Subjects:  1. Decoration & Ornament    2. Architecture    3. Interior Design - General    4. Design - Decorative    5. Interior Design    6. Architectural Detail    7. Art   

Reviews (6)

don'twaste your money!!
While I very much enjoyed Miss Wearstler's first book, I found Domicilium Decoratus to be borderline obnoxious. Rather than show great decorating, the book focused mainly on close up shots of objects in her house that took up the whole page.In addition, I feel that as the viewer of the book I do not need to see fifteen entirepages of Miss Wearstler dressed in ball gowns pretending to be domestic.

delicious eye candy
I loved modern glamour.
amazing design sensibility
This signed limited edition in a specially bound case is superbly done.Ms. Wearstler has the uncanny and clearly innate ability to take any object you give her and make it look absolutely fabulous.When I saw her son's carrera marble bathtub, my first thought was, "how do I get her to adopt me?" ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architectural & Industrial    2. Art    3. Decorating - General    4. Design - Decorative    5. Home Improvement / Construction    6. Interior Design    7. Interior Design - General    8. Interior Design - Style Books    9. Art / Design / Decorative   

Editorial Review

While Newport, Rhode Island, may not have been the birthplace of shingle style, it certainly became--somewhere around the 1860s--a stronghold for an approach that would become popular in American architecture. Established as a major shipping port in the mid-18th century, Newport went on to become a fashionable destination for the wealthy and the ambitious who took a liking to enormous houses (which they referred to as "cottages") which were built along the eastern shore of Aquidneck Island. Read more

Reviews (8)

Great Book - Well worth the read
The book "SHINGLE STYLES Innovation and Tradition in American Architecture 1874 to 1982" is a truely exquisite book. The shingle style architecture is one of the last american architectural styles, and should be deeply cherished. The book has beautiful photographs by Bret Morgan and flowing text by Leland M. Roth. The book brings you through time, starting in the gilded age with lavish country homes, and ending in recent 1982, again displaying a lavish country home, stating the continuation of the shingle style. While reading the book you tend to have vicarious dreams of living in the later 1800s, going to the country home with the faimly and walking along the beach or senic country path, with your shingle villa in the background. The book makes a fine contribution to any library, and in my library it is prominately positioned in reach of all that wish to indulge in the enjoyment of the shingle style of architecture. I strongly recomend this book, and hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Delectable
A truly delectable book! After chewing it over thoroughly from cover to cover, I've been dreaming of shady porches, snug fireplaces, the smell of old houses in the rain. Bret Morgan is a wonderful photographer; his pictures evoke all of this -- I ate them up!

"...a treasure trove..."
"Shingle Styles" is a treasure trove of architectural images and ideas. We are planning a new house inspired by the Shingle Style and this book has been most helpful in talking to our architect and contractor. Themore recent houses are particularly helpful in thinking about adapting ahistoric style to our contemporary needs. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 19th century    2. 20th century    3. Architectural Detail    4. Architecture    5. Architecture, Domestic    6. Decoration & Ornament    7. Domestic    8. Residential Buildings Architecture    9. Shingle style    10. U.S. Architecture - General    11. United States    12. Architecture / Decoration & Ornament    13. History Of Art / Art & Design Styles    14. USA    15. c 1800 to c 1900   

Reviews (3)

Idea Finder
Great find.This is the perfect book when plannning a remodel.It's refreshing to find such a variety of interiors under one cover.The garden shots are equally inspiring and wildly different from one home to the next.The book is beautifully shot and the narative is well thought out.Well worth buying.

One Word: Fabulous, Fabulous ,Fabulous
I know you say to yourselves. Not another narsicistic book on celebrity domiciles.. But this book stands out. It is smartly written by Sue Hostetler. An element of honesty comes out in her subjects that one is not usually privy to in a celebrity "fluff piece". The humanity of those who dwell within the walls portrayed in this book really shines through. Also the photographs are "Superb". I have owned many beautiful photo books and this one really stands out. The depth of the images and the natural balance of light is stunning. Peter seems to know just what the spaces want to share with the viewer. All the homes shine under Peters visionary imagemaking. I would say if you are interested in what really drives the styles of today, "Hip Hollywood Homes" is a MUST HAVE. The style , design , and tastemakers who opened their lives and homes to Peter and Sue really are the creme' de la creme' of what is happening now.

Vanity Fair meets Architectural Digest for those with real style!,
Much, much more than other coffee table books!
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Subjects:  1. Architecture, Domestic    2. California    3. Celebrities    4. Decorating    5. Decorating - General    6. Domestic    7. Homes and haunts    8. House & Home    9. Interior Design - Style Books    10. Los Angeles    11. Residential Interior Design    12. House & Home / Decorating   

Reviews (2)

Wonderful Wonderful Reference
Fantastic book!One that is extremely useful and one that I take everywhere with me.Perfect for new designers acquiring fabric sense.I know several firms where this book is a staple reference guide.A+++++

Good Text, But No Color
I was a little disappointed that all of the pictures were blackand white.In order for this book to be useful to me, I would have topay [approx. $20.] plus shipping and handling to get the actual swatches used in thisreference book. Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Decorating - General    3. Design - General    4. Technical & Manufacturing Trades    5. Technology & Industrial Arts    6. Terminology    7. Textile Fabrics    8. Textile fibers    9. Art / Design / General    10. Fashion design    11. Textile arts   

Subjects:  1. Architectural Design    2. Architecture    3. Decoration & Ornament    4. Design & Drafting    5. History    6. Interior Design    7. Interior Design - General    8. Interior decoration    9. West Indies, French    10. Architecture / Interior Design    11. France    12. Home furnishing & decoration   

Reviews (8)

too rustic for my taste
This book has pretty pictures, but focuses on a more rustic colonial home.Think charming, yet squeeky, New England Inn.I was hoping for some pictures and ideas for a more "updated" Colonial with larger rooms.A little less "shabby chic" and more "classic decorating".
Great ideas and inspiration
As proud new owners of an antique home in Marblehead, MA -- built circa 1720 -- we were thrilled to find Treena Crochet's "Colonial Style." It helped greatly in getting our creative juices in motion.And the author even took time to respond to my e-mail inquiry about a ceiling issue which had us stumped.The book is a real pleasure to own -- just like our antique home! Ann and Mike

Good for some ideas.
I'm a traditionalist in the sense that I want to preserve the integrity of my old house 1765, and I'm looking at options with regards to bringing some of the old feel within a newer addition.
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Subjects:  1. Architecture, Colonial    2. Decoration and ornament, Early    3. Decoration and ornament, Early American    4. Design & Construction    5. Do-It-Yourself    6. Dwellings    7. Home Improvement / Construction    8. Home Maintenance And Repair    9. House & Home    10. Interior Design - General    11. Interior decoration    12. Remodeling & Renovation - General    13. Residential Interior Design    14. United States    15. Home furnishing & decoration    16. House & Home / Design & Construction    17. House & Home / General   

Reviews (1)

Exaggerated title
The book analyses the subjects at an amateur level and it is lacking in content. As a necessity of my doctoral dissertation I bought it and regret.The letter fonts are unnecessarily too big; according to me the realvolume should be about 175 pages.Photographs and drawings(plan, etc.)areinadequate and print quality is not good.I was expecting a satisfying book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Architecture    3. Architecture Of Specific Structures    4. Architecture, Modern    5. Commercial Interior Design    6. Design & Drafting    7. History    8. Interior Design - General    9. Interior decoration    10. Planning    11. Public, Commercial, or Industrial Buildings    12. Resort architecture    13. Architectural structure & design    14. Architecture / Public, Commercial, or Industrial Buildings    15. Environmental Engineering & Technology    16. Houses, apartments, flats, etc    17. Interior design    18. Landscape art & architecture   

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Decorating    4. Decorating - General    5. General    6. Hadley, Albert    7. House & Home    8. Interior Design    9. Interior decorators    10. United States    11. Biography: general    12. House & Home / Decorating   

Reviews (2)

Good reference book but boring
Has lots of tables and charts, and is adequately explained. The author also writes study guides for standardized architecture tests, and that pretty much sums up the style: no opinions, just facts. Very thorough though. Personally I don't need a whole chapter on locks, but I suppose there are those who do. Presentation and graphics are a bit low-rent for an architecture book.

Thorough knowledge for Interior construction and details
This book should be on the shelves of every interior designer-it's so thorough that it's a little cumbersome at first.It should be used as a reference book, it gives chapter-by-chapter explanations on the specifics for the construction and application of windows, casegoods, partitions, etc.If there is ever any doubt in a designers mind as to how exactly something is constructed or works when it comes to the specifics of interior design, this book's for you. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Building    3. Details    4. Interior Design - General    5. Interior Design - Professional Reference    6. Interior architecture    7. Methods & Materials    8. Public, Commercial, or Industrial Buildings   

Reviews (11)

Nice!
very nice book, a bit big and awkward for a textbook, but overall nice, quick delivery too.Great experience, recommend amazon for all my purchases! :)

Intro To Design
This book is one of the prerequesite books required to the students for my Intro To Design class. Pile is very informative, but sometimes over my head in his descriptions. We use this book along with Ching and I find Ching to be in much simpler wording. The pictures are beautiful in Pile....inspiring. A big investment ($80.00) for the serious design student....and worth it, in my opinion.

Excellent
This is one of several of Mr. Pile's books that are on my bookshelf.He is my interior design Guru.He has guided me through many an interior student minefield and brought me out unscathed and with a good grade.Again, good quality binding, paper, presentation, crystal clear text, great colour photography, and tons of information.Whatever I needed to find, it was right there.What more can I say? ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Art    3. Design - Decorative    4. Interior Design    5. Interior Design - General    6. Architecture / Interior Design    7. Graphic design    8. History Of Art / Art & Design Styles   

Reviews (6)

Environmental Psychology
Fascinating look at how architecture and interior design influence our mood and behavior. You gain general priciples and insights into what makes an space inviting or unappealing.This is a great book for an architect or interior designer with an interest in environmental psychology.This is NOT a "how to" book for consumers who want remodeling ideas.

Notecard Nonfiction
I bought House Thinking several months ago when we were getting ready to do some serious remodeling, not as a how-to guide, but for some philosophical perspective. I found it unreadable. It is an example of the genre of Notecard Nonfiction. The way this works is that the wrier has an Idea & then begins Researching, making notes. Composition consists of stitching the notecards together into a sort of endless papyrus of bland observations, mostly from sociologists. Notecard Nonfiction, whatever the subject, relies heavily on sociological observation. It is like David Brooks without the right-wing point of view. Without any point of view. The book as pure consumer object, motivated by nothing deeper than market reserach.

The psychology of a living room
Plenty of books focus on interior decorating or rooms which look good: HOUSE THINKING: A ROOM BY ROOM LOOK AT HOW WE LIVE focuses on the feel of living spaces, providing a psychological house tour which pairs renovation and design concerns with psychological and the social impact of a home's arrangements. Her behavior-oriented approach to rooms borders on feng shui but goes further in drawing important connections between design and human health and purpose.
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Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Architecture, Domestic    3. Decoration & Ornament    4. Design & Drafting    5. Domestic    6. General    7. Home Improvement / Construction    8. Housing    9. Housing (Sociological Aspects)    10. Identity (Psychology)    11. Interior Design - General    12. Psychological aspects    13. Residential Buildings Architecture    14. Social Science    15. Sociology    16. Sociology - General    17. U.S. Architecture - General    18. United States    19. Architecture / Design & Drafting   

Reviews (32)

Sophisticated style
This book is perfect for the advanced home owner or individuals who have developed a mature and sophisticated style.I find myself returning again and again to the advice of Michael Smith.The more I know about design the more I appreciate his unstructured yet very elegant and extremely discerning method of putting a home together.A terrific resource from a very talented designer!!!

Don't be fooled by the reviews.... like I was!!
This book leaves me cold.I ordered it as an 'add-on' because I was getting a couple of others and I guess it's what I deserve, for buying it sight unseen.This is the first time I have been compelled to write a review... and it is really just as a warning to others to look through this book first, before purchasing.I don't even like the pictures!

Michael Smith Elements of Style
Disappointed in the overall look and content of the book.Would rate it a C+.
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Subjects:  1. Decorating    2. Decorating - General    3. Decoration & Ornament    4. Home Improvement / Construction    5. House & Home    6. Interior Design    7. House & Home / Decorating    8. Individual artists   

Reviews (41)

Feng Shui for Dummies
The book is simple to read and easy to follow for those of us who knew nothing about Feng Shui.I do recommend it along with other books on the same subject in order to get a well-rounded reading.

Too much text, not enough diagrams
This book buries its content within a rather non-attractive format having lots of text and not enough diagrams.Does not do an adequate job of conveying important information.So much unbroken text ends up becoming bla bla bla.

Purchased for a family member.
I purchased this book for my mother and she can not stop talking about this book.What I have heard from my mother, this is a great book.It is easy to understand and read, also, it is easy to stop reading and then start back up again later.Great book for beginners. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Decorating - General    3. Feng Shui    4. Feng-shui    5. Gardening/Plants    6. Home Improvement / Construction    7. Interior Design    8. Interior Design - General    9. Parapsychology    10. Parapsychology - General    11. Body, Mind & Spirit / Feng Shui   

Reviews (12)

Excellent
I read and re-read this book then handed it over to my sales and marketing manager.A MUST for a faux business owner.

Thank Heaven for Rebecca Pittman
This book gave me everything I need to start my own faux painting business, including confidence!Thank you Rebecca for the insight, the humor and the weekly accounting ledger located in the back.Great, superb, and HIGHLY recommended.

excellent
starting out as a muralist, and i bought the book before i landed my first job. i found it amazing how DETAILED and ENTERTAINING this book was. i knew nothing about how to start being in this business, and this book served as a complete guide. as i was reading it i thought that there were suggestions what i would never never need in life, BUT !!! boy, was i wrong. every word this book has in it is worth the pennies you pay. if you are startin out and have no clue how to manage your own business, this is a must for you!!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Careers - Arts    2. Construction - Contracting    3. Crafts / Hobbies    4. Decorating    5. House painting    6. Interior Design - General    7. Interior decoration firms    8. Management    9. Small business    10. Technology    11. Texture painting    12. Advice on careers & achieving success    13. Fresco   

Reviews (7)

Interesting Decorating Style,A Bit TooMuch Going On
Kelly Wearstler is one of these trendy designers whose appeal I don't completely understand. I really do like the 'Hollywood Regency' style she has had a hand in reviving, but I can't help but feel most everything she does is too busy & over-decorated with a vague 1970s aesthetic, & her rooms tend to appear staged, a bit static & decidedly unwelcoming. However, I do enjoy looking at this book because the photos are excellent & there is just SO much to look at. The house featured in this book is beautifully designed proportion-wise but as with most of Wearstler's work, there is too much going on with the decor in every room-too much contrast, way too many gaudy accessories & tabletop bric-a-brac, too much orange & more than enough Asian statues packed into one house that I would imagine it's not very comfortable to live in.
Kelly Wearstler's Domicilium Decoratus
I really enjoyed Kelly Wearstler's Modern Glamour, but found this book to be disappointing.There's no text, only seemingly self-serving photographs of her and her gowns in her over-designed house.The only thought I had while flipping through the pages was how difficult it must be to keep it dusted!I would have been much more satisfied were there some explanations as to how she might have come to some of her design conclusions, because to me it all seems cluttered and complicated, and somewhat random.I guess that's part of the appeal, but I expected more text and fewer images of the woman herself.One quick flip through this one is enough - borrow it from the library.

I am not so sure
I like to appreciate one's art and give everyone the benefit of the doubt.Although Wearstler has the creative team to package her, her talent leaves me feeling short changed.
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Subjects:  1. Architectural & Industrial    2. Architecture    3. Art    4. Design - Decorative    5. Interior Design    6. Interior Design - General    7. Interior Design - Professional Reference    8. Art / Design / Decorative   

Reviews (1)

A very EN"LIGHT"ENING book!
Any spatial experience is intimately connected with the experience of light. The author has very articulately described this phenomena in architecture, using four major themes - where light helps with a physiological EXPERIENCE, gives a building FORM, defines and enhances SPACE, and thus gives it MEANING. This is an excellent book, well written and has a good association with all aspects of lighting, studied and explained with the help of a wide range of buildings and architecture.It makes a very strong (and convincing) argument, for all designers to pay attention to the importance of light while planning and designing their spaces or buildings. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Decoration & Ornament    3. Design & Drafting    4. Engineering - Mechanical    5. Interior Design - General    6. Interior Design - Lighting    7. Light in architecture    8. Lighting, Architectural and de    9. Lighting, Architectural and decorative    10. Architecture / Interior Design    11. Theory of architecture   

Subjects:  1. Antiques    2. Decorating    3. Decorating - General    4. Home Improvement / Construction    5. House & Home    6. Residential Interior Design    7. House & Home / Decorating    8. Interior design   

Reviews (1)

Luxe, Calme, Moderne: The Quiet Richness of Christian Liaigre
Christian Liaigre. If the name is unfamiliar, the French designer's style-or at least a popularized version of it-is ubiquitous. His palette of warm browns, rich creams, and calmly varied neutrals is the color scheme of a thousand-and-one stylish hotel lobbies, and his sexy low-slung furnishings have been copied for mass consumption by furniture makers worldwide. Yet, if you think you know the man by the knock-offs, you've got another thought coming.
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Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Interior Design    3. Interior Design - General    4. Interior decoration    5. Liaigre, Christian    6. Individual designers   

Reviews (5)

Color Advice for Wearing and Decorating
This covers the basics (triads, tetrads, complementary colors, etc.) before going on to personal response to color.It has a quiz and talks about the meaning of your favorite color.
Good reference book for designers
Laetrice Eiseman certainly hit on some common questions and answered them very well.This book should be read in conjunction with her other books, especially "Colors For Your Every Mood". These books are complementary. Over one hundred common questions are directly addressed
Written in question-and-answer format by worldwide leading color expert Leatrice Eiseman, and packed from cover to cover with full-color photography, The Color Answer Book: 100+ Frequently Asked Color Questions For Home, Healh And Happiness presents sound and insightful advice for color usage to decorate and enhance one's home and surroundings. More than one hundred common questions are directly addressed, concerning everything from the best colors to wear; to issues of color and health; to color in the workplace, garden and elsewhere. An informed and informative account, The Color Answer Book is simply filled with fascinating and useful trivia, -- and very highly recommended for do-it-yourself amateur as well as professional interior designers. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Beauty & Grooming - General    2. Cognitive Psychology    3. Color    4. Decorating    5. Decorating - General    6. General    7. Psychological aspects    8. Psychology    9. Architecture / Interior Design    10. Home furnishing & decoration    11. Popular psychology