5 comments about Christopher Lowell's You Can Do It! Small Spaces: Decorating to Make Every Inch Count.

1. Fortunately I bought this for $5. I will take it back today for a refund!
   
   Here are the good points:
   --he uses his trademark 7 layers of design. There is a chart at the back, on a couple of pages explaining this concept. Good concept, nice short description. Now I don't have to bother with his other books.
   
   --he discusses decluttering oh so briefly (but then spectacularly doesn't follow his own advice)
   
   -- and he explains the poverty attitude where people hang onto stuff out of fear of the future instead of making use of what they like and letting go of the excess stuff.
   
   --he breifly explains the Japanese method of using layers of foreground, middle and background to create depth in small spaces. Not how to do it though. Just that you use layers, that you can see bits thru, like a city skyline (his analogy, and a good one) where the skyscapers are all differing heights and you see vignettes of the city thru the gaps creating a sense of depth.
   
   --he uses colour in a rich way. With less clutter in the photos, the blends of deep rich colour would be stunning instead of overwhelming. Reminds me of shopping at Pier One.
   ----------------------------------------------
   
   
   NOW as to WHY NOT TO BOTHER:
   
   ----The amount of clutter is overwhelming. The man layers on top of layers with no sense of open space to let a person breathe. None of the objects show to advantage when they are as jammed and cluttered as a dime store clearance rack.
   
   -----The man wastes a LOT of space in the book with cutsey pictures of himself with a yellowish box in all sorts of poses. Less than attractive and a real slam to the poor buyer who might actually have been hoping for more pictures or more explanations in those same spaces. Another reviewer counted 43!!!! of these self portraits. Obviously he thinks he did it all himself since the staff weren't worthy to include in any of the pictures showing the projects halfway. That would be ok if the rest of the book was worthwhile.
   
   -----The text is confused and jumpy. He bounces around like he is on some kind of speed drug or something.
   
   -----He invents language. It took me half way thru the book before I figured out what HE meant by the term "merchandising". Hint--it isn't about selling stuff which is the normal definition.
   
   -----He uses dated hardware on the cabinets in the kitchens, even when he changes them out. That bright brass went out in the late eighties, and brushed nickel was a nineties look. This decade is going thru oil rubbed bronze and the newest hint of any type of gilding is a weatherd gold look. Anything but bright shiny brassy "gold".
   
   -----He CONFUSES OPEN DISPLAY SPACE with true STORAGE WHICH IS CLOSED (to hide stuff that is less than visually appealing).
   
   eg *** Nowhere is that worse than the master bedroom with the huge pillars. He is so delighted with his "storage" shelves in the massive headboard unit, that he decides the room won't need a dresser of any kind. A few towels, a basket or two and some books are what he stores in this master bedroom.
   
   Most normal people might want some hidden storage for underwear and the like but not him. I presume that the cramped closet space will be sacrificed for more drawer type storage as a result.
   
   And WHY???
   
   so he can display a few more mismatched towels and create a straight walkway thru the bedroom to another area of the house.
   
   Somebody tell him bedrooms are not hallways, and somebody tell that mobile home company to mke the door to the sun room off the kitchen area.
   
   Problem solved, without creating a runway thru a private space.
   
   THE CONFUSION between storage space and display space IS COMMON to a lot of designers but this one goes over the top. He keeps claiming that he has added tons of storage to these trailers but in fact there is very little storage added, that wasn't already there in kitchen cupboards and closets.
   
   WHAT HE CALLS STORAGE IS REALLY DISPLAY SPACE and he does do a nice job styling the shelves full of useless but pretty stuff. Too much of it, but that seems to be his trademark design.
   
   IF YOU TRY THIS AT HOME please remember storage space is CLOSED space, while display space is open to view and is only intended for a few spare items of great beauty. Display items are focal points, and too many simply means visual clutter.
   
   ---In every possible corner he crams fake plants, visual clutter, junk and trivia. He discusses the necessity of being able to move thru a space but then ignores such practicalities as vacuuming room. In order to clean these heavily dust collecting spaces, you need to get in there to dust, and to vacuum.
   
   It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that running a vacuum thru these spaces is an obstacle course that would take days of effort.
   
   MY CONCLUSION?
   People don't live like that normally unless they have a Molly Maid who can help them clean every week and a storage unit out back where they can park the real necessities of life, that you don't want out on display such as underwear, or spare rolls of toilet paper or that truly ugly but effective shampoo bottle.
   
   This man should do store displays for Pier One and similar home decor stores. He has the rich colour sense that is so attractive in these places, but he should leave the design of small spaces to people who truly understand them.
   
   A good place to start is the magazine Style at Home which will give you all the richness and colour and design, without the clutter or dated combinations. I suggest a subscription to that magazine instead of the cost of this book. Their annual small space issue in in the spring, but the rest of the year they include tips for smaller spaces with each issue.



2. If you have small spaces (and who doesn't!) this is the book for you. I devoured every page. Christopher's designs are impeccable, classy and you WILL be able to douplicate them yourself.



3. I don't watch cable tv and Christopher Lowell isn't familiar to me, but I was eager to read this book as I have a number of small rooms. I was extremely disappointed to find that all the rooms in the book were comparatively huge. I was hoping for decorating tips for rooms 12 x12 and smaller. Oh, well. Some of my friends who have bigger rooms have been happy to borrow it.



4. This was a bit of a let down, as I'd loved Lowell's Dream Decor On A Budget. This one is choppy and hard to follow. Reading his descriptions and then trying to find what he's talking about in the photos is tough.
   Some of the rooms are delightful and there's quite a few do-it-yourself projects included (mission style table, settee-divider, island bed).
   They included too many photos of Lowell, making it seem like a fan club book rather than a serious decorating guide.



5. My chief complaint is the photographs used to illustrate how Lowell's ideas and sketches were carried out DO NOT at all compare to the photos of the empty original rooms. It is extremely hard for the eye to determine the angle and placement. Several photos I couldn't even figure out what area of the room I was looking at. The AFTER photos are too close up and it's impossible to use them as a reference or anything more than a vague idea. BAD PHOTOGRAPHY.
   
   I did get a few ideas for small spaces. I found a lot of use of the same colors over and over again, same plush fabrics and lawrence-of-arabia style draping. A bit lush and overdone for the typical home perhaps? I like his ideas very much though about clutter and making the most of your surroundings. But please re-issue with better photographs of the results of his ideas and works! What a disappointment in that regard.

5 comments about Seaside Style.

1. You need to know this is just about the place, Seaside, in Florida-which is fabulous. I really enjoyed the book.



2. although the book is lovely to look at, the houses are quite similar and very typical of that particular part of Florida, which I did not realize in the description. My intent was to view houses that would fit in all seaside areas and the book therefore was a disapppointment.



3. When one thinks of Seaside, Florida, images of white picket fences, quaint beach cottages painted in pastel colors and tin roofs are evoked. From classic Greek Revival to urban contemporary, the mix of interior and exterior styles fascinate and capture the reader. In Seaside Style, Nesmith allows readers not only to experience the broad range of architectural styles but also tour the interiors of these amazing spaces. Highly recommended for coffee tables from Maine to California and Alabama to Illinois.



4. As a Seaside neighbor in Old Seagrove I have a special interest in Seaside, but I found the book to be much more than the chance to get inside houses of people I know and others I see every day. While the writing in the style of architectural magazines might be called "gushing," Eleanor Lynn Nesmith subtly focuses her seasoned critical eye on the people who brought more than their money to the "New Urbanism" community. The result is the story of how Seaside got its soul. The somewhat dark--almost broody--photos of Steven Brooke suited my taste, though maybe not everyone's.



5. The new Seaside Style book through the pictures of Steven Brooke and the words of Eleanor Lynn Nesmith takes us on a tour inside some of the homes of Seaside. A small town along the Gulf Coast of Florida, Seaside gained world fame as the birthplace of New Urbanism.
   With humor and insight, the author walks us through 23 houses and gives us a glimpse of both the homeowners and their personal style.
   The photographer takes us there with his stunning images.
   A must buy for anyone with an interest in New Urbanisn or viewing the individual styles and the pleasures of living at the beach.

3 comments about Adobe Details.

1. This book is EXACTLY what I was looking for. Perfect condition and rapid delivery. Excellent service.



2. Adobe Details is a small but powerful book. It is well written and beautifully photographed by Karen Witynski and Joe Carr. This book satisfies the reader's appetite for Mexican and New Mexican decor while challenging him or her to venture out to one of the several locations featured. Ideas abound for the novice decorator. If landscape design is more your style, this book will also energize your outdoor spirits!! The vivid color and simple elegance make the book a "must have" for any library, especially those chocked full of information on the southwest.



3. Adobe Details by award winning Mexican design specialists Karen Witynski and Joe P. Carr is an impressive survey at the culture, furnishings, and especially the architecture prevalent in the American Southwest and the mountains of Mexico. The majority of Adobe Details is devoted to breathtaking, full-color photography of grand living spaces; brief text captions and essays provide rich detail on the history, functionality, and symbolism of these inspirational edifices. Adobe Details is especially for architecture buffs and a welcome addition to academic and community library interior design reference collections.

3 comments about Fire Places: A Practical Design Guide to Fireplaces and Stoves Indoors and Out.

1. This is a great book - beautiful pictures, but excellent information as well. Best book on fireplaces I've seen



2. I was excited to find this book but once it arrived I was a bit disappointed in it. It has tons of photos of a variety of fireplaces, inside and out, exaplins the different types well but I was looking for more information on unique fireplaces, ones which could be placed in the center of a room. So if you're wanting a more traditional fireplace setting, this book might be great.



3. Fire places seem evoke some kind of hidden memories out of our distant path when the fire at the mouth of the cave kept the tigers away. This has become so important that even apartments now seem to come with fire places.
   
   This book, as is usual with this publisher is a beautifully illustrated, beautifully printed collection of fire places that range from a simple rock lined fire pit out in the yard to fire places that are the design center of the house, wood stoves that meet the new EPA regulations, to antiques that may have come from grandmothers house.
   
   Besides the beautiful photography, this book also includes design tips, and the regulations that come from building codes. And there are discussions of more types of fire places than you could ever imagine without seeing it.
   
   I got this book because my house does not have a fire place, and it's the next major extension that I plan to add. This book answered all the questions that I had, except do I want something indoor or outside. We have a long season for entertaining outside.

2 comments about 100 of the World's Best Bars.

1. I just received my copy of this book and the pictures are absolutely beautiful! It has great inspiration if you are thinking of opening a bar/lounge/restaurant. Some bars even have the blueprint along with pictures.



2. This is a great resource book. And this group out of Milwaukee, FLUX DESIGN
   is really doing some wonderful interior design and full out building of there designs, making for truly unique spaces. Buy it.

2 comments about Flea Market Finds: Before and After (Leisure Arts #15916).

1. This little treasure will have you looking at cast off items with a more resouceful eye. Many of these items would not get a second glance but the author has found interesting ways to repurpose flea market or discarded items. The project on the front cover is an example of a creative way to use those small side boards once part of old dining room sets. I am a fan of stripes, so the small dressers done in wide stripes has great appeal as well as a playful side. The techniques suggested can be applied to a variety of objects not just the ones illustrated in the book. I can't wait to go out this week end and rescue some unloved objects and give them a new lease on life. Undoubtedly this book is a great find...one of the best for sparking new ideas for those low on cash but high on imagination.



2. Flea Market Finds: Before and After.
   A great book for those who have things that they can makeower.
   Many idees and very fine pictures.
   I love it

1 comments about The English House: English Country Houses and Interiors.

1. I found this book to be extremely resourceful when building my Georgian-style home; it gave me great decorating ideas. This book is full of knowledge and beautiful colorful pictures. It is a great source for English decorating.

3 comments about Bali Modern: The Art of Tropical Living.

1. Great photography and awesome scenarios. It really brings the feeling of being in Bali. And the decorations show the artistic side of the new interiors of the open living. It inspires my clients when they come inside my furniture store. Of the books I have from Bali, this is certainly the encyclopedia of interior design!



2. Many westerners have set up homes in Bali, which have long been a magnet for western culture-hound. Here,writer and photographer showcase what the island's most inspiring examples of contemporary residences, shops, restaurants and of course the beautiful resorts that Bali is renowned. The work is well researched, featuring architectural and interior detailing of cross cultural legacy and an amalgamation of both modern and traditional. The text includes little stories of origins and legends. And as always, Lucca Invernizzi Tettoni's superb photography, mostly outdoor shots of the creme de la creme of Bali's private and resort landscaped gardens. This work captured all parts of the Balinese tropical living experience, proving why Bali is often remembered as the place to rejuvenate the soul.



3. This is just what the doctor ordered for enthusiasts of tropical decor and culture. By focusing on the use of modern (alibet, longer lasting) building materials with techniques designed to provide a tropical ambiance is neat. It's not something that I have found elsewhere. It would also be nice to provide some interior decorating schemes to be translated into the American shopping market using or importing accessories from the Bali region or using alternative sources for the "tropical" look from other areas, i. e., the British West Indies, the Caribbean, major U.S. catalogues, etc.

   Thanks for the opportunity to comment.

5 comments about Home by Design: Inspiration for Transforming House Into Home.

1. We are in the process of building a house and this book has been exceptionally helpful for framing what we really want.



2. I found this book to be well laid out and full of good ideas for not only planning the construction of a new house but for doing renovations as well. Reading this has mad me want to buy her other book about Small Homes.



3. GREAT!



4. This book is fun to own. Lots of good ideas that can be realistically applied. The pictures are beautiful and the writing truly energizes and inspires one to look with new eyes at the way space is used not only in ones own home, but also in public buildings and spaces which one occupies as daily life is lived. I refer to this book often, and would recommend it to anyone interested in beautifying and simplifying their environment.



5. This book has wonderful design ideas if you are working with an architect designing a new home, if you are or remodeling an old one. If you already have a home and want to incorporate her ideas, it might be a little difficult. It is a very educational book with beautiful photos, however, I wouldn't recommend it if you aren't planning on doing any major renovation or construction.

4 comments about Complete Photo Guide to Window-Top Treatments: Do-It-Yourself Valances, Swags, and Cornices (Complete Photo Guides).

1. As a beginner sewer, I found the book to be pretty comprehensive with its instructions. There are a few treatments which are beyond my abilities at this point. My only complaints about the book would be that some of the sewing terms were not explained in the glossary and there were no photos of the finished products.



2. The designs are great. There are good, clear pictures throughout the book, How-to directions are easy to understand. The only flaw is there are no pictures of the final product at the end of the how-to tutorials. After following the directions and pictures for the how-to sections, there are no pictures of the final product. It would be more helpful to see a picture of the final product to get a better idea of what the window treatment should look like when completed.



3. I combined several books for both ideas and how to guides. Window Top Treatments is an excellent resource for a nice variety of ideas, many of which are classic window treatments, but the how to instructions are definitely worth the purchase.



4. Very nice book with easy to follow instructions. Great photos. I haven't made anything yet, but I have looked through the book. I can't wait to get started.