2 comments about 500 Ideas for Small Spaces: Easy Solutions for Living in 1000 Square Feet or Less.

1. I'm moving from a 2500 sq ft home in the 'burbs to what I hope to be a 750 sq ft apt in Manhattan. I have not found a better book to give me ideas of how to organize my space in such a way that my husband and I feel like we are in a home rather than an apartment that feels like a college dorm room. This is a good book. Lots of pictures and lots of locales - not all in the US which I found interesting.



2. I was mislead by the subtitle of "easy solutions for living in 1000 sq feet or less". The ideas in it are great, but the most of the pictures don't really relay the message of "small space". You don't really get a whole room view. I was looking for something geared more towards small apartment living. Overall, the book has some good ideas, but nothing that hasn't been done before. Recommend you check the local library before purchasing.

5 comments about The Japanese House: Architecture and Interiors.

1. Don't expect much content in textual form. The book is a photo book, and there are many excellent pictures of japanese houses and interiors in terms of themes and photographical skill.
   
   What is totaly contradictory to this, is the poor low-budget color printing chosen by Tuttle publishers. The pictures are devaluated by a easily seen coarse printing sreen.



2. Take the text with a huge grain of salt. It says nothing original about the Japanese aesthetic (terms like "elegant", "minimal" and "harmony with nature" abound); it contradicts itself on a few key points (is the half-height tea-house door for guests, or the host?); and in one caption it identifies a Go board as a "game of mah-jong". Oops.



3. I bought the book for inspiration in designing my retirement home. It is that. Lovely pictures and ideas for anyone interested in Japanese design.



4. The photography is beautiful. This book shows the best of ancient and modern Japanese design concepts.



5. Compre este libro para conocer mas de la cultura japonesa en el recinto mas sagrado para una persona, su hogar. La cultura japonesa es sumamente rica tanto en belleza como en practicidad y este libro me ha servido para idear refugios dentro de mi casa y asi evitar la rutina diaria y todo lo "fast" que la vida occidental tiene. Recomiendo mucho este libro para aquellas personas que quieran hacer de su casa un lugar equilibrado, que esten planeando alguna reconstruccion o hacer una casa nueva.

5 comments about Private Tuscany.

1. This was not the book for me because we are building a Tuscan style house and the houses featured in this book are beautiful, but old and refurbished houses in Tuscany. So many of the materials are not available in America, and also there is the comfort issue; while the houses are beautiful and definitely authentic, they might not be so comfortable for today's lifestyle. If you are looking for ideas on a modern Tuscan style house, I definitely recommend Tuscan & Andalusian Reflections. However, if what you want is to see is the real, authentic, Tuscan refurbished houses, then this is the book for you.
   
   I must say the decoration ideas are great, and the pictures are beautiful. Even though it wasn't what I expected, I don't regret buying it because it definitely transports you to another place and time when you flip through it.



2. I am an Interior Designer and I am always searching for new references and inspiration. This is a beautiful book



3. With this book you can get a good idea of the warm ranges of wall colors that create a Tuscan mood. This book focuses more on color and neutral tones as opposed to some that go for the white tones. The decor shown is generally not over the top and focused on the grandiose villas that are out of reach of most everyone. There are many modest but lovely homes shown and you can pull fabric inspiration and accessory inspiration. I would give the book 3.5 stars due to some of the rooms being a bit sparse in design and lacking in real life things such as television/stereos, etc. That however is typical of most design books.



4. I WAS LOOKING FOR A GRANDER INSPERATION AND IT WAS NOT THERE. SOME NICE SHOTS BUT NOT WORTH BUYING.



5. Something that I will enjoy over and over with a cup of coffee on a Sunday morning.

3 comments about Mediterranean Design.

1. I felt that I did not get my money's worth with this. I wanted to see more pictures of Mediterranean design located in the Mediterranean not the USA



2. More countries line the Mediterranean than any other body of water, and MEDITERRANEAN DESIGN thus reaches into the cultures of Spain, Italy, Greece, France and others to incorporate a wide range of architectural styles. When it transplants to the U.S. and blends with local needs here, it can be truly astonishing, as MEDITERRANEAN DESIGN teaches in a survey of Mediterranean living spaces both at home and abroad. Full page color photos of home interiors accompany detailed historical notes and descriptions which include period changes and trends. A gorgeous, inspirational survey.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



3. "The stonework is hand chiseled and laid in an organized pattern, with wide chinking and wooden accents. Wood-framed windows deep-set in very thick walls purposely shade the rooms from the hot Mediterranean sun yet swing open easily to direct the sea breeze throughout." ~ pg. 108, Stone Casitas
   
   Luxurious designs are displayed in all their glory throughout this beautiful collection of inspired ideas. From the incredible spa-like pools in creative shapes (including stars) to the sapphire blue tiles in a Moroccan-style bathroom, the pictures are breathtaking. Dreamy outdoor settings filled with sunflowers and fountains look like scenes from a novel you would want to live in and the terrace with a tented roof garden is so romantic!
   
   Sunlit walls surround an outdoor seating area and sheer orange curtains allows light to filter into a room with ancient walls. Light plays with color and texture throughout the book and makes this fascinating.
   
   Villa Rockledge has an enviable reading room with a cozy chair upholstered in a crimson fabric that is mirrored in the carpet, but with less complexity. The room seems especially comforting and may give you some ideas for your own reading room/library.
   
   The walls of the rooms throughout are almost as interesting as the furnishings. In one room a lime-washed pumpkin walls glows in the light of candles, a chandelier and a fireplace. An outdoor room seems to glow with hints of lavender blue as sunlight filters in onto the stone pillars and tiled floor. The stonework in the Ada Hotel in Turkey is fascinating and create the feeling that you are living inside a castle.
   
   Every page of this book is a masterpiece! It is rare to feel such longing to dissolve into the pages of a book and to wander through intoxicatingly designed rooms, covered verandas and courtyards. The aquamarine seating area that matches the color of the water in a pool is a must-see. You can truly imagine spending much more time outside with such beauty. Unlike many architecture books of exclusive homes, this one showcases a few hotels you could actually visit!
   
   ~The Rebecca Review

5 comments about The Measure of Man and Woman: Human Factors in Design.

1. I'm studying furniture design and this book will be extremely helpful for me. It gives tons and tons of measurements throughout the human life span. All kinds of positions, arrangements, etc. There is section on every age, even infants and elderly. It's also just an interesting thing to read, regardless of being an awesome reference book. I loved reading about how different abilities/capacities develop at certain ages. This way you can know when humans are able to do what. This can help better understand human's needs, in a physical and spatial sense.
   
   Great book, just get it.



2. I found a handful of pages out of this book useful for space planning. Not worth fifty bucks unless you are designing equipment and products.



3. There's minimal reading in this book, which is nice since it's good for reference. The reading that it does have is very simple with bulleted paragraphs full of information that you can't get from looking at the diagrams.
   Great diagrams for industrial design students (I got this for one of my classes), gives you the measurements, reach, sight and motion range, pretty much any numeric info you need to know for the 1 percentile, 99 percentile, and 50 percentile man/woman.
   Also has nice chart of child development w/descriptions of what the ave. child can do at each age, as well as diagrams for the elderly (and in wheelchair). This book is essential if you are going for product design or interior design.



4. This was purchased to be a reference book for human sizes and I am very happy with it.



5. This book arrived in good condition from the sender and before time. The book inself is very interesting and will serve its purpose.

No comments about Buenos Aires Style: Exteriors, Interiors, Details (Icon (Taschen)).

4 comments about Interior Lighting, Fourth Edition.

1. This is a great lighting design book, lots of graphical explanations, lots of useful information, a must-buy for any kind of interior designer!



2. This is a required book for an introductory lighting class I'm taking. Since we are solely relying on this book and it isn't supplemented with lecture material, I find that, without familiarity with lighting terminology and concepts, it is very difficult to understand -- very cryptic with the seemingly overused language of the field. While the author may be very knowledgeable, I feel the book is not very well written and the target audience is, perhaps, not intended to be, essentially, the layman. I don't find the organization of ideas and concepts to be clearly laid out or communicated well and, as they unfold, and I come to understand what the author is trying to say, wonder why it was made so difficult -- is that all he means, geesh and why didn't he tell me that earlier. It would be easier to understand the general concept of things first, even in plain English perhaps, and then go on to a more technical description to learn the language of the field and get the details. Just seems to make simple things very complicated, especially with the language, flow of ideas, and phrasing.
   
   I also find a lot of the graphic figures and photo examples need some clarification or more details. A picture's supposed to be worth a thousand words, not be cryptic and time-consuming to understand.
   
   Sorry, I would not recommend this for students who are not primed first. Especially the younger ones.



3. While I was studying Interior Design at Parsons a number of years ago, I had Gary Gordon as a Lighting Design Instructor. He was by far one the best teachers that I had. He is very knowledgeable and has the unique ability to easily communicate the many aspects of both design and lighting. I highly recommend any publication he has authored.



4. The book begins with an inspirational and somewhat simplistic insight into lighting design. Simply as a study of lighting contrasts. While this is a very important aspect of LD, it is by far one of many concepts a professional must use. The book refers to many technical aspects of lighting without giving any "meat" or more in depth information, which I would have enjoyed. If you are new to LD or are an architect or engineer who has little experience with lighting, it is a very good lauching point. If you are technically knowledgable about lighting and want some inspiration, read chapter 1 and the last chapter on Design for concepts

5 comments about Vintage French Interiors: Inspiration from the Antique Shops and Flea Markets of France.

1. While the subtitle of this book on it's own is a fairly accurate, the title is definitely misleading. The first two times I spied it at Borders and months later at Barnes and Nobles I was so excited. That's how inaccurate the dustcover is. I was fooled twice! I'm so glad I saw it first in a brick and mortar store because I WOULD have ordered it if I come across it on Amazon. And I would have been very disappointed. It is not about "vintage French interiors" or any other kind of interiors. I'm not saying the book has no value. It provides an interesting survey of objects one might run across at a Paris flea market. Some of the items looked as if they might be available at a Kansas flea market as well. (Isn't that interesting. Some Europeans may have appreciation for things just because they are American, that strike us as "ugly then, ugly now".) But the title does imply that the book will explore at least some examples of these finds being used to decorate interiors. It doesn't.



2. This is exactly what the title says.....The book takes the reader from specific flea market or antique area in France. There are addresses, phone numbers and web sites. Several interesting catagories of Flea Market finds are examined such as vintage school posters or handmade tools. The book is divided into areas of France describing the true finds of each region. Great chapter on Isle sur le Sorgue, the altimate French antique treasure trove. I almost didn't open the book because of the bad revirews from people who were expecting a "decorating" magazine. A great addition for those of us who love Fance....great photos too!



3. Having pre-ordered this I was a little apprehensive about its contents, despite its promising description and cover. I was not disappointed! It took me on a nostalgic trip to the flea markets of Paris I had visited and wetted my appetite to visit more. I love the slightly shabby brocante featured and the imaginative displays provide inspiration. The title could be a little misleading; however, the subtitle gives an accurate description of the books contents.



4. I buy LOTS of books on interior design and decorating. I pre-ordered this book with high expectations - after all, its title is "Vintage French Interiors." A better title would have been "Junky Stuff from a Flea Market that Could Be From Anywhere." The "Vintage" part is correct if you are interested in old, rusted, chipped, broken, junky "vintage" items. As for the "French" part, there is really nothing that stands out as "French." It looks just like stuff from any American Flea Market. And, what is really disappointing is the "Interiors" part of the title. These are not photos of "interior" rooms using "vintage French" items. It is just a collection of close-up shots of items displayed at a Flea Market.
   
   I am highly disappointed and, hopefully, have learned my lesson on pre-ordering. If you are looking for photos of gorgeous rooms filled with French ambiance, look elsewhere.



5. The title of this book is misleading, there are no photos of vintage French interiors. Just chapters showcasing different French flea market vendors booths and by the looks of things the pickings are pretty slim. I knew I was returning this book when I saw the photo of the rubber pig toy. A lot of 60's and 70's items that you can find here in the states. If you want a great book buy "The New French Decor-living with timeless objects", 110% better eye candy.

No comments about Dressing the Home: The Private Spaces of Top Fashion Designers.

2 comments about 150 Best House Ideas.

1. 150 Best House IdeasI am planning to build a house and was looking for some ideas to help me with the house plan. This book is outstanding!



2. I bought this book as a present for a friend who renovates homes, but I had to buy another as I didn't want to give it away.
   The photography in this book is simply amazing, and the designs are stunning. Most of the houses are contemporary in design, and the fitouts are superb. The architects names are also included if you want to contact them, a very nice touch indeed.
   
   There is something for every person interested in design in this book.