Reviews (15)

best bungalow book
Together writer Jane Powell and photographer Linda Svendsen create the best bungalow books on the market. Whether you are thinking of remodelling your bathroom, changing a few details, or just want to understand the history of your bathroom, this is the book to buy.
Four stars
The book has lots of photos for ideas and is interesting for renovators of bungalows.

ok, not enough variety of styles of bathrooms shown
I needed a good book to review lots of craftsman/bungalow bathrooms as we now own a 1911 bungalow and are restoring the bathroom. My husband is a tilesetter and I worked in architecture for years.
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Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Bathrooms    3. Decorating - General    4. History - Specific Styles    5. Home Improvement / Construction    6. Interior Design - General    7. Interior decoration    8. Remodeling    9. Remodeling & Renovation - Bathrooms    10. Architecture / Decoration & Ornament    11. Interior design   

Subjects:  1. Art & Art Instruction    2. Decorating    3. Decorating - General    4. Design - Furniture    5. Donghia Furniture/Textiles Ltd    6. Donghia, Sherri    7. House & Home    8. Interior decoration    9. Residential Interior Design    10. United States    11. Home furnishing & decoration    12. House & Home / Decorating    13. Interior design   

Reviews (8)

Good book but the author is a bit wrapped on herself

Beautiful to look at !!
WOW!What can I say?This is a beautfully decorated home that is beautifully photographed and compiled into a beautiful book.Just received my copy and quickly went through it once because I just couldn't wait to see each page.Now I plan to sit back and leisurely study each page.Can't wait to let my eldest daughter look at it.She will love it as much as I do.I know she will have to have her own copy 'cause she can't have mine !!Don't wait another day - get your own copy now.

What makes a winter house a home?
Interior designer Charlotte Moss focuses on how to change a home to a warm retreat using her own winter house as an example: WINTER HOUSE is thus both a review of her designs and a survey of what makes a winter house more accommodating. There are spaces for all purposes, from family gatherings to private rooms for reflection: a room-by-room survey is accompanied by organization and design tips, reflections on innovations and 'little luxuries' adaptable to any environment, and plenty of entertainment ideas. Color photos pack nearly every page and accompany the author's examples of what makes a 'winter home' style. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Decorating    3. Decorating - General    4. Decoration & Ornament    5. Home Improvement / Construction    6. House & Home    7. Interior Design    8. Interior decoration    9. Psychological aspects    10. Winter    11. House & Home / Decorating   

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Art    3. Decorating - General    4. Design - General    5. Domestic    6. Handbooks, manuals, etc    7. Interior decoration    8. Art / Design / General    9. Decorative arts & crafts    10. Fashion design   

Reviews (2)

Very Poorly Written
This book is very poorly written. It also does not adequately discuss estimating materials.

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 latestproducts, which include both color and feature description that will bequickly outdated.Most of the discussion centers around materials thatwould be used in an affluent home rather than your typical familyresidence, and product descriptions focus on the unique product, not thetypical.Dimensions for comfortable clearance and layout hints are usefulfor residential layout, but the commercial references are very limited. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Building materials    2. Construction - General    3. Decorating - General    4. Do-It-Yourself    5. Equipment and supplies    6. General    7. House & Home    8. Household appliances    9. Interior decoration    10. Plumbing    11. Technology & Industrial Arts    12. Art / Design / General    13. Home furnishing & decoration   

Reviews (9)

Great book
Very informational and has a lot of pictures.I wish I would have bought this one before purchasing two seperate titles, because this one includes them.

Pottery Barn Home
I ordered a book Pottery Barn Home.It arrived here much earlier than indicated in the e-mail.However, I noticed that the book had a price sticker from Costco on it (and the price on the sticker was actually lower than the Amazon's price!), so it was obvious that it was a return from Costco.Amazon.com should at least remove the price sticker from another store before reselling them to customers.The book was in o.k. condition, with the dent on one of the corners from transportation.

Very creative...
I disagree with the previous reviewer who felt this book best suited to PB furniture owners.I own not one stick of their line - but I found the book to be full of creative, interesting and usable ideas for the new home I am in the process of building.I have not purchased any other PB books so the duplication issue doesn't apply for me.My taste is a little more traditional, a little less casual...but the clean lines, simple but dramatic accessories, the overall aesthetic ...these all work for me.The lessons here can be adapted easily to a range of styles. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Decorating    2. Decorating - General    3. Home Improvement / Construction    4. House & Home    5. Interior Design   

Reviews (7)

Waste of time and MONEY!
Based on the reviews of this book I decided to buy it! To my absolute shock, I dont understand who wrote these great reviews??? They were probably written by the publisher or author of this book.
Good Guide
I was not impressed when I received this book, with the quality of the paper or the overall presentation.I thought some of the photography left much to be desired quality-wise.However, it is quite a comprehensive book and I leaned on it considerably in my studies of furniture and design.So don't let me put you off.I just think that, with all the research and hard work involved, and considering the price, a better quality might have been forthcoming.

Like Cliff Notes for Furniture!
This book has brief history lessons on furniture from the begining of time!It's a great reference when you need an answer about a design period- quick! A must for every Interior Designer! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Art    3. Decorating - General    4. Design - General    5. Furniture    6. Furniture Arts And Crafts    7. Interior Design - General    8. Styles    9. Art / Design / General    10. Home furnishing & decoration   

Reviews (3)

Virtues of the Ranch House
"These modest homes were the fulfillment of the American middle-class dream, bringing a higher standard of living to average people, and giving birth to a whole new way of life. There is a type of beauty in their simplicity, their efficient use of space, and the creativity with which they employed inexpensive materials to deliver a modern look." ~Rob Keil
Beautiful Book, Important Topic
This is a great book that finally gives America's "average" midcentury tract houses their due. The photos are beautiful and the information is great. Eichler, Levittown, Westlake, and other midcentury neighborhoods are pictured along with detailed information on remodeling, restoring, and preserving these underappreciated little gems of modernism. It's a nice coffee-table presentation of the subject that is pleasing to just flip through for the sake of the photos, but also informative enough to spend some real time with.

Mid-Century Marvels
Having just purchased my 1954 Mid-Century Marvel I was ecstatic to find this book.It has become an essential resource guide to help me restore my Mid-Century Marvel to its former glory.It is full of gorgeous photography, decorating ideas, and it even has a section on landscaping.This book is a must have for any Mid-Century enthusiast.Simply, excellent!!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Architectural Design    3. Architecture    4. Design & Construction    5. Domestic    6. History - Specific Styles    7. Home Improvement / Construction    8. Interior Design - General    9. Ranch houses    10. Residential Buildings Architecture    11. U.S. Architecture - General    12. United States    13. House & Home / Decorating   

Reviews (2)

This book is expensive, inaccurate, and underwhelming.
Claire Shaeffer writes informative books about sewing and fabrics for the home sewer.Claire Shaeffer should have either stayed in the sewing industry or gained real experience in the garment industry before she dare charge $71 for a vacuous outsider's perspective of this so-called "apparel industry".The book has a generic text book tome and the corny needle and thread clip art screams "home sewer".There is nothing wrong with home sewing.I've been sewing since I was 10.Making clothes has been my quiet hobby and a source of unending fascination.The truth is: the garment industry doesn't want to deal with home sewers."Fashion" designers and home sewers both share ignorance and arrogance as annoying, unappealing traits.Anyone can doodle on a napkin, but who can construct it from a sketch, fit it right, and sew it up professionally, within your cost structure?Not a "fashion" designer or a home sewer can do that, yet they think that they are greater than the process for they are completely unaware of the process.The goal is to work well with the fashion and garment industries.If you are looking for this kind of information in this book, you won't find it. THANKYOUCLAIRESHAEFFER!!!
This is the type of book that should be used in schools for Merchandising OR Fashion Design. I cannot get over it's usefullness. Everything I wanted (and needed) to hear about about clothing manufacture is in this book! Fairchild Pubs could never publish such a USEFUL and INTELLIGENTLY WRITTEN book. Those bastards always make textbooks difficult to understand and fill them with meaningless JABBERWOCKY!! Half the time, they don't even have a decent glossary or INDEX (if there is one at all) whereas Claire it seems, has given us the full tour. Peripheral data you could care less about is not here!! Nothing to waste your time, only a step-by-step layout of what happens when a person or people manufacture clothing for retail purposes. From the design concepts (who and how they're created) to what type of people you would need (including full job descriptions) to what the considerations are for contracting, shipping etc.. There are also tons of other little things including pictures that are laid out in a very intelligible way. The beauty of her writing is that the data is always concious that you may not be a huge entreprenuer, and applies methods for the little guy as well. Just an amazing book. I almost don't want anyone else to know about it... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business/Economics    2. Clothing trade    3. Crafts & Hobbies    4. Decorating - General    5. Design - General    6. Dressmaking    7. Manufacturing    8. Sewing    9. Tailoring (Women's)    10. Technical & Manufacturing Trades    11. Technology & Industrial Arts    12. Textile Industries    13. Art / Design / General    14. Needlework & fabric crafts    15. Textile & fibre technology   

Reviews (4)

Must have for designers!!!!!!
Very informative and loaded with pictures of gorgeous fabrics from one of the top fabric design houses in the world. A must have for designers or anyone in the interior design business who deal with high end fabrics and trims on a regular basis. Would highly recommend this book!!!!

Sensuous fabrics, trims, and more!
This book has great historical information on the Scalamandre family and brand in addition to fabulous room photos.

Scalamandre review
This is one of the most beautiful books on Interior Design.It does not have a lot of type to clutter the beautiful photos.It will remain an historical account of an historic company that exposes beautiful fabrics to a discerning clientele.It should be in everyone's library...... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Decorating    2. Decorating - General    3. Home Improvement / Construction    4. House & Home    5. Interior Design - General    6. Scalamandre (Firm)    7. Scalamandrâe (Firm)    8. Textile fabrics in interior de    9. Textile fabrics in interior decoration    10. Home furnishing & decoration    11. House & Home / Decorating   

Reviews (6)

Strong Five Star Book
Charles Faudree's style is "Comfortable French"Anyone could live in his rooms.They have a touch of elegance without being stiff or too formal.They are like that favorite outfit that you have had for years and years and still love to wear.This book is full of great pictures so you can see exactly what he means when he talks about French Country Style.

Fantastic!
If you love Country French that is not pretentious, but still elegant, this is the book for you.This is the second of Charles Faudree's design books that I have purchased.The pictures are incredible, and his attention to detail is amazing.He certainly has a gift and I wish that I could afford for him to help me with my house.Especially if that involved traveling with him to the French Market or to the Portobello Market in Notting Hill.Instead, I will use his pictures as a guide.I hope that this book is not his last!

French Country Elegance Defined
Mr. Faudree has knocked another one out of the park with his follow-up book to Country French Design.His high style seems to have calmed down somewhat and isn't quite as "over the top" as it was in his first book.I could literally step through the pages and take residence in any of the rooms featured.
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Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Decorating    3. Decorating - General    4. Decoration & Ornament    5. Decoration and ornament, Rustic    6. France    7. History    8. Home Improvement / Construction    9. House & Home    10. Influence    11. Interior decoration    12. United States    13. Home furnishing & decoration    14. House & Home / Decorating   

Reviews (17)

Sun-drenched colors of Southern France
"French country decorating at its finest is the harmonious mingling of fabrics, textures, and patterns - an artistic blending of the familiar with warmth and sophistication." For Americans creating French style, who can't go toFrance
Ok, so this isn't "authentic French Provence design." Suppose you won't be visiting Aix-en-Provence and running around looking for all the pieces you need, and then figuring out how to fill up a shipping container and send it through customs, etc etc, (can you imagine doing this in a foreign country in a foreign language?!) You just aren't going to find a lot of genuine French furnishing and fabrics in the US. What if you want to use French elements in your decorating (as we did) and only have access to American furniture lines and the fabrics sold here? French Provencal style influences American interiors
I found this book a wonderful view of French Provencal style, blended with American verve and elegance. Many of us have traveled in France, and know the French are also very influenced by the freshness and ease of American design. Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Decorating    3. Decoration & Ornament    4. Decoration and ornament, Rusti    5. Decoration and ornament, Rustic    6. Do-It-Yourself - General    7. France    8. History    9. Home Improvement / Construction    10. House & Home    11. Influence    12. Interior Design - Style Books    13. Interior decoration    14. Residential Interior Design    15. United States    16. Home furnishing & decoration    17. House & Home / Decorating    18. Interior design   

Reviews (1)

Hampton Havens Review
The book was purchased for an anniversary gift for my daughter who resides on one of the Hamptons.She liked the book and even was familiar with the owner of the garden on the cover. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Architecture, Domestic    3. Decorating - General    4. Design & Construction    5. Domestic    6. Gardens    7. Hamptons    8. Home Improvement / Construction    9. Interior Design - General    10. Interior decoration    11. New York (State)    12. U.S. Architecture - General    13. Architecture / Domestic    14. Photographs: collections   

Editorial Review

To take something as ordinary as wire and present it as a trueart form is an amazing achievement, and this book does exactly that.According to Suzanne Slesin, the story of wire as a component of usefuland decorative household objects began in Slovakia in the 17th century,where tinkers used thin strands of iron to repair household pottery.The art of wirework flourished and traveled throughout the Austro-Hungarian Empire during the next century, becoming highly developed andquite popular by the end of the 1800s; utilitarian objects such asbaskets, bottle racks, serving dishes, plant stands, trivets, andbirdcages were both made of and embellished with wire. Sadly, wireornamentation as a decorative art is mainly a thing of the past, butbecause these objects are so sturdy, they can often be purchased asantiques. The book has a long directory of European and Americansources for wirework. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Comprehensive historical and technical book
As an artist and metal worker, I've found this book comprehensive. Great illustrations and historical documents. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Antiques & Collectibles    2. Antiques / Collectibles    3. Antiques/Collectibles    4. Decoration & Ornament    5. General    6. Interior Design    7. Metal Arts And Crafts    8. Textiles & Costume    9. Wire craft    10. Wire in interior decoration    11. Antiques & collectables: gold & silver (other than jewellery)    12. Antiques & collectables: jewellery    13. Decorative arts & crafts    14. Home furnishing & decoration    15. Metals technology / metallurgy   

Reviews (12)

Great color guide, with only one problem
I bought this book as I was in the process of buying a house.A house we had seen was so welcoming because of the colors, that it inspired me.I really like what I came up with from this book.The only problem is that you can look up colors by paint color only.I had to page through the book to find our exact color of upholstery in the "upholstery" blocks of color.It was tedious and time consuming, but I saw lots of interesting colors to choose from in my other rooms.Overall, I really like the book and it was veryuseful.

Absolutely fabulous!
I Love the usefulness of this book! The way it lays out which colors to use with which and for what is marvelous. Sometimes I was stumped if the author referred to a kitchen or bathroom and I had a den or living room in mind.
Great book to get a Color Scheme for your Room
Yes, we all want to paint our room some vibrant color, but do we have a clue as to what the complementing colors are ? well , I for one have no idea.. and this book helped out a lot. It lets you pick a color from the first two pages and then leads you to the colors that accent the color you have picked. It also explains the color in detail giving you the mood it stimulates, and gives tips on what kind of colors to pick for bathrooms, kitchens, etc.
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Subjects:  1. Color in interior decoration    2. Decorating    3. Decorating - General    4. Decoration    5. Decoration & Ornament    6. Home Improvement / Construction    7. House & Home    8. Interior Design - General    9. Interior Design - Style Books    10. Interior walls    11. House & Home / Decorating   

Reviews (2)

Excellent Addition to the Trim Carpenter's Library
The older version of this book was good.This version is much better.The "Elements of Design" chapter is expanded, as is the chapter on crown molding.The most comprehensive chapter for me was Chapter 10: Wainscoting, Pillars and Pilasters.The detail provided on the methods for routing flutes was very helpful.
A design guide covering almost every room in the house
The new, expanded and updated edition of Jay Silber's New Decorating With Architectural Trimwork: Planning, Designing, Installing shows how to use decorative trim and molding in all rooms of a house to transform windows, doors, and more. Hundreds of color photos pack a design guide covering almost every room in the house, but the meat here is the inclusion of actual installation instructions, making this a cut above similar-sounding titles which are focused on appearance alone. All are highly recommended for any homeowner who wants more than a casual hand in construction or renovation choices.
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Subjects:  1. Decorating    2. Decorating - General    3. Do-It-Yourself - Carpentry    4. Home Improvement / Construction    5. House & Home    6. DIY    7. Home furnishing & decoration    8. House & Home / Decorating   

Reviews (19)

WONDERFUL!
whoever gives this a so-so review is downright silly.
MIchael Answers With Inspiring Decorating Ideas
Our TV fav host and ID does a neat thing: he answers emails and the publishes them with his answers and graphics. Easy to Understand & Pratical Answers
At last an easy to understand interior design book offering a lot of worthwile information.Michael Payne delivers the same informative solutions "Designing For The Sexes" offers.This book walks the reader through design projects in such a way everything becomes possible. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Decorating - General    2. Do-It-Yourself    3. Home Improvement / Construction    4. House & Home    5. Interior Design - General    6. Interior decoration    7. Remodeling & Renovation - General    8. Architecture / Interior Design    9. Home furnishing & decoration    10. Interior design   

Reviews (17)

Great Idea Book for Window Treatments
This fifth edition has all the sketches in color.Just to give you an idea of how comprehensive this is, there are 19 pages showing valances, with five per page.I love this book, as it really opened our minds to the variety of styles available for windows.No more boring windows.
Picture guide--okay but not complete
This is a book of window treatment sketches.Unfortunately, it is far from complete and lacks many styles. We do use this book in the trade, but I wish it were more complete--I find it lacking with many new styles.It also lacks many of the current styles being offered by the professional pattern companies.

Encyclopedia of Window Fashions
This book has great ideas and beautiful pictures and drawings.It is, however a little outdated in my opinion.Would like to see a revised edition by this author with more up to date styles. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Decorating    2. Decorating - Windows    3. Draperies in interior decorati    4. Draperies in interior decoration    5. Home Improvement / Construction    6. Reference    7. Window shades    8. Interior design    9. Soft furnishings   

Reviews (14)

Really helps
Unlike a lot of other books about design and interior spaces, this one doesn't give you photos and examples of what you can do with the space... it really helps you evaluate what it is you feel/have with your living space and steps to take to make it into the space you feel better living in. It's as insightful into your self as it is where you live.

User friendly and inspiring.I loved it!
Its hard to find books that are accessible and inspire you to find your own aesthetic (rather than imitate the authors).In many ways this is a very gentle and non-judgemental book - its not flashy, hasn't got photos, but it gets the job done.My apartment is coming together beautifully.
A Great Recipe
As a reviewer previously noted, there really isn't anything new here. But like a chef who takes ingredients we are well familiar with and combines them to give us a new experience, so too does Maxwell. There are the little gimmicks--calling people warm and cool, talking about the house like a body when he could just say he's writing about attending to repairs (bones), arranging and organizing the stuff in your space (breath), figuring out the functions of each room (head) and decorating (heart). But this is not a meal of last night's leftovers. Instead it is packaged into another gimmick: the eight week cure. There's a lot to do in your eight weeks: and the work seems unbalanced. It starts out slowly (throwing out one thing, making lists) and ends slowly (preparing for a party) but in the middle there's almost an impossible amount of things to do. But it's all laid out. There are worksheets and practical tips to begin. Maxwell has taken all the steps to transforming a living space and laid them all out sequentially. This book is about more than just fixing up your place however: Maxwell aims to change and enrich your experience of your home. And that's the spice that makes the book worth consuming.
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Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Decorating - General    3. General    4. Home Improvement / Construction    5. Interior Design    6. Interior Design - General    7. Interior decoration    8. Psychological aspects    9. House & Home / General   

Reviews (19)

Excellent content, Repetitious Photographs
As a non-designer, this is an excellent design book in that it explains how we can make changes to our homes (or use this as a tool during initial home design prior to construction) to make the home more cohesive, more welcoming, more comfy.The concepts are well described; the biggest weakness of the book is its photography.The small photographs did not bother me per se, but the repetition of photographs really took away from the book.The same photographs are used multiple times to highlight different aspects in different chapters.The homes are primarily architecturally gorgeous, and they are wonderful to look at, but I would like to see these concepts described with less elaborate homes and a wider variety of homes.Most of these have a lot of wood, beautiful views, and lots of investment in design features.Using the same photograph more than once is unnecessary, it would be more helpful to show another home to explore the concept.That said, the content is sufficient to recommend this book to others.
Great support for dreams
As usual, Susanka's books are worthwhile and support in depth looking at pictures and thought.It arrived promptly - 3 weeks faster than another book ordered on the same day.

An Aussie's Perspective
I really love Sarah Susanka's design philosophy.It just makes sense.Here in Australia, there are so many fringe suburbs which are filled to the hilt with McMansions.These houses are built to within centimetres of their boundaries and are generic and worse, shockingly ugly and devoid of character. I loved this book which illustrates the way seemingly small details and good quality workmanship can make such a difference to the feel of a house.If more people embraced these ideals, our cities would improve drastically - more green space has to be a good thing, doesn't it? ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Architecture    3. Architecture, Domestic    4. Decorating - General    5. Design & Construction    6. Designs and plans    7. Do-It-Yourself    8. Home Improvement / Construction    9. House & Home    10. Residential Buildings Architecture    11. Residential Interior Design    12. United States    13. Home furnishing & decoration    14. House & Home / General