5 comments about Vintage Style: Creating a Complete Look for Your Home.

1. loved this book!very easy reading with beautiful photographs.i found this book very insipirational.i know have some great gift ideas for the future.
   
   kellie



2. Unlike many of the other reviewers, I adore this book... to the point that I have had it out from the library for six months! (Yes, I know that I had better buy it soon, and, no, it's not overdue yet.)
   
   Yes, this book is a bit precious. Yes, every single photo in the book features a 100% perfect room (right down to the eerily cute clothes hangers). But Vintage Style makes for delicious eye candy, and, more than that, it does have some nifty ideas.
   
   For example, I've been using it to get ready to go out antiquing, as it has all sorts of ideas for making over old bits and bobs. Like me, you may see lots of old towels, old blankets, and old trims, but never seem to know what to do with them. Of course, you want to buy them any way. But if you also buy this book, then you'll know just what to do. You'll edge plain white towels with strong old cotton lace. You'll use old linen to make a crazy 50's roller towel.
   
   The other aspect of this book that I enjoy is the fact that this book IS a bit precious. I respect the fact the Kidston wants to make every part of her life beautiful. Imagine that you had a lovely, vintage fabric covered ironing board. Imagine that you had charming slippers. I bet your life would be better! Mine certainly would.



3. I THOUGHT THIS WAS A LOVELY BOOK.I FOUND IT TO BE QUITE PRACTICAL CONSIDERING IT WAS SORT OF SHABBY CHIC MEETS VICTORIAN.THERE ARE MANY BEAUTIFUL PHOTOGRAPHS WITH PLENTY OF GREAT IDEAS.I DISAGREE STRONGLY WITH SOME OF THE OTHER REVIEWS.PERHAPS YOU NEED TO BE A CREATIVE PERSON TO APPRECIATE THIS BOOK.



4. As a big fan of the "Shabby Chic" books...I thought I'd try this one as well. I came away pretty disappointed. One of the biggest frustations with this book was that the text did not relate to the visuals on the page...Often the photo was several pages ahead or didn't appear at all. And I'd say visual references are pretty important when writing a decorating book. Am I supposed to imagine what this room looks like? The photos that do appear aren't very good...many left me wondering what they even were. If you like this style of decorating, stick to the Shabby Chic books by Rachel Ashwell. They are a much more inspirational and well written series--and the photography is much, much better.



5. I was really looking forward to this book, but was disappointed by its narrow focus. I wish Kidston had shown more examples than just her own home. And while I did like her decorating style, it was most irritating to keep flipping back and forth between text and photos, trying to figure out if the picture next to the text was an example of what she was describing (and often it wasn't) or if the photo 3 pages ahead was really what she was describing. I came away feeling that I really hadn't gathered any usable information for my own home.

1 comments about John Pawson: Themes and Projects.

1. after reading that bruce chatwin had his london apartment designed by john pawson, i went looking for books on pawson's work, and found four. after studying them for a while, i chose this book. it is not the biggest, doesn't have the most pictures, and isn't the cheapest, but it does have beautiful balance. i tried unsuccessfully to wait until after work to look through it, but after a few hours i broke down and skimmed it. i am currently reading through it in detail, and i just love it.

   it has a nice selection of buildings and projects, and with all the various opinions from a variety of different types of people, gives an unusual, but fascinating introduction which leaves me wanting to find out still more. the one regret i have about this book is that there are no pictures of chatwin's apartment, but then none of the others i looked at had them either. there are also a number of useful references to other architects strewn throughout the text, as well as an index to john pawson's body of work. highly recommended.

No comments about Feng Shui Style: The Asian Art of Gracious Living.

No comments about A Place in the Country: Country Home Collection.

2 comments about English Country Cottage: Interiors, Details & Gardens.

1. u can feel the charisma with each breathtaking picture of charming cottages and gardens.it makes u want to jump in and get warm and cozy.even from across the room this book relaxes u.a 100% certifiable coffee table legend.



2. This truly delightful book shows cottage interiors that reflect the pasttimes, habits, and way of living that one likes to believe are essentially "English". These homes look as if they are actually lived in and all exhibit that special British propensity for comfort blended with eccentricity. The ubiquitous Aga is featured in a number of the kitchens, but there are also enough 'jolts' in the form of colour use and collections to make this book memorable and somehow fresh. A book I refer to again and again and well worth adding to your collection - almost a reference on English cottage style. Very good value.

No comments about Stores and Retail Spaces 8.

3 comments about Spectacular Homes of the Pacific Northwe.

1. I was extremely disappointed by this book, and I'd like to warn potential buyers.
   1. This book is only about interior design.
   Do not expect a single exterior image. When I read the title, I thought I was going to see a good selection of images portraying 'spectacular' homes inside and out. But you only get very few shots of some of the main rooms.
   2. These homes are not spectacular.
   At best, they're average. Unless, of course, you're a big fan of froufrou design, overdone decoration, fake antiques, ribbons, lace and bows, factory made nostalgic gesso decorations and so forth. The designers represented in this book are not aware that we live in the Twenty First Century.
   3. The book is a promotional brochure for interior designers.
   Every project comes with a complete presentation of the author of the interior design, including details about how they most like to spend their money (?!?). It makes me think that probably these designers paid the publishing house to each have one project published (what a coincidence, exactly one each).
   Overall, the quality of the designs is disappointing. This book is not at all what it pretends to be. Not even the inside flaps reveal what this book really is, or that it is only about interior design.
   Anyone interested in good quality architecture and design, beware!



2. I guess there are people who find these homes spectacular, but I'm not one of them. Except for Melody Emerick's work in Oregon, these homes scream, "Designer's been here". These homes look so over-designed. Do people really want to live like this? Obviously, I don't get it.
   
   Of all the zillions of interior design books and magazines I've looked at, this book is one of the most uninteresting and uninspiring. And I live in the Oregon. One would think I would appreciate and value this book. Maybe this book is for traditional, conservative people and I live in a progressive realm...



3. Each designer is showcased beautifully. It's a great coffee table book.
   And don't we wish we all could have homes like those shown? But, we can get ideas!

2 comments about Affordable Home Design: Innovations and Renovations.

1. This book says almost nothing about affordable home design. In fact, it says almost nothing at all. Most of the book is dedicated to large photos, some of which are grainy in quality. The written descriptions of the houses include, at most, a sentence or two about some "affordable" feature, while most of the noteworthy features of the houses look quite expensive. It's as if the publisher decided to make another book about mostly modern houses, then put the word "affordable" in the title just to sell more books. If you want a book on this subject, buy another one instead.



2. Affordable Home Design; Innovations And Renovations is packed with solutions to appeal to designers on a budget who want to keep quality without high expense. Here are projects which focus on budget-saving ideas and sustainable designs, covering both new construction and renovation projects from single family homes to apartments. Energy saving ideas are a big part of Affordable Home Design, with discussions revolving around originally commissioned idea versus finished project considerations. Martha Torres received a degree in architecture in Venezuela and has coordinated a number of design projects: her expertise lends to a fine set of ideas.

No comments about Working: 20 Projects in Process.

1 comments about Stores of the Year No. 16.

1. I think it was a great buy since it's complete my collection on visual merchandising books.