No comments about Dream Homes Pacific Northwest: An Exclusive Showcase of the Finest Architects, Designers & Builders in Oregon & Washington (Dream Homes).

No comments about AutoCAD 2009 for Architects and Interior Designers.

3 comments about Sustainable Residential Interiors.

1. This book is very helpful in giving an overview about the nature of materials used in construction. It gives a great starting point for information on green building, and sustainable products. I highly recommend it as a book to keep around for referencing.



2. If you're a design professional or homeowner looking for a detailed reference manual on sustainabilty for your home - look no further. This is a thoughtfully compiled book with interesting as well as practical information to help make good choices as you make your home healthier for your family AND for the planet. The well designed projects are beautiful, showing green can be good looking too.



3. This book has the format of a text book and it is a fundamental read for any architect, interior designer or product designer. Very clear explanation of materials and systems used in construction, what is bad about them, what is the better alternative and why we should, as resposible beings, be practising sustainability. Not just recommended, it should be compulsory reading for every building professional and student!

4 comments about The Family at Home: Love. Life. Style..

1. I was looking for a book to help me decorate my new home for my twins. This is a book for only wealthy English families. I found nothing of use except one page on how to hang photos.



2. I keep this book next to my desk at all times. Instant soothing, instant inspiration. Amazing pictures, useful, meaningful text. I love it.



3. This is certain to become a coffee table favorite. This is not only a family inspired book but one full of design inspiration and just plain beauty in a home. The author incorporates all these areas and creates a book for all to enjoy.



4. I don't even have children and I adored this book. First of all the imagery is beautiful - lovely lived in homes with extremely style-conscious parents and kids that do what kids do best - create mini piles everywhere. It was refreshing to see a book that revealed homes that are less than perfect. It was equally refreshing to read the book and see that it's not just another snobby design book written for the hipster families that aren't home long enough to spend time with their kids. These families know each other, spend time living together, and the parents maintain their roles are parents and the kids as children - in their proper place while still allowed to live and be children. So many families put their children as the center of their universe, something I always saw as extremely unbalanced and a great way to spoil them - this book embraces the idea of living as a functional family unit where the focus isn't trying to adjust to the kids but that the kids need to adjust and apply to the rules set by the parents. I can tell the author grew up with many siblings and that her parents were good ones because balance is a huge part of this book. I enjoy her philosophy on eating and cooking together - how enjoyable it is for children to participate in the preparation process. Not opening a can and heating it in the microwave, but feeling the texture of veggies, cutting fresh fruit, having fun - enjoy the sensory experience, the textures, the things that make food so enjoyable. Teaching them how to eat good food that is good for them.
   
   I could write paragraphs on the beauty of this book, it's so impressive, honest, down to earth without being granola, and extremely easy to follow. Again, the photographs (hundreds!) are gorgeous, and the paper quality is the best, it's not high gloss and special, it feels good on the hands.
   
   Best of all, this book is good on the heart. It's really sweet. It would make for a perfect present to friends with kids or friends planning on having them.

4 comments about Lofts.

1. As an artist with a small loft-type appartment and limited budget I have been looking for inspiration for loft decor. I find Living in Space Lofts an excellent source because of the stunning photos and details, and the informative yet friendly language used to describe several aspects of loft living, from its history, its situation in space, its decoration to what loft living implies and whether it is for you. The range of loft decorations described and shown with stunning photos and details is refreshingly varied, so you can draw inspiration whether your decor preferences verge on the minimalist simple, colorful-furniture abundant or indutrial-ascetic just to think of a few. A welcome change from books I read that show one after another beautiful cookie cutter loft decorations so perfect they made me wonder whether someone really lived there. (How many Van Der Rohe Barcelona chairs can one have?)



2. The book is terrific, no doubt about that. However, I am so disappointed about the 2 reviews, which missed the whole point: What makes this book terrific? The answer? Not the pictures! Definitely not. It is the text.
   
   First, it is a good textbook. It tells you exactly what lofts are. Lots of books about lofts only show you tons and tons of "amazing" pictures without a clear definition. Pictures are great. But it is also easy to miss the soul of lofts behind those pictures. Some people after viewing all the pictures still do not get the idea of what makes certain space a loft. Besides this, this book also tells you the history and the future of lofts.
   
   Technically, this book is a manual for someone who wants to build a loft from a shell. It covers all the practical information you need to know ranging from location, structural issues, money, time, to soft decorative ideas and even feng-shui. It provides not only the good and exicting stuff about lofts but also the drawbacks, pitfalls, things to noice. It gives you a realistic and balanced view. The authors really knows lofts and are very very hands-on. Due to its pragmatic nature, the book focuses more on the hard side (i.e., building process) than the soft design process.
   
   Ironically, one thing I am not quite satisfied is the pictures. Though they are nice, they are fragmented and are selected to make the pages look nice. I prefer showing some cool lofts (from those pictures), their total layout, design, and floorplan to get a complete view.



3. I live in a loft in NYC and this compilation of loft photography is one of the very best I have purchased and viewed over and over.



4. Excellent book showing great photos of spaces that its what I was looking for, it shows you how to save space and great floor, windows, bathrooms designs for all your needs in a loft.

5 comments about How to Decorate: The Best of Martha Stewart Living.

1. I should have known that decorating "Martha-style" would not be my style. Her passion in finding the "old" at bargain prices and making it "work" for her is not what I call decorating. She loves to re-furbish, re-store and re-model ... I don't. However, my expectations were really dashed after completion of the book and realized there was no valid reason for her publisher to classify it as a decorating book. If you like to read about Martha's homes, her anecdotes and her convoluted names of Martha-labled paint colors, you will enjoy it ... maybe. I've seen and heard it all before.



2. In this collection of ideas from Martha's "Living" magazine, nature and serenity is the order of the day.
   
   Her colors choices are serene and are plucked right out of nature...with soothing blues, brilliant greens and soft, sandy tones that contrast with earthy browns..her monochomatic color schemes are a welcome rest for the eye. Her articles on color are well written and the photographs are absolutely beautiful. You achieve a restful home with contrast that pops and sparks not only your interest, but that of the guests who enter your home. Her tips have proved invaluable over time.
   
   This informative and fun book walks you through the art of texture, contrast, accessory and furniture placement as well as lighting. It is a recipe for designing a soothing home that lifts your spirits while remaining practical. Martha is often accused of being impractical, but as any true Martha fan knows, those impracticalities rarely extend over from her entertainment suggestions into her home design.
   
   This book never looses site of the importance of a home being a haven. If primary colors and mish-mashed furniture placement with harsh lighting is your game...pass on this book. If you love a New England, traditional, modern or country flair then this book should be a welcome addition to your decorating collection. Unlike some decorating books, this is a great READ as well as a feast for the eyes.



3. This is a wonderful book. It is very "Martha", in a nut shell and gives a good overview on how to design all sorts of living spaces. This should be in all book collections as a basic home design resource.



4. I really like martha stewart and think she has a great style and ideas so this was a very disappointing purchase as it really brings nothing new and only covers basic things...



5. If you want something really good try the HGTV Before or After. The best is really the Home Decorators Bible. Martha's books are often cut & paste jobs.

No comments about Baroque Ornament and Designs (Dover Design Library).

5 comments about Room and Furniture Layout Kit.

1. I love this product. It does exactly what I wanted it to do. As always, products from Amazon arrived quickly.



2. I love this book and I have used it over and over for years. Who cares if it doesn't match blueprints? Simply measure your room and do the math. I don't have blueprints to try and match - I'm just a woman trying to redo rooms in a house. There are 215 punch out pieces of furniture and if they don't fit your EXACT sofa you can cut them down to size.
   
   I am a perfectionist and need everything to be measured exact. I do not cut corners and I have used this book for at least 5 complete room makeovers. It has been invaluable and many furniture pieces were NOT purchased because I knew they wouldn't fit in the room - all thanks to this really inexpensive layout kit. $5? It's worth the investment many times over.



3. I wasn't as pleased with this item as I thought I would be. It was purchased to use for our homeschooled 16 year old. At the time of this purchase, we also purchased "Home Quick Planner", which was the real find for us. I purchased this with the intention of using it as a supplement to the "Home Quick Planner" after seeing it listed on Amazon as a "goes together" type of item. Unfortunately, the "Home Quick Planner" was scaled to 1/2"=1', and this item was scaled at 1/4"=1', so they really aren't good together.
   
   I was also wondering why they have the subtitle "From Stencils and Notepaper to Flowers and Napkin Folding", since that was not in MY edition, and my edition looks just like the picture in the Amazon ad.
   
   Also, the "Home Quick Planner" has detailed "window cling-type" stickers that you can take off and put back on easily, which is nicer than these cardstock punch-outs, which are very plain. I would suggest that you "look inside", on the Amazon listing, which I didn't do since I impulsively purchased it when Amazon listed it as a "goes together" item. After viewing the "look inside", you may decide that this is just what you want, and the price is very low. It may be nice for somebody who wants to invest a small amount of money to try their abilities at layouts. You may be very happy with it.



4. Unfortunately, the pieces in this book are not to the scale of our blueprints. They should be 1/4" = 1 ft. however they are 1/2" = 1 ft. It is not specified in the ordering information on this item.



5. We found the book to be a good tool, but limited in its use. Many of the pieces we have didn't fit those provided, so we had to improvise (you punch our standard funriture pieces for placement on a grid of your room). Also, the paper isn't a standard graph paper, so it's limited (unless you want to copy it)... other than that it was a good tool...

1 comments about Lobby Design.

1. The lobby of an industrial building is an interesting place that often is required to fulfill several purposes. First it is a transitory space. It is an area between the outside that is open to anyone, and the inner sanctum where only employees and invited guests may go. It is where the guests are 'screened' for a business reason to enter, their hosts called, paperwork to be filled out, perhaps there are rest rooms for the visitors use, perhaps there are meeting rooms where the visitor may meet with employees without going inside.
   
   The lobby is the first place that a visitor sees, and the area that gives him the first impression of the company he is visiting. This has created in the minds of architects the need to make the lobby area more appealing to the eye and other senses of the visitors and employees.
   
   This is an idea book composed of photographs of advanced lobby designs from around the world. The book is printed on high quality paper and bound using traditional sewn signatures and headbands to produce a long lasting book that can be heavily used by the architect and his clients.

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