1 comments about William Morris & Red House: A Collaboration Between Architect and Owner.

1. A beautiful tour of one of the first Arts & crafts homes. It was interesting to see the changes that have been made since we were there.

4 comments about The Home Office Book.

1. The Home Office is a great and unique source of inspiration. This book has been a wonderful resource for me in organizing and defining my home office. Donna Paul has written in-depth and high quality chapters on an enormous variety of home offices (totaling 45) located across the United States. The photographs by Grey Crawford are exceptional.

   My personal experience with this book has been to be inspired to use what I already have in a creative (and inexpensive) way and to incorporate into my home office personal items and a personal touch that I would not have used in a downtown high rise office.

   If I could only have one home/decorating book, whether or not specifically for a home office, this would be the one. It's great!




2. This glossy book depicts some really beautiful and unique home (plus one on a boat) offices. However, it could have been so much better!

   Missing are floorplans and dimensions of the offices shown in this book. Also missing are sketches depicting the relation of the office space to the rest of the home - something useful to those contemplating new construction. What species of wood comprises those cabinets, and how were they finished? How was that floor made? The reader must guess at these and dozens and dozens of other questions the photographs evoke.

   Instead, the author chooses to annotate the photos with useless comments such as where a pillow was made... the owner's collection of inkwells... what artist drew the prints on the wall... you get the idea. One gets the notion Ms. Paul never once asked herself what information would be desired by someone buying her book. She seems more interesed in the interior decoration aspects of home offices than their design.




3. If you are thinking about setting up a home office , this book is fabulous. How Ms. Paul found these amazing home offices I don't know. But they are full of great design ideas. Beautiful photography. Great writing!



4. I'm in the process of building a home office. I wanted something that had style but not at the expense of productivity. This book gave me lots of ideas. The book is full of bold, handsome pictures that cover all kinds of looks.

   I checked out a LOT of books for this project, and this was my favorite!

No comments about New Bathroom Design.

No comments about Marketing Basics for Designers: A Sourcebook of Strategies and Ideas.

2 comments about Victoria Designers in Residence: The Personal Style of Top Women Decorators and Designers.

1. This is another lovely book by Victoria. It's filled with page after page of beautiful photographs in a range of styles including shabby-chic, vintage flea market, traditional, Victorian, country, European and my favorite, decorating with whites & creams. This is not a how-to book, but a wonderful one to enjoy with a cup of tea, curled up on your favorite chair. You will not find contemporary design in this book. Although I am not partial to bright colors, every designer showcased in this book has a lovely home with warmth and inviting comfort. I would have given this book a 5 star rating if all of the designs were in a soft dreamy color palette. For those of you who enjoy the same, there are 5 designers and plenty of pages filled with lovely photographs, including the queen of shabby chic, Rachel Ashwell.



2. 
   When "Victoria Magazine" first came out in the very early 1990's (or late 1980s) , it was the first of it's kind. I just loved it, and subscribed to it until it stopped being marketed. (By the way, this was before magazines such as ROMANTIC HOMES became popular in the late 1990's).
   
   If you are familiar with the typical format of VICTORIA MAGAZINE, then you can envision what this book is like.
   
   The photos are of the highest quality,just like in the magazine.
   
   The format is the same as the magazine, in that there are many WONDERFUL photos, but note that this is NOT a decorating "how-to" book.
   
   I would categorize this book as a lovely coffee table book. A feast for the eyes, especially if you love romantic homes.
   
   However, if you are drawn to the more typical "modern" homes, or the bright colors of the current retro homes, then this book is not for you.
   
   As I said, this book is for those that like "romantic style" homes of the 1990's & early 2000's, (with the more muted colors).

5 comments about California Cottages: Interior Design, Architecture, and Style.

1. I read every book relating to Interior Design, 2nd homes, country homes and cottages. The photos in this book were way too dark and the type was way too small.



2. You need to have this book if you need to take mini-vacations away from your stressful routine. This is a wonderful book. Beautiful design, beautiful photos, excellent narrative. Of my 100+ design/decorating books, this is in my top 5 favorites, a position it has held for over 2 years. Like another reviewer, I also appreciate knowing the homeowners' names. Sometimes I see their homes showcased in other books published after this one, with different photo angles, or perhaps updated accessories, and I feel like I'm keeping in touch with old friends.



3. This is perhaps my favorite interior design book. Each space featured has a warm, unique and personal style that is not usually seen in the typical glossy interior coffee table books. Many of the homes are vacation or weekend cottages but they all share a feeling of great comfort and individual charm. I not only enjoy the beautiful photographs but the text reveals the personality of the owners and how the spaces reflect their lives. "California Cottages" brings a refreshing view of eclectic, somewhat bohemian living spaces that feel intimate and real. It's also nice to have a West coast perspective among the many interior design/style books that tend to favor East coast locales.



4. I highly recommend this book if you like the relaxed, and simply elegant cottage look.



5. I bought this book on a whim about two years ago and thought it would be like most of the decorating books I own. I would skim through it, read it, then put it away to take up space on my bookshelf. Not so! The book sits on my coffee table in my small, adorable NYC apartment, which I rented after being inspired by the homes in this book. I have read every word in this book at least three times and feel like I know the owners of each of the homes pictured. My favorites surprisingly change from time to time as I spot things I never noticed before. I recommend this book for anyone to whom his home is his cottage. It's wonderful.

4 comments about Old Houses.

1. I had high hopes for this one since it was praised and compared with the considerably more recent 'The well-worn interior'. But it's not that beautiful, the interiors are more empty and desolated. I rather prefer more filled interiors and these houses don't seem to be much lived in any more. It little styling has been used sometimes to make up för this (?), but it still feels somewhat bleak.



2. I got my copy of Old Houses in a book store bargain bin several years ago. What a find it was! The houses in this book are honest about their age; no fancy restorations here (but do we really need another book like that anyway?). This book gives you an unusual glimpse of the old houses that don't make the magazine covers. In these houses the plaster may be crumbling, the wallpaper peeling, or the decorating may be hopelessly out of date. In addition to the haunting photography you will find interesting stories about the houses and their families. If you're into historic preservation and you like your old houses "as found" check this book out. This is one I go back to over and over.



3. This is such a great book! It embodies the beauty of preservation. Most people would rip out all that old plaster and dated plumbing. I'm thankful that there are people out there preserving our rich history in these lovely old structures.



4. I discovered this book two summers ago at my local library and have checked it out innumberable times. It has brought back many memories of my great-grandmother's and my grandmother's houses. It has also given me great decorating ideas, the main one being to see the beauty in the age which houses acquire. I have finally bought the book so that I can enjoy it forever and will use it as a guide in living with and appreciating my own home's story. A great read, a wonderful photography book, and a great way to experience the history of old houses.

No comments about The Architect in Practice.

No comments about The New Safari.

3 comments about Color Your Home: More than 65,000 at-a-glance Room Combinations.

1. The book is okay, but nothing that practical. Took sometime to understand how to use it.



2. This book contains 90% color swatches and 10% information. Really, how could anyone feel that they purchased something helpful when it is mostly pages of 20 different colors that one is suppose to rip out and put on one's wall. Swatches are for decorating/paint stores not books, or it should at least indicate this.



3. This book is very thorough about principles of color- it has tear out color charts and about every conceivable color combination that will look 'smashing" together. I absolutely love it and i will be using it to decorate my new home- The author has simplified a seemingly complex visionary task to a method that is foolproof for getting that designer look. I would have paid over $ 300.00 for the book to have the information that she supplies and i would like to have more by this author . fabulous! thank you