do-it-yourself tiling guide on the market today--intensely reviewed for accuracy by flooring experts at Home Depot.
Customer Reviews:
Could have been a free pamphlet.......2006-04-14
I bought this book at Home Depot and returned it after a few hours upon finishing it. I could have got the same information from a free pamphlet. They ought to be ashamed. However, there were some nice pictures and I did learn a little bit, but it was just a super easy primer for the real thing. I didn't buy another book before tiling 900sf in my house. I wish I had bought a better book, as I learned all kinds of tricks "the hard way." Hint: Swimming after tiling all day can return your back to normal when it doesn't seem like anything else will help. I am now going to buy John Bridge's book before my next tiling job.
good.......2005-10-22
This is a good book for people who want to start tiling or for people who have stated but would like to get more ideas, help or tricks.
Ooooo... Pictures..........2005-03-17
This book is more or less useless on it's own. It tries to make tiling look really simple and straightforward. Tiling is actually not rocket science at all, but you really do need to spend time up front deciding what you are going to do. It isn't a weekend project. Get a real book written by someone who actually lays tile professionally and not just by people who sell the latest half-baked do it yourself supplies. I recommend "Tile Your Word" or "Setting Tile". Both top notch books. In fact, get both - given how expensive tile is it'll be worth the money.
This book does have some nice pictures of some steps though. That's about all I can recommend it for.
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General
| Architecture
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Decorating Small Spaces: Live Large in Any Space (Better Homes & Gardens)
The "Sunday Times" Small Spaces for Modern Living (Sunday Times)
Apartment Therapy: The Eight-Step Home Cure
Compact Living
Small Spaces: Good Ideas
