3 comments about Creating Cottage Style: Stylish Ideas And Step-by-step Projects.

1. I love this book! I flipped through a few 'cottage' style books and this one I had to take home. Filled with great photos, ideas and inspiration. I like the relaxed way the book is written and refer to this book time and time again! There are a few do it yourself projects included, ie: make your own pillow cover, plate rack, tablecloth, etc.. that personally I don't really need (but these take up only a few pages). Showcases homes that are simple, down to earth, easygoing, yet always unforced elegance= cottage style!



2. The subtitle of this book is a bit of a misnomer. There are step-by-step projects detailed in the book. However, few of these items appear in the rooms featured and there are very few sewing projects. Those looking for instructions should be aware this book is not helpful in that regard. However, for those with some sewing knowledge there are literally hundreds of potential projects - from curtains to pillows and slipcovers. Fans of the "cottage" look will also appreciate the dozens and dozens of stunning rooms including fabrics, furniture and accessory layouts and color combinations. One can walk away with countless ideas from this book; my copy has nearly half of its pages tagged with projects I plan to attempt. I would highly recommend it for such purposes.
   
   Christine Creager Kepko
   Proprietor, Domestic Bliss Home & Garden Keeping
   [...].



3. This book was not what I expected. I thought there would be instructions for making kitchen chair cushions like those pictured in the book. I found when I received the book it only had instructions for a few of the pictured ones in the book. None of which I was interested in.

2 comments about A Good House Is Never Done.

1. Author John Wheatman earlier wrote Meditation on Design, and has been selected as one of House Beautiful's Top American Designers.
   
   Wheatman believes that real design incorporates things that have meaning to the inhabitants. Well said in the foreword by Sara Susanka, AIA: ". helping readers understand how to make a living poem out of the place they live-a poem that continues to grow and change with the years."
   
   Most design books show rooms that are so perfect-and unattainable for most of us. However Wheatman shows real rooms used for cooking/dining, playing/working (office) as well as sleeping and bathing. The tips, techniques and ideas are all about new ways to think about everyday activity-as well as your common and treasured items.
   
   I found myself saying, "Oh, I could do that." as one photo showed a collection grouped, whether antiques or hobbies (like matchbook collection displayed as wall hanging).
   
   The photography by David Wakely was superb with rich colors and unique angles. Together with Wheatman's words, you'll be ready to make your home a place of inspiration, beauty and vitality.
   
   I like to go antiquing (or rather, bargain hunting) and when I select a certain piece that makes me smile-or my heart thump, I know that I am in for pleasure every time I see it in my home. This book about design didn't make me hate my own house like many do, but that I could do little things to make my house better-more filled with things that give me pleasure, displayed in unique ways.
   
   As the title states: A good house is never done.
   
   Armchair Interviews says: This is a book that will give you easy-to-implement ideas for your own home.



2. This book had so many great ideas and new ways to think about arranging and ordering your home. I really liked the way he wrote about sleeping, bathing, working, cooking, dining, and playing areas and not bedrooms, bathrooms, etc. I read this while out of town and came home and rearranged my living room. I can't stop looking at the space in my house in quite different ways. I want to move everything around based on the ideas I got from this book. It is actually a fun read too.

3 comments about Eye for Color, An.

1. This is one of the best books available to anyone interested in learning about the use and application of colour in design. Unlike many other books that deal with colour in a very theoretical sense, An Eye For Color takes a more practical approach - and in my opinion a more effective approach - towards understanding colour. It is essentially a book consisting of a large variety of artwork demonstrating colour application in multiple disciplines (examples include graphic, interior, products, fashion design, etc.). The selling point for me was the RGB and CMYK colour codes that accompanied each example. This allows me to view the colours used in an artwork side-by-side to further understand their interplay.
   
   This book ultimately encourages one to experiment with colours, so opposed to trying to understand a set of theories, An Eye For Color works to enhance your sensitivity towards colour by giving examples of their application.



2. The author has taken an extremely complex task
   and broken it down to its most basic steps.
   
   As a designer and a teacher I believe this book
   is an essential tool in every designer's hand.
   An eye for color will empower professionals
   and amateurs to take fear out of color.
   
   The science of color is presented as a wonderful
   statement of harmony so the user can enjoy
   the creative process. Treasures like this are
   hard to find.
   
   The book's layout is also brilliant.
   Bravo!



3. This book has no rules, theories, or much text at all for that matter -- just page after page of works of art and design, along with a color palette of two or more of the important colors in each of the works (given in RGB and CMYK). If you are trying to do a project where you can control your colors precisely (such as web design), you can simply choose a subset of the colors in one of the examples. In projects where you have less precise control (interior design for example) you can still get a lot of ideas by studying the examples in this book. If you have little experience with color selection and are looking for a fast path to finding a sophisticated color scheme for a design or to developing your color sense in general, this book is worth its weight in gold. This opinion comes from a person with no formal training and very little experience in visual design, but I suspect that, with more experience comes an even deeper appreciation for the subtleties of the examples in this book.

5 comments about Foundations of Interior Design.

1. As a beginning interior designer, I find this book to be extremely helpful. It is very well written and informative. I totally agree with all the reviews written before me. I recently went back home to Bulgaria to continue my interior design studies. I carried the book with me and found out that I actually forgot something - to bring the CD it came with! Make sure you review it - it has additional information and makes our lives as designers easier!



2. If you wish to pursue a successful career as an interior designer, or you are keen to develop your interest in this field, my advice to you is to buy this book. Buy it, read it, and make it your good friend! Whatever your background, this course will encourage your individual creativity and help you to explore and further your own design ideas.
   I am a student in The Metropolitan Institute of Interior Design, a career changer with English as a second language. I have read some interior design educational books before, but none of them gave me as much knowledge, nor inspired me to approach the subject with as much enthusiasm and passion as this book by Susan Slotkis.



3. This is the best reference in the designing industry. Should be in every designers library.



4. This is a great reference book on interior design! It covers all the subjects of an interior design that a degree program would cover: design theory, color theory, history of design, business practices etc...(it's also a great source for the interior design vocabulary!)
   I am an interior design student and this is the first place I go to when I need to research some aspect related to the design field.
   
   And I just know it - it'll be my much used resource when I am out of school and working in the field.



5. "Foundations of Interior Design" is an instrumental key for designers, design students and design enthusiasts all the same. This must-have handbook explores the profession from the inside-out, giving a vast overview of interior design as a whole yet delving into just the right amount of significant detail. Slotkis' style perfectly simplifies even the most intricate of information while providing plenty of helpful visuals along the way. Its title certainly rings true, for the "foundation" Slotkis lays for interior design is by far a solid one.

5 comments about Flowers, Flowers.

1. I borrrowed this from the library. What a pleasant surprise. I'm an amateur at florals, but I feel I actually learned some concepts, not just looked at pictures to copy. You can also tell Paula loves not just flowers, but she loves to teach what she knows. It's not just pictures and rambling captions. Some of the arrangements are not my style, but there are so many pictures, most of them are absolutely stunning, very inspirational. I had to buy my own copy after viewing this @ the library, and I plan to buy more books from Paula.



2. Maybe I should have been tipped off by the cover but I found the arrangements in the book quite old fashioned and too structured. I much prefer "Simply Elegant Flowers" by Michael George which I find to be more contemporary, both in it's arrangements and book layout.



3. Paula Pryke is an artist is every sense of the word. Coming across this magnificently and luxuriously illustrated book is like discovering a famous artist new to you. The topic is 'Inspired Arrangements for All Occasion' and both the writing and illustrations certainly prove that claim to be true.
   
   But what is so very different in this rich volume than in other volumes on flower arranging is the unique approach to the medium. Pryke's keen eye combines not only flowers of every possible kind (from simple wild garden blossoms to the most exotic of species from strange lands), but she also sees vegetable, seeds, gourds, branches, twigs, moss, vines - all are of equal importance to her choices for synthesis of her amazing creations.
   
   Some Floral designers elect to create books about their craft that are limited to beautifully photographed final arrangements. Paula Pryke, with a winning writing style, takes us through the puzzling mysteries of how she finds and assembles the components of her art. She also separates the book into simple works, arrangements according to a unified color scheme, and arrangements and accoutrements that are celebratory for holidays and special occasions.
   
   Whether this book is added to the library as a coffee table adornment (sure to be admired by all discerning guests) or as a guide to creative floral design, FLOWERS, FLOWERS! is an artwork containing some of the most exquisite floral you will encounter. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, August 06



4. This book has all you would like to know about flower arrangement. Starting from how the flowers make it to the market(from the growers) ,to the Common names and Latin names of the different flower species. There are superb pictures of 100s of arrangements for different occassions and step by step descriptions of how to do some of them. What I liked the most , was the last chapter called techniques, it has a thorough description of all the equipment one needs to do these elaborate arrangents. However, for a complete beginner like me , this book might seem too intense as the arrangements are quite elaborate. At any rate, it makes a good coffee table read.



5. 
   There is no need for a lengthy review of this book. Quite simply, it contains photos of the most beautiful floral arrangements I have ever seen. I enjoy it often with a sense of awe and envy.

4 comments about The Complete Guide to Furniture Styles.

1. A College textbook or reference-type book. Comprehensive--fine print. Seemed a good read, but I didn't like the set-up. All text was in the front, and the examples and photos were grouped in the back. One would need to flip back and forth to view examples of the subject matter. Didn't work for me.
   
   This is the only reason I gave it a low rating, and returned the book.



2. As a college educator in the history of architecture, furniture and the decorative arts I think the Boger is a very good overall text both to students and interested others. Information on furnitre prior to Gothic is the weakest, and would reccomend other texts to satisfy those needs. Photographic reproduction quality in some instances barely passable.



3. I have to disagree with the previous reviewer--this book is FILLED with pictures in the back half of the book. The pictures are disappointingly all black and white, but it keeps the cost down I suppose. This is the best resource for visual identification of styles from Egyptian through Twentieth Century that I have seen, and I have seen quite a lot of them. The front half of the book is very detailed information about each of the styles as well as specific pieces within each style. It's not something you can read from cover to cover, as the details would quickly overcome you. But it is a wonderful reference book for anyone who wants to be able to look up a particular style, read about it, and look at many pictures to visually understand general characteristics of the style.



4. THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO FURNITURE STYLES is a well written guide to the history of different periods of furniture. It states the history of the period and crucial pieces with a description of the piece. There are very few pictures, so if you are looking for a guide to train your eye to note characteristics of period pieces, this will not help you. If you are looking for a written description of the pieces, this book is for you.

No comments about Neoclassicism and Romanticism: Architecture - Sculpture - Painting - Drawings 1750-1848.

2 comments about A Guide to Business Principles and Practices for Interior Designers: Revised Edition.

1. a very comprehensive overview. Great examples of forms.



2. Having a grasp of design is essential in the interior designer's profession, but it is only one element of a successful practice. Grasping the principles of operating a business is equally important. Here, in a newly revised edition of his fourteen-year best-seller, Harry Siegel together with Alan M. Siegel show how to run a design shop smoothly and effectively. The book, the first and most' respected in the field, continues to be a must for all interior designers, architects, space planners, and certainly students.

   Thoroughly updated to reflect current practices and procedures, the book is divided into four parts. In Part 1 the Siegels discuss how to establish an interior design practice. In Part 2 they describe how to carry through a job and charge for it. Included are a new checklist to help the designer handle initial contacts with the client, new descriptions of the use of combinations of fees and allocation of budget amounts, as well as three completely new chapters, Analysis of Scope of Services, Approach to the Flat Fee, and Sales Taxes. Alan M. Siegel, a partner in the law firm of Levy & Sonet, which is legal counsel to the American Society of Interior Designers, Inc., has completely revised the chapter on residential letters of agreement.

   The special requirements of nonresidential work are covered in Part 3. Here too the chapter on letters of agreement has been completely revised by Alan M. Siegel, and the discussion of the designer's responsibilities for purchases has been expanded. In Part 4 the Siegels examine forms, techniques, and special factors including actual examples of the specialized procedural forms used in the design office. The chapter on insurance has been expanded and completely revised, including a discussion of errors and omissions coverage. Also included is a new chapter, The Interior Designer as a Product Designer.

   This book should be required reading for all designers or students, who want reasonable remuneration for their knowledge, flair, and hard work. You can't afford to pass up this valuable professional resource.

1 comments about African Style: Exteriors, Interiors, Details (Icons).

1. Cool book. If you are looking for photos that might inspire you to look at Africa beyond Safaris and misery, this would be it. The photos are great; they're stylish and suggest a point of view not often seen, plus they are intimate views of homes that (seemingly) belong to ordinary people... its rare that you can get coffee table-book quality photos in such a small and economical book. It is a cool presentation to show how different cultures approach decorating and flair.

1 comments about Victoria Intimate Home: Creating a Private World (Victoria Magazine).

1. I loved this magazine and the books I have found that they sold when the magazine was being sold are just wonderful..This book was in great shape, came fast and I just love it........thank you