5 comments about The New French Décor: Living with Timeless Objects.

1. I appreciated another look at the eclectic school in how to combine the old with the new. Good book.



2. Wonderful reference book for French Decor, fabulous pictures and french inspiration for those of us who can't get enough of the French influence.



3. Fabulous addition to their first book. Good photographs, writing and, above
   all, great objects and antiques.



4. I just purchased this book as a gift for myself for Christmas. I would say that it is not for everyone who loves to decorate with French style. For some it may be "too cluttery" as it is how to do the current new design style of "assembling many disparate objects" to create a display where you have to study the whole and then its many parts to understand the composition. The book is basically photographs with short descriptions of the photo. There really is no text to the book discussing decorating techniques, etc. I would have liked to see more text to explain the details of the photos. There is no French elegance "candy" here - no gilded rooms with Louis chairs - but mostly items that you would find in flea markets in France or even things taken from trash bins. What the book does do is make you think about the vignettes you create in your own home with a different "eye". It also makes you want to take the first plane to France to scour the flea markets for unique items. I loved LaLandes book published last year better than this one on 18th Century style but they are really an extension of each other in describing this style of decor. I would say that this book helped educate my eye and provided many hours of enjoyment studying each photo. I paid full price because I was anxious to see it, but I would say that getting it at a discount would make it a great addition to your library if you truly love all things French. I find myself pulling it off the shelf to review time and time again. I'm glad I purchased the book.



5. "The New French Decor: Living With Timeless Objects" is the collaborative work of journalist and interior decorator Michele Lalande and the photographer Gilles Trillard. 250 full-color photographs beautifully illustrated and showcase Michele Lalande's commentary about the sophistication, symmetry, minimalism, and other elements that make each of the featured rooms successful with respect to their thematic design conceived and executed by top stylists, decorators, and antiquarians. An intrinsically beautiful book, "The New French Decor" is an impressive contribution to the growing library of Interior Design literature and a welcome addition to personal, professional, academic, and community library reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

5 comments about Cottage Style Decorating.

1. I absolutely love this book! The pictures are beautiful, every page is a treat! It's definantly a good investment and really gets your mind rolling with all kinds of ideas for your own house. I highly recommend this book if you are into cottage decor!



2. Beautiful pictures, nice ideas - my mom went gagga over it - cottage style is totally her. I liked it - but wouldn't look at it repeatedly.



3. This is the first book I will pick up to get inspirations and ideals for cottage style decorating. Loads of colorful photographs really set this book apart from other books.



4. I only wish I could make my house look like this! This book has quite a range of different types of Cottage decorating, everything from Swedish to Shaker to Garden. It contains many ideas that I will be trying to emulate.



5. This book is filled with great color photos mixing a country and cottage style throughout. I highly recomend it.

No comments about The House of Leleu: Classic French Style for a Modern World, 1920-1973.

5 comments about Color in Interior Design.

1. This was a required text for a design class. I found it pretty useful (in conjunction with the other text), and ended up keeping both for reference books when the class was completed.



2. Well written and informative. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about color.



3. As a lay person just interested in learning more about the use of color in interior design, this was an excellent book. While the first several chapters were very "text bookish", the remainder was very layman friendly. I feel more confident in undertaking color projects in my home and in conversing about the use of color with friends, who are now asking my opinions. The chapters that helped me the most were on the color wheel and color relationships. I enjoyed it and will now pursue my interest in color and design.



4. There are zillions of books on this complex world of color.
   
   This one is the best for all Interior Designers, students and teachers, it is written by John F. Pile, an authority in Interior Design. You will enjoy learning the Color Systems for your business, and covers the historical aspect of of the Bauhaus School of Design, and also color in Historic Interiors, including artists and personal experiences.
   
   Michele Beatriz



5. it's a really helpful book for designers.you can find whatever you need about colors...

2 comments about The Villas and Riads of Morocco.

1. It is an exquisite book, filled with photographs to make you drool and text that informs you of the nuances of homes so far from my own. Buy it! So worth the money to have it sitting on your shelves!



2. This work is thoroughly researched and beautifully presented. As well as the delights of the photography and text, it contains really interesting aspects of social history.

5 comments about Mosaic Art and Style: Designs for Living Environments.

1. This is a great book not only as an admirer of the arts but also it gives you ideas for your own projects. I have been doing mosaics for the past 2 years, visited Gaudi's houses in Barcelona and the book shows different kind of projects which resemble those from Barcelona, Spain



2. I bought this book as an afterthought while buying another mosaic book - one of those Amazon "twofers" deals - and found it to be more impressive than my original choice. It highlights individual artists over several pages so that you can get a feel for the work of the creme de la creme of mosaic artists. Great photos and informative but brief bios and brief descriptions of the pieces - all at a great price - make this a book worthy of study and a source of inspiration. I'd love to see future books in this same format covering additional artists.



3. The beautiful images in this book show the full potential that mosaic works can be. As a beginner to mosaic art I found the pieces in this book to be a bit intimidating, but I also got some great ideas to use in my own work. This book did a great job at showing how mosaic work can be used to spice up any area in everyday spaces.



4. Every page was full of beautiful examples of great mosaic variations. Great for countless home decor ideas for every room, outdoor and even commercial too. The pages are high quality print and vibrant color. I marked so many pages with inspirational project ideas. I've been cracking, gluing and grouting like mad. It's surely motivational. A Great find!



5. A view of a wide range of mosaic art both public and private. To enjoy for the art itself and an inspiration for your own craft ...

5 comments about Casa California: Spanish-Style Houses From Santa Barbara to San Clemente.

1. This book is a stunning historical account of the rise of the Spanish Mission architectural style in California. The pictures are vibrant and beautiful and the commentary is interesting and appropriate, but limited in order to let the pictures speak for themselves. A lovely coffee-table book.



2. For design ideas, this book will cater to mostly high-end clients but lets face it; most people who do any real custom homes are high-end clients, regardless of the architectural style.
   
   The photographs are beautiful and the book covers a broad array of Spanish influenced interpretations. I would liked to have seen more examples of wrought iron work and additional close-up photos of some of the design details but overall, this is a fantastic book and an exceptional bargain at Amazon's price.



3. This book is a very useful handbook for any Architectural or interior designer, it contains a lot of ideas a lot of which (in my openion) are easy to be implemented and does not cost so much.
   
   Best Regards
   Tareq Azzam



4. Ideal for learning about the architecture and decortating styles of Spanish style homes. The photgraphs are beautiful. I will rely on this book when I design my new home.



5. Great book! The minute I opened it I knew it was going to be a thrilling trip to another time in California history. Beautiful pictures of grand homes, grounds, and other structures built with Spanish and Mexican influence. If you want just one book covering this subject, this would be the one to buy. Highly recommend.

5 comments about Crossing Boundaries: A Global Vision of Design.

1. This book lacks consistency, and although the pictures might be technically good, the interiors design itself has little to do with the story the author is tryng to sell to us: that he has seen certain things in his 'exciting and sophisticated'journey that inspired him to create special interiors. What we get instead is a twisted, dated, unrespectful and pasteurized concept of what other cultures could give us in our every day living. Please, don't buy it.



2. My wife and I plan to remodel, and bought this book for inspiration and design concepts. We ended up quite disappointed.
   
   The book has 5 chapters organized around 5 places that Mr. Wolf traveled to. Each chapter consists of two parts: travel log and design. Both parts show many colorful photographs, some of them quite beautiful. In general, the travel log part has more pages then the design part. For example, in Madagascar Scale chapter, travel log has about 24 pages vs. 18 pages for design. The pictures are even more lopsided towards the travel part. Often the relationship between the design and place seems rather superficial or contrived like a blue/yellow color scheme that is somewhat similar to an umbrella on a photograph or a light color bedroom inspired by a misty landscape. Also, Mr Wolf's design schemes are not as varied as you would expect if they were inspired from all over the world. Most of them use very similar style furniture and color schemes.
   
   Worse still is that the book does not present design concepts in any systematic fashion. It does not say much about the places that Mr. Wolf designed, what were the challenges, or how different rooms fit together. There is not a single floor plan in the whole book, and rarely it shows the same room from different angles to give the reader a feel how things fit together.
   
   Conclusion: If you are looking for a travel diary with pretty pictures, this book might be for you. If you are looking for design ideas that are of practical use, stay away. You might consider Kelly Hoppen's book ``Home'' instead. We bought it together with this one and found it packed with useful interior design concepts and really helped us to think through all the elements of designing a house or apartment.



3. I regret that i have bought this book! It does not show anything special and the objetcive of the author of showing misery people and then show glamorous spaces is a shame!!!!



4. This book with it's exciting interior pictures captures interior design at it's best. Mr Wolf's incorpration of ethnic items makes these interiors personal and interesting. His use of color and his inclusion of Benjamin Moore color numbers is a nice feature. I very much like this book and his style. I am an interior designer also and I'm not easily impressed by most other designers work.



5. mr wolf in his travels search for inspirations in the most unusual places: ethiopia, burma, syria - most of times acquiring local handcrafted items which he will use in his decorations. Although his palette is a bit neutral, with pastel colors most of times, his interiors are extremely beautiful, with subdued elegance and charm. Interesting is how he manages to mix the objects from his travels, with modern furniture, mirrors in abondance and white walls.

1 comments about The Complete Photo Guide to Slipcovers: Transform Your Furniture with Fitted or Casual Covers.

1. all the projects are quite easy to make exept maybe one
   grate book to buy.worths the money

4 comments about Cottages on the Coast: Fair Harbors and Secret Shores.

1. I love to read and I love houses on the water. When I need to relax I grab this book. It has also given me some ideas to use in my own home to give it that cottage look. Very inspirational and easy to read.



2. Great source of architectural interior details and inspiration for small residential structures.



3. When I picked up this book I was surprised to find it so filled with a wonderful variety of cottages. Cottages on the Coast is a small and wonderful glimpse of styles around the coasts of the United States. A small "photo album" near the beginning shows early pictures of some of the cottages that are featured later and as those same cottages appear today. A great selection of cottage styles, representing different regions of the country, are fascinating with their accompanying stories. This is a book I will go back to over and over again, to look up something I remember, to find something new and to just plop down with it in my lap for pure beach imaginings. I love this book!



4. Wherever they are located, seaside dwellings share several common traits. These hearty homes are crafted from tried and true materials that age gracefully in the sea air and reflect local building traditions and styles. They balance the storms of winter with the peaceful days of summer and maximize beautiful views whatever the season.

   Cottages on the Coast presents an extensive variety of homes from sea to shining sea. Linda Leigh Paul selected more than 25 examples from Bainbridge Island, to Big Sur, from the Florida Keys, to Tybee Island, and north to Maine. You will be captivated by hundreds of beautiful photographs of vernacular exteriors and very personal interiors.

   Cottages on the Coast stands out because the interiors and exteriors exude a lot of personality, and they seem authentic and attainable. New England is well represented with houses in Maine, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket. The tranquil cover image, Treasure Cottage on Key West is truly a cottage at a mere 500 square feet. Treasure Cottage is filled with the owners carefully arranged antique collection, which does not clutter the small space but gives the home so much personality. Other examples, a modernist cottage designed by a Frank Lloyd Wright pupil in Carmel, complete with loads of natural light, and built-in furnishings. Or a cottage recently built on a private island in the Puget Sound, built on a solid rock foundation, with enormous interior beams to withstand the fiercest storms, decorated in a simple manner re-using found materials such as driftwood for a mantel and stair case railing.

   Cottages on the Coast will be a source of inspiration for readers who are considering rehabbing, designing, or decorating a seaside dwelling. Or if you are an avid armchair traveler Cottages on the Coast will fill you with travel ideas for your next coastal break.