5 comments about Color Palettes: Atmospheric Interiors Using the Donald Kaufman Color Collection.

1. I understand why many readers have given this book a thumbs down; readers need a fine art background and strong understanding of color theory to follow this book. You must also understand the concept of full spectrum color mixing in order to "get" this book. (An artist does not use "brown" paint or "green" paint out of the tube, but mixes several hues to achieve a rich and realistic color.)
   
   This book is addressed to the fine art/interior design audience, dealing with the following concepts in relation to interior space and paint color: full spectrum color, natural light in relation to color, cool/warm juxtaposition, value, intensity, contrast, balance, visually linking spaces to push/pull from space to space, choosing color based on the space, available light, ceiling height, room size, room function, etc.
   
   This is a book to be READ, not just flipped through for decorating ideas. (Some books are great for just flipping through but this one isn't. If you are looking for a book to flip through for "decorating inspiration" then this is not your book.) This book boasts carefully written text along with beautiful spaces; historic, simple, subtle, bold, airy, strong, artful.
   
   Along with the beautiful photography of many historic and high-end spaces this book explains WHY color choices were made. -- Bottom line: If you read the text, you may learn something about color which in turn will allow you to create a space you love.
   
   Loved this book! 5 stars.



2. Well, this book was a big waste of money. If you want to live with all the "atmosphere" of a brown paper bag, buy this. If you want to put color into your home, don't.



3. This book is very good for those that realize normal colors exist. I can't decorate a home like a magazine because I live on earth. Color Palettes helps provide information on how to paint and decorate a home for those that can't afford $25k a room for bright reds and blues. It provides excellent suggestions and pictures for basic colors. I am very satisfied and highly recommend Color Palettes.



4. The person who wrote the review saying she was trying to get away from builder beige may not understand what these colors look like in person. They are anything but typical and boring. Donald Kaufman understands how mix colors with enough depth and luminosity that a neutral feels beautiful and not blah. I think Suzanne Butterfield's book is prettier and explains his precepts even better than his own books. I have a DKC blue in my living room and a DKC green in my dining room and I love them. The paint companies would like you to think that you should try bolder colors, but they're hard to choose and they're not all beautiful colors you'd want to live with. The DKC (and also Martha Stewart) palettes are limited for a reason. Not every color out there will look good up on your walls.



5. This book is old looking and is not giving me the inspiration and help I was looking for. I'm trying to get away from my "builder beige" house so the idea of "atmospheric interiors" sounded great. Unfortunately, this author seems to think that "atmospheric interiors" ARE beige or variations thereof. Depressing, dated.

2 comments about Living in Sri Lanka.

1. The only previous review (by Bunbury) is very well worth reading, and I will not repeat what was said there, except for this: "the real usefulness of this book for travellers lies in its coverage of hotels." That is absolutely right, but I would state it differently because the book is not designed to be useful in that sense.
   
   I would say that in addition to being an extraordinary guide to a host of very beautiful houses, the book serves an unexpected function: It can be used as a guide to some of the whackiest places to stay that Sri Lanka has to offer. You will get a far better sense of what the places look like than you will find on a travel site.
   
   That, as I said, is incidental. What this book is really about is showing how a variety of people have converted a variety of structures into places to live in Sri Lanka. Three things about this book are especially noteworthy. First, the quality of the book itself, which was printed in Singapore. It is what I would expect of a book costing twice as much. Second, the technical quality of the photographs, and the printing thereof, which is very high. Third, the sheer beauty of most of the subjects.
   
   There is only one other book which brought the sights and sounds of Sri Lanka rushing back to me the way this one does. That book was all text (Michael Ondaatje's 'Running in the Family'), this one is largely pictures. Anyone who has the slightest interest in the subject ought to buy this book, and anyone who has lived in Sri Lanka, as I have, will be greatly rewarded by this wonderful collection of evocative photos and very interesting accompanying text.



2. Where to live the Sri Lankan dream
   
   THERE are glossy lifestyle books in abundance, luring voyeurs with their perfect depictions of art-directed homes, unblemished gardens and, most inspirational of all, interiors free of any sign of real (read: messy, cluttered) life.
   
   Living in Sri Lanka by James Fennell and Turtle Bunbury (Thames & Hudson, $75) delivers the dream: page after glorious page of airy villas with colonnades and courtyards, rattan furniture, colonial antiques and four-posters festooned with mosquito netting. It's enough to make you wish for instant retirement, defiantly ensconced in a planter's chair waiting for the first G&T of the day.
   
   Fennell is the capable photographer, while the splendidly named Bunbury (who, we must imagine, forever wears a turtleneck jumper, even in the tropics), described as a "traveller in the grand tradition", has penned the words.
   
   And while his text is very good, and the cross-section of featured properties covers many styles of architecture and interior design, the real usefulness of this book for travellers lies in its coverage of hotels.
   
   Nestled between the divine images of private residences lie villas for rent, boutique hotels such as Colombo House in the capital's upmarket Cinnamon Gardens district, and Sri Lanka's best-loved accommodation. In Galle, there's architect Geoffrey Bawa's radical Lighthouse Hotel and the charming Doornberg, a restored 18th-century Dutch homestead. These hotels attract the likes of the Australian cricket team, A-list celebrities such as Sting, and architects and designers galore.
   
   If Fennell and Bunbury had neglected to include the rainbow that is Helga's Folly in the hill station of Kandy, the book would be a lesser publication. This gem of a hotel is, quite simply, the maddest place I have stayed. But here it is, in all its exuberant glory, with red walls, an overload of murals, painted ceilings, the whole bangshoot just bursting at the seams with the bric-a-brac of its owner, Helga de Silva Perera Blow, every inch as aristocratic and eccentric as her name suggests. Not to be missed by anyone hoping for a window into Kandy society.
   
   Susan Kurosawa

5 comments about Living with Books.

1. Lots of design information on home decorating with books. If floor space is being taken over by your collection of books and magazines, here is a book packed with creative book storage and display ideas for every room in the house including the bathroom. From "Design Matters" in Oregon Home, "There are options for the maximalists (walls covered floor-to-ceiling with books of all shapes) and minimalists (neatly piled art books as mantelpieces) in us all." So if you are a big-time book collector or just looking to stash your cookbooks, this book is inspiring.



2. I'm shocked amd confused by the negative reviews I see here. This is a fabulous photo book. Even if you don't like how others seem to live with/use their books, you have to respect their ingenuity and funky designs. Some are quite sloppy, lol. This will get you thinking about how you can use books as decor and even furniture. This is far from boring, whereas another reviewer mentioned the Ellis book At Home With Books, which I thought was just AWFUL, a total snooze. I've never returned a book to a library so quickly! I was so impressed with LIVING WITH BOOKS that I added it to my wish list...and will be purchasing it today.



3. I had high hopes because I love reading about books, but this one was disappointing. I originally gave it three stars for the photos, which are worth looking at, but the text it pretty awful -- a serious drawback in a book aimed at compulsive book collectors. I took off one whole star specifically for a line that says something like, "It doesn't matter if books access is difficult, as long as it isn't completely impossible." Doesn't matter to whom? It does to this reader. I reread. I browse nostalgic favorites. I like to handle my books, and I need to be able to get to them. Also, a substantial number of the storage systems shown appear to be concerned more with style than with storage -- I didn't mind the coffee table constructed of books layered with glass, as those were old design catalogs and the whole was sort of a pun, but the grid system and a few other types of shelves that only contained a book or two here and there as placed by a decorator is really not my idea of living with books. Get this if you want pretty pictures. If you're really interested in books themselves and how they are stored, try Henry Petroski's The Book and the Bookshelf instead.



4. This is more of a coffe table book. It's full of interesting photographs of, what else, books. The pictures show books incorporated into interesting architecture, unique shelving and storage for books, home libraries and offices, etc. The text offers advice and commentary on displaying and storing books in practical, unique, and interesting ways. If you're a bookworm and/or collect lots of books, you would enjoy paging through Living With Books.



5. I have a feeling the previous reviewers were expecting a how-to book of home construction projects. Actually this is more of a tour guide. It's fascinating to discover the many creative, ingenious, and very original ways architects and ordinary booklovers have found to store books, display them, and enjoy being in their presence. Face it -- one never has enough bookshelves. And some of these homes are definitely masquerading as libraries! Here are bookshelves up under the eaves of an older house, or installed over the doorways in the hall, or built into closets and cupboards and under kitchen counters. Others are freestanding on metal shelves and poles and rigged like a ship's masts. There are small libraries built into the landings of staircases and others that cover entire walls of bedrooms. Some are two tiers deep, with the front one moving sideways on rollers. Others share space with lamps, TV sets, telephones, clocks, computers, ancient artifacts, photographs, and knick-knacks. And the one thing all the arrangements depicted in this book have in common is, none of them -- even the most attractively arranged -- are just for show. One look at the worn covers and frayed jackets tells you these books are the constant companions of their owners.

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.

1 comments about Korea Style.

1. Simplicity, modernity and nature all combine to maximum benefit in Korean style and represent a new movement in that country that reaches out across the waters to interior designers interested in Asian style. Any library collection strong in Asian style representations will find KOREA STYLE a welcome focus: it's also the first international publication to reveal the country's architecture and interior design, so it should be a 'foundation title' for any college-level specialty collection or international home style library.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch

1 comments about Creating Your Dream Bedroom: How to Plan & Style the Perfect Space.

1. This bedroom certainly looks fresh and inviting. Aren't we all tired of clutter? A great cover shot!

5 comments about Greene & Greene Creating a Style.

1. Having seen several of the houses designed by the Greenes, the book was nice in putting these into perspective. It points out the salient features that distinguished the houses. Like the very overt dark, thick wooden beams. Both on the exterior and inside. Along with the joins between the beams and other structural elements being curved. Giving an effect akin to being inside a giant doll house. While the book does not describe it in those terms, if you look at the interior photos in the book, it really can seem this way.
   
   The book also is good in describing other Greene houses outside Los Angeles. I'd only seen some in LA. But the brothers also has commissions in northern California, executed in their style.



2. good, but not quite what I expected. However, for fans of these still a good read



3. A little thin on content but the illustrations and pictures are top rate and provide many excellent ideas for those looking for craftsman design elements.



4. One wishes that this book would have been at the same size as the team;s earlier work, the Brad Pitt book on the Blacker House and the Passion & Legacy.
   
   The content is great, all new photos wtith the color and depth that has not been seen in the work of others, They really show what Greene & Greene was really about, attention to color and detail. These are some of the most beautiful photographs of buildings and furniture, etc, that I have ever seen.
   
   When looking at the photos in the back of the book, I wonder if I have ever really "seen" the Greene's work since these photographs show much more than I ever remember.
   
   I hope there are more books in the pipeline by these two fellows. They make it so interesting and rewarding. Keep these prices coming too!



5. This is a fine introduction to the Greenes and their accomplishments. Particular attention is paid (quite rightly) to the 'ultimate bungalows,' the large houses they built between 1907 and 1909 for which they pulled out all the stops. If you fall under the Greene & Greene spell, though, you will eventually want large color photographs, which means you will have to buy more books. Don't say I didn't warn you.

No comments about Camp Nest (Place Space).

4 comments about New Color Schemes Made Easy (Better Homes & Gardens).

1. If you are one of those people who go to a paint store and stare helplessly at the five billion color samples in front of you, zoned out, in a panic over what to decide, then this book is for you.
   
   It runs through such useful categories as starting points--choosing maybe your favorite color or a favorite color from a rug. And then, and this is what really helps, the book goes through all the colors, such as yellow, or red, and shows different hues, different tones, and what other colors go well together with them. Every set of colors shows you a photo of a room using those colors.
   
   There is also a section at the back that includes many neutrals, and shows you how to blend them. If you are terrified of painting everything in your living room blood red, then this part of the book, with its soothing blend of neutral shades, will really help.



2. I'm taking a color class in an interior design program. I have a textbook and various color-related books that I purchased by myself on Amazon. This is one of my favorite of all.
   
   It does introduce some very basic yet important concepts about color in such an understandable language first. Then, it gets into the color application part, explaining how to combine colors to create a certain kind of ambience or impact, in a very easy-to-understand way again.
   
   It is really well written, although it's not written by any certified designers. For beginners who like colors and would like to understand colors, this is the book for you. I highly recommend it.



3. Clear, concise guide to choosing and co-ordinating colors in the home. Lots of helpful pointers, such as how to unify rooms in the home with the baseboard color. Often I flip through interior design books looking at the photos, but this one was interesting to read as well as look at.



4. I have purchased my first house and will soon be tackling the job of painting it. I bought this book to get ideas on how to paint without using neutral colors in every room. This book has opened my eyes to the various color schemes and how to use them. It has a painting wheel inside. It tells you how to use colors and even has a question/answer page in the very back. It gives you a lot of pictures with furnishings and talks about how to tie the color on the walls with the furnishings and vice versa. I really liked how the author explained what the colors draw out, for example, "Yellow. Happiness and good cheer circle the room when you invite yellow inside. Bright citrus and pistachio yellows wake you up while the softer tones of vanilla, cream, and honey warm you like sunshine. Yellow-greens add brightness, golds glow with richness. Whatever your pick--buttercup, mustard, bamboo, or lemon sherbert-- yellow is sure to improve your outlook on life." I had some ideas of how I wanted to paint my house and this book helped me to figure out if I was headed in a good direction. By allowing me to pick a trait I wanted to draw out, for example my living room I would like to draw on conversation, while the bedroom relaxation; this book helped guide me into the correct colors to draw on those attributes. The author speaks in a basic level so the average person can comprehend what they are saying at a basic level. I would recommend this book for beginners, but would also recommend purchasing another book to go with it that may give more ideas.

5 comments about Sensual Home.

1. I have owned this book for about 3 years now and it by far the most helpful home book I have ever owned. I think this is a book for people that are very aware of their five senses and want a home that is intimate, simple, nurturing and pleasurable. Crawford cover the five senses, examining how to enhance your home experience with fabrics, textures, smells, sights, sounds, tastes and sights. She focuses on using natural materials rather than chemical ones. Cotton, silk, cashmere, natural stone, aromatherapy, flowers, etc. are all discussed. There is a great directory towards the end on what businesses she recommends finding the best, natural materals discussed in the book. I also love that the cover of the book itself is textured. I always ome back to this book for guidance on what I really need in my home to make it a warm, intimate, senual, pared down and happy place.



2. i have many, many home decor books and this one by far and away is my most favorite and has the best philosophy. and the cover is fuzzy and pleasant to handle AND nice to look at.



3. And the text makes you think about things that you are probably never going to think about in today's madcap and rushed society, simple things like natural lighting, linen textures, plants for detoxifying your environment, etc. There is just one thing that frustrated me about this book. On pages 54 and 55 there is the most amazing sofa I have ever seen, but there is no mention of where it came from or how to get one like it. Some of the references are clearly European and cannot be found in the States. But the overall philosophy is simple- we are animals and we need to slow down and rediscover our sensual being. And once you have found this simple mindset, you will see ways to make it happen all around you.



4. I love this book. I found it on a small interior design store in Italy,and It was love at first sight.I judged it by it's cover(and thought the idea of the velvet cover was great) but when I read it I was transported by its contents.Its absolutly great! Everyone should have it!



5. This book teaches us how to feel calm and organized, how to embelish and refine our senses with the best home arrangements. I loved it!