5 comments about Tracy Porter's Home Style: Creative and Livable Decorating Ideas for Everyone.

1. I have all of Tracy Porter's decorating and entertaining books. If you like decorating your home and want fresh ideas, you must have this book!



2. I'll read anything by Tracy Porter that I can get my hands on. Her approach to home decor - as well as her approach to life itself -- is a creative breath of fresh air. Unlike so many other decorating pros today, Tracy is truly innovative, fresh, and artistic. Her style is like no other, and always contains elements of surprise and delight. Tracy invites us to look at our homes in new ways, and to treat day-to-day living, even ordinary moments, as an art form. Can't wait for more books from this remarkably talented, joyful woman.



3. This book is great! Why be boring with the same kind of decorating everyone else does? It's time that we all have some fun with our homes. A little whimsy is nice. It makes you feel good.It May even bring a smile to your face when you come home from a hard day. Wonderful book!



4. I have to say I was disappointed with this book. I can't believe that Tracy Porter can live in a house decorated like hers with three small children. She must be living in a fantasy world just as she aspires to. I actually did read through the whole book and found nothing unusual or creative in Tracy's tips section or in the "make it section". In fact, maybe I should write a book. It seems anybody can.



5. My affair with this book is love-hate.

   I never heard of Tracy Porter or her 'style' until the publisher sent me a beautifully designed shopping bag filled with catalogs showcasing her retail items and the gift of a personal teapot cum cup & saucer -- very clever.

   The items from her retail line are much cleaner and more mainstream than the pictures in this book which purports to be from her home.

   What Tracy does is give the reader permission to take things out of the 'keeping for good' closet and use them everyday. That's good.

   What she also does, and I'm sick to death of it, is use items that have seen better days. If I see one more piece of distressed furniture or one more chipped painted chandelier I'm going to scream.

   People -- reupholster your furniture! If something's ripped, fix it. Unless your furniture sports real antique fabrics or finishes or is showing true wear and tear from daily use, repair it. Enough I say!

   Tracy bravely uses color in her home. I do think there's too much of a mish-mash in many of the rooms, but that's my personal taste and not necessarily bad.

   The other problem I have with this book is this home supposedly has three small (under 4 years old) boys living in it. Yet, there is pin a cushion on chair seat (a delight to the eye), a faux leopard throw hanging off a chest (on top of which sit four painted glasses and a matching glass martini shaker), lampshades with antique buttons hot-glued around the rim, and a dresser top filled with a letter opener, very, very small porcelain dolls, perfume bottles, and hat pins, to name a few.

   I hope as soon as the photographer left Tracy ran through the house clearing off all these potential accidents waiting to happen.

   There is a very short project section which gives instructions on how to make some of the items shown in the book. If you're a fan of decorating books, magazines, or shows you've seen them all before.

   What I did appreciate is the resource directory at the back of the book. In alphabetical order it lists many of the places you can buy nice home design items. Where there is a web site available, it is included, so you're not forced to call.

5 comments about Cottage: America's Favorite Home Inside and Out.

1. Book in excellent condition...I guess I like this book a lot (after I received it, I noticed I already owned it!



2. If you are looking for small scale, cozy cottages you will be disappointed. For example, at page 37 there is a very comtemporary box style, three story structure, perhaps 2,800 square feet; the facade is deceptively board and batten, painted barn red. The living/dining/kitchen is one big open room, perhaps 36' by 14' with a 16' high ceiling. One outside wall, 36 by 16, is glass, which is impressive, but not conducive to an intimate, cozy milieu.
   
   At page 77 there is a three story prefab 'art moderne' structure that makes an impressive architectural statement, but it is by no stretch a "cottage".
   
   At page 187 is a remodeled barn: it's three stories, all open inside, ceilings 16 feet or more high, with a wall of glass. It's certainly not a cottage. It doesn't even look much like a barn anymore.
   
   
   The book cover suggests "each of the cottages is intimately scaled, seamlessly linked to the landscape...", which is just merchandising, promotional nonsense. For the most part these structures are just large houses, ego statements for the owner and architect. The authors are revisionists, changing the meaning of 'cottage' to include whatever they wished to put in their book.



3. I love cottage style and have a nice collection of books. Based on consumer reviews I bought it and boy was I disappointed. It was, to say the least, a snooze as far as the photos go. Since I cannot afford to buy a home presently, I love to get lost in the photos of a wonderfully photographed book. This is NOT one of them.



4. A sampling of cottages from across the country - backgrounds on the owners of the cottages, beautiful interior and exterior pictures and floor plans. I thoroughly enjoyed reading and looking at the pictures - very inspirational.



5. Excellent book, great ideas for people that have lake homes and are looking for ideas for building and decorating. Highly recommend it.

5 comments about The Beauty of Straw Bale Homes.

1. If you're looking for a "construction" type book, this is a little lacking in that department. I was much more impressed with other books that the Steens have done.



2. If you want to convert your friends to strawbale... if you are sick of the Three Little Pigs comments... get this book. I did and one of my friends stole it so now I've had to buy it again - that's how good it is! Nearly everyone I show this book to is entranced by one or more of the houses... and many people love LOTS of the buildings. I love this book. It's portable, which is an asset, but mainly it's inspiring... thanks Athena!



3. This book is almost a coffee table book. The photos are beautiful and include everything from small,simplistic homes in Mexico to high-end beauties in California. You won't find much info here but you can get some good ideas for your own home. If you want specific info on building (especially in colder, wetter climates) get "Serious Straw Bale-A Home Construction Guide for All Climates" by Paul Lacinski and Michel Bergeron.



4. To be frank, the chance that I'll actually build and live in a straw-bale house is very slim. For those of us who like to look -- and figure we can pick up a few enviro-friendly ideas along the way -- this is the perfect book on straw-bale. The color photos are very high quality, detailed, and appealing. "Recipes" for green-friendly plaster and paint are a fun feature. And practical information about straw-bale is useful as I consider "Well maybe one day ... ?"



5. A wonderful little book that will go right beside it's big sister, "The Straw Bale House"... my bible while I was building my own straw bale home, which is just about at the stage of finishing. So, the timing couldn't have been better for me! But, MORE...I wanted to see MORE! Straw bale is a wonderful (if not labor-intensive) building method with infinite possibilities for being beautiful...this little book shows some of that to you!

4 comments about Blue and White Living.

1. I'm a little baffled by a couple of reviews that stated that Stephanie Hoppen's Blue & White Living did not give them ideas for laying out a similar look in their own home. Other than every page containing what totals to hundreds of different Blue & White rooms, I fail to see how you could miss. If you have no imagination or just can't cobble together a look of your own, based on these rooms, I think a designer would be the best thing for you. I got inspiration on most every page, and it is well dog-eared now. The tea containers, the blue & white transferware, toile, stripes, plaid, and examples of blue in every room give plenty of fodder for your own ideas.
   
   I recommend this book, as I do the rest of Hoppen's great books.



2. Very dissappointed with this book. I did not find it at all helpful in planning a blue and white living room. The information was more common sense than proffessional advice and education.



3. A reader in Wisconsin

   I read the book and for the most part I enjoyed it. The book have giving me many ideas on the the basic theme of blue and white. Two disappointment that I did have is that the color combinations were some what limited. (few blue-greens, violets, greyblues etc.) Also it tended to lack practical ideas for the average home. However for the most part it is helpful.




4. This book is a must for anyone who loves blue and white decorating. The photographs are magnificent! I highly recommend.

5 comments about Room Redux: The Home Decorating Workbook.

1. This was a great book in explaining the elements of decorating. It doesn't have room pictures, but it throughly explores important aspects of decorating, such as color, fabric, flooring, and architecture. It is a great teaching book.



2. I found this book very helpful. It's a workbook with guidelines for making decorating choices, covering most aspects from color to furniture to flooring and a lot more. Each section has handy pockets for storing samples, notes, etc. Being able to lay out floor plans using the grid paper and the furniture templates was especially helpful. I just bought another copy to give as a gift for another new homeowner.



3. No, there are no photos, just sketches. But I have plenty of decorating books with pretty pictures. This one teaches how to decorate in a way that surpasses any other book I own. Each chapter starts with questions about the topic of the chapter and what you feel you want to do with your room in response to that question. By the end of the chapter, you can answer the questions for yourself.

   For example, the chapter on color has ten questions: 1) Are you worried about keeeping colors consistent from one room to the next, 2) Are you using color to adjust the personality of your room, 3) Do you want just white, 4) Are you trying to revise the look of the colors of your room wothout overhauling your entire scheme, 5) Are you trying to duplicate a color you fell in love with on vaction 6) Is the quality of the light getting in the way of you color choices 7) Are you wondering whether you should paint the same color over everything on your walls, including the moulding, 8) Are you looking to color to make your room feel larger, smaller, taller, shorter, or wider, 9) Are you nervous about using a wild color you find yourself attracted to, and 10) Do you like the color you chose for your wall, but find its effect somewhat bland.

   Determining the answers to these questions is well presented in the text. Topics in the color chapter include how light in your part of the world(northern hemishpere, though it would be easy to adapt to the southern hemisphere) affects color, depending on which window it's coming in through and the season. How changing light bulbs can change the effect of the color. How colors interact with each other and why you should be careful about what background you place those carpet squares against when trying them out. I've tried combining contrasting colors and this is the first book that really tells me why it didn't work when I did it and how to make it work better. It tells me why I hate my kitchen. What you learn here will let you look at those picture books so you can decide what makes the room work.

   So many good sections and tips. Many of the tips can be used by someone in an apartment who can't paint the walls, and there suggestions in all price ranges. It may be common knowledge to someone trained in this stuff, but to me most of it was new and valuable. What wasn't new was so well presented it makes this book a one-stop guidebook.




4. Great all around reference book with good information. Gives you theory you can understand and valuable facts like standard furniture dimensions, color theory, space requirements in a room and helpful hints all throughout. Wonderful to find a book like this that has everything in one place. A keeper in the library!



5. Room Redux is by far the best decorating book out on the market today. There is an incredible amount of information in this book, but it is presented in an abundantly clear and easy-to-access format. To me, it's like the Joy of Cooking for home design--for anything you need help with, an answer resides within. You also get the feeling that the authors are good friends talking you through each step, unlike so many dry and boring decorating books out there. Lastly, there are wonderful features to this book like pockets for paint chips and fabric swatches and cut-out furniture pieces for floor plans. If you're going to buy one decorating book, this is the one to buy. And, believe me, I know--I've read just about every book out there!

No comments about The Interior Dimension: A Theoretical Approach to Enclosed Space.

2 comments about Glass Tile Inspirations for Kitchens And Baths.

1. First of all, this is a beautiful book. The 200 plus photographs of glass tile works of art in kitchen, bathroom, and flooring are alone worth more than the price of the book, even if you have no plan to install glass tile. But you will be inspired to consider it. Add to that the informative and perspicuous exposition, the creative and imaginative sensibility, and the developed professional design judgment of Katharine Kaye McMillan, and you have a work of excellence.



2. Pat McMillan has done a great job of showing in her book -- probably in unprecedented manner -- different applications of the great variety of glass tiles currently on the market. Inspirational, indeed!

5 comments about Home Organizing Workbook: Clearing Your Clutter, Step by Step.

1. I got this awhile back and have been using it ever since. It is well written. There's no fluff, just good step by step advice. If you are serious about organizing your home this is the book to get!



2. I admit that I was attracted to this book because of the beautiful presentation. However, as I glanced through it, I began to see how well-organized the book itself is, and I immediately bought it. This book is presented simply, without a lot of psychobabble about underlying issues that cause people to be disorganized. The book has great ideas and I recommend it to those who want to jump right in and begin working on home organization projects. I am an organized person, but the wonderful man to whom I am married appears to be able to live happily amidst piles of plastic crates. I am hoping to get him to read this book!



3. Finally an organizing book that focuses on the real 'how to' of getting your home organized. I have other books on this subject but, this is my favorite. It makes it do-able room by room.



4. I bought this book at the recommendation of my favorite magazine...Good thing I used a gift certificate and didn't waste my own money. I gave it 2 stars, but maybe it's worth 2.5 stars-just for the effort. It does have some good ideas, but for the people like me, who love to organize but just don't have the space, it's not that useful. I was expecting more ideas about how to use the space I have. Unfortunately, I usually have better and more creative ideas than the author. Another major "-" is that the book talks a lot about throwing stuff away; well, what I have to say to that is that I periodically do that anyway, and I still am space challenged. That's not the solution to every problem!



5. The book is easy to read and make use of in everyday life for relieving clutter and learning how to remove it from your life. It is divided into sections that coordinate with the home. I found the book very enlightening and gave me some great "new" ideas for cleaning up the clutter in my life. Overall: A very good book for both unorganized and the organized alike.

1 comments about Luxury Hotels Beach Resorts (Luxury).

1. I recently ordered this book - what a disappointment! This book profiles luxury beach hotels around the world and includes leading hotels in locales such as the Seychelles, Maldives, Oman, Bora Bora and numerous other places. There are two problems however. First, the quality of the pictures is inconsistent - some pictures are good but there are too many that are blurry. Also, many of the pictures are from the hotels themselves. The problem with this is that the pictures can be found on the websites of these hotels already and can be viewed for free. Second, the descriptions of the hotels are poorly written and provide next to no information. I could go on but why bother - Skip this one!

1 comments about White Walls, Designer Dresses: The Fashioning of Modern Architecture.

1. And what about the white walls of museums & art galleries. What about "the white cube" (Brian ' O Doherty) It takes Wigley a whole book to show that white walls are far from neutral. So therefore it seems to me a nice contradiction to say the opposite about the white walls of an art galllery. (page 8) In one sentence Wigley seems to forget that there was a very strong relationship between artist & architects in the early modernism. For me, interested in the relationship between art & architecture, this one sentence undermines the whole book. I'm sorry if this reaction is a bit sharp, but this page is too small to give a detailed critique. Wouter Davidts