Friendly decorating guide with broad appeal
Decorating ideas and tips for real people?whatever their lifestyles, life stages, and budgets.
Tours 10 real-life homes coast to coast and offers practical advice from homeowners.
Customer Review: Great Resource
There are so many decorating books out there that you can spend a fortune buying them. My mode of operatus is to check the book out of the library and if it is a "keeper" I purchase it. I am ordering this book today. Even though not all the styles are like mine, the glorious pictures and variety of decorating options represented definitely provide a great jumping off point. I would actually have given this book a 4.5 stars if that option was available, but felt it was better than 4 stars.
The book addresses several "styles" of decor and includes the actual homeowners and their comments about their decorating tastes. The pictures are beautiful and each section includes "real life lessons." These "lessons" are tips and secrets for incorporating each type of style into your decor. My one complaint - I do think there was often too much of the homeowner's "stories" and would prefer more tips and lessons. One great things included is the Sources & Resources section in the back of the book.
Customer Review: Limited in style, but has useful tips
Here are what I think are the pluses and minuses of this book: Pluses: The "style primer" section gives tips on color and paint, proportion and scale, furniture and floor plans, art and arranging, patterns and fabric, accessories and collections, lighting and lamps, storage and display, and sources and resources. This section alone will probably be worth the cost of the book to most people. Most of these tips can be generalized to different styles. Also the tips at the end of each case study can be useful to many people. Minuses: However, the case studies themselves leave something to be desired. Even though the book supposedly shows the homes of a cross section of people, the style is the same through out the book. What I call "modern country." It has a country feel, but more choices of color than traditional country and some unusual eye catching design-elements. If your style is modern country, or if you like a wide variety of styles and want a book representative of this type of style for your book colletion, like I did, then you will enjoy this book. Everyone else might want to pass.
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31
January
Bring country magic to your home this holiday! Packed with easy-to-follow suggestions for furnishings, decorations, gifts, and cards, this tribute to an old-fashioned rural Noel sets a beautiful mood with four distinctive themes. Fire and Frost features the festive elegance of sparkling silver and gold. Comfort and Joy showcases bold and joyful Victoriana--including keepsake albums. Modern-day warmth suffuses Calm & Bright, with all the trimmings for a 21st-century Christmas. And, The Holly & the Ivy celebrates the season's natural pleasures. Plus: a directory with classic motifs!
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29
January
Nothing beats the pleasure of sewing plump pillows, beautiful curtains, stunning bedding, and other soft furnishing for your own home. It's easy to choose the fabrics you want and create the style you need when you have an expert's guidance to sewing basics, design techniques, and a variety of attractive treatments for every room. Any of these projects, shown in full-color, would look fantastic: a Bishop's Sleeve Curtain; a Mock Cornice Valance; Ruffled Bedskirts and Shams; Duvet Cover with Tie Closure; a Reversible Tablecloth with Contrasting Border hand-stitched decorative pillows, and more. 128 pages (all in color), 8 1/2 x 10. NEW IN PAPERBACK
Customer Review: home decorating basics by Pamela Hastings
I am a new home owner and haven't sewn in years. This book was wonderful, it gave ideas for planning my decor, selecting fabrics and had great projects for a sewer like me. I made some pillows and a tablecloth the directions were very clear. I definitely recommend this book.
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27
January
"Divided into three main sections, this guide is never too wordy and offers a multitude of illuminating photographs. The first section concentrates on the basic decoration of a room, using color, texture, and patterns. Next comes a review of interior decorating styles showing typical wallcoverings, windows, and furniture that define each. The last portion contains how-to information, with instructions ranging from making curtains to the proper hanging of a picture. Essential."--LJ -Starred review. 384 pages (all in color), 8 1/4 x 11 1/2.
Customer Review: Creative Interior Design
Very good handbook for basics in interior decorating from color schemes to picture hanging. The photography is inspiring and beautiful.
Customer Review: Good basic decorating book
I think this book includes a lot of the basic decorating rules in an easy to understand manner. Lots of photos. Yes, some can be considered outdated but this book was printed in 1994 so anyone purchasing it now should not be surprised. In regards to the commentary from December 14, 2002, and not liking the style -- everyone has individual tastes. This book is actually English, as in published in London, England. After having lived in Europe for 15 years, to me the style in the book looks very typical of the country. Also, many details of the room, both structural and decorative, as well as room composition reflect European styles. So I found the book to be both informative and also a reminder of English styles. Once in awhile the basic rules of interior design were not followed, but in real life, they aren't always either.
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25
January
Customer Review: This is a very general sewing book.
This book introduces many sewing projects but offers very few details on completing them. It's presented as if for beginners. However, an experienced seamstress would be better suited for understanding (though under whelmed by) the contents.
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23
January
In a world where trends in decorating, like clothing, come and go, classic style is never passé. Classics hold their own for decades, even centuries, because of their enduring beauty and timeless charm. Classic Chic, the third book in the Chatelaine Home Décor series, will show you how to decorate classic rooms with a little pizzazz, so that your home won’t be left with the “museum look” – a pitfall of classic decorating.
Here is information on what periods combine well, on how to put together certain colours, textures, and materials, and on scale, size, and proportion. With Classic Chic, you’ll be able to pull together a home that appears to have evolved over a long period – without spending a fortune on antiques. Classic Chic offers a myriad of inspiring ideas, with more than 30 do-it-yourself projects, including: how to wainscot a room, how to refinish antiques, and how to create a room-divider screen.
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22
January
