5 comments about Creole Thrift: Premium Southern Living Without Spending a Mint.

1. How fantastic that the super talented Angele Parlange has written this delightful book on the Deep South. Martha Stewart in one of her early magazine issues highlighted this family and their old plantation & several other national magazines has also over the years. So glad that Angele shared this with all of us. The connection to Paris is interesting as I am traveling there in May-want to look up the address of the ancestors.



2. I found this book to be delightful-my husband likes to fish and about 10 years ago we found our way to False River about 100 miles from our home above New Orleans-well, Miss Lucy, Angele's Mother decided to invite us to fish on their private area......a private tour of the plantation....introduction to the locals.....an incredible day. What they didn't know is in a previous marriage my husband had discovered an oil well on their plantation and it saved their world!!!!! Isn't life fantastic how it all plays out.
   
   I forgot all about this fun day until I saw this book at the local book store & bought several copies for my friends, family etc. Angele is very talented, has a HUGE following of customers and I am delighted she wrote this book. The romance of the Deep South is captured successfully.



3. This book is a really fun read: I buy design books constantly, and confess that I usually completely disregard the text. This book was the exception: I found it extremely entertaining, and actually read the entire thing, cover to cover. One of the main criticisms I've seen leveled at it is that most people don't consider the ideas thrifty. As an interior designer with a busy Chicago firm, I can understand both perspectives. By "thrifty", Ms. Parlange does not mean cheap. What she writes about is achieving a luxury result with far less expense than the usual routes. What this book does is essentially walk you through the steps of contracting a custom job yourself, rather than paying a designer $150 an hour to do it for you. In that sense, it's far less expensive than a custom job could run. I would also like to note, for those of you intimidated or overwhelmed by the custom world, it's truly not as daunting, and also often not as expensive, as you might think. If you can find somebody local, particularly somebody who works on the side or out of their home, rather than a large company, custom can actually be very reasonable and accessible. For example, there are many extremely talented seamstresses who work informally while their children are at school, or once they've officially retired. Custom will almost always be more expensive than walking into Target and buying pre-made draperies, or a generic mirror. However, it can be extremely gratifying, not to mention, often much more beautiful and appropriate to the space, to design something yourself and see it brought to fruition. Although most of these projects are a little on the "crafty" side, they could easily be dressed up or down. In short, this is a great, creative book about obtaining a luxurious result in a way that brings it into the realm of possibility for people who might not otherwise have the opportunity.



4. I sat down and finished this book in 2 short days, I was so curious and interested. When I finished, I just sat
   there, wondering how I felt about it!! That's where the confusion comes in . The cover photo and design (I"m an artist) were inticing. The content was a little weak. I am so in love with anything southern!! The southern ladies know all the finer things in life: how to dress, look, cook, decorate, speak, collect antiques, fine art, and more. Author's personal background interesting fairy tale like story .,.. The meat of the book was weak ... the decorating and receipes not at all at the level I was looking for ... it's more in the crafty funky catagory. It was like talking to a creative friend and a little walk thru the south, stopping and talking with her friends. Not sure if I would recommend ... altho have to say it was a different approach ... and I had a fun time reading!



5. A darling book about the old old south!! Angele Parlange truly brings back her fond memories that seemed to define her life today! It is very hard to put down because you want to keep reading/laughing out loud while the photos and tips are the icing on the cake!!! Great cute gift to give to a special friend who loves the south and what we stand for...Many Thanks to Angele for this adorable book!! My dear friend Amie gave it to me which I will always cherish her thoughtfulness!! Share and Enjoy!!

No comments about The Fairchild Dictionary of Interior Design (Fairchild Reference Collection).

No comments about Hip Hotels Orient.

1 comments about Feng Shui: The Living Earth Manual.

1. If this is a reprint or revised edition of Stephen Skinner's original book of the same name - published in 1982 by Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd - then the reader is in for a special treat. I learned the principles of Feng Shui from a Chinese friend in the 1980s. Most of my instruction came in the form of gestures and drawings, as she spoke little English and I understood no Chinese. To augment what I considered a fascinating introduction to ancient principles little known in the U.S. at that time, I turned to the best (British) book I could find - Stephen Skinner's "The Living Earth Manual of Feng Shui."
   
   As the practice became popular (indeed, commercialized) in America, many systems were introduced here in simplified and sometimes questionable form. When I want to review a principle or discuss Feng Shui with a novice, I tend to pass over the various newer books on my shelves and turn once again to Skinner. My daughter and son-in-law have just bought a summer home that they plan to extensively remodel. My housewarming gift? A copy of the original edition of this sometimes obscure but overall illuminating book.

4 comments about New Orleans Style: Past and Present.

1. Well written and good in its selection of a variethy of types, typically found in New Orleans. The photography, exceptionally important in this kind of book, is excellent. New Orleans' architecture is unique, from its shotgun cottages along the river, to its grand, Garden District houses. They're all here, and make me yearn to return to New Orleans.



2. This is a gorgeous book of homes of residents of New Orleans. These are real people who love their city, their history and their residences. Susan Sully shows that to its full extent.



3. "New Orleans Style" is a sumptuous, colorful tribute to our city and a worthy companion to Susan Sully's other books on Charleston and Savannah. Her research is, as always, impeccable with rich, lush prose appropriate for this most exotic of U.S. cities, and it's ideally complemented by Paula Illingworth's photographs. No student of American architecture and style should be without Sully's dazzling trilogy of the Deep South's "treasure cities."



4. how can you have a book about past new orleans and not mention shotgun houses a very bad decision

No comments about Homes of the Park Cities: Dallas, Texas.

1 comments about Hip Hotels Italy.

1. Hip Hotels Italy joins others in the lauded Thames & Hudson "Hip" series that blends a travel guide with a design resource, focusing on the biggest names in architecture and interior design. Notable establishments in Italy which include olive mills, caves, abbeys and even fishing huts show how all types of architecture can be transformed and renovated for tourism. The color photos are splendid.

1 comments about Bathrooms.

1. For the Mexican Publishing House, AM Editores, who have released some good books in the past, series as Arquitectos Mexicanos, Espacios, and others, which nothing more than a collection of pretty photos without any architectural details, or drawings, and a directory of architects, which shows that the publications are just paid advertisement, and not a selection of architecture selected by the value of design.
   
   The Small Book series is probably deceiving, as they are actually not small books, but thin, and very thin high quality brochures with a collection of photos that have already been published in prior collections.
   At a modest price of 2.5 Dollars in Mexico, they cater to the architecture student, and the occasional architecture reader, who are eager to see some of the 'cool' and contemporary projects done by the not so famous Mexican Architects, often young and emerging.
   
   I would skip the entire Small Book series collection, and buy their other full sized books.

5 comments about A House in the South: Old-Fashioned Graciousness for New-Fashioned Times.

1. Being from the Upper South I was most anxious to read this fine book and have shared it with friends here in Southern Oregon. I found this book to have a little bit of everything in different decorating styles. I prefer a traditional style with a little punch of surprise but overall I think this book is a winner. The photographs are lovely and the stories being told are entertaining as well.



2. Despite the authors' credentials, the writing is awful and the selection of houses a strange mix. Although some of the homes are professionally decorated, they appear more to be the work of a somewhat talented amateur, so do not buy this book looking for decorating ideas. The architecture fares much better, however, and that is the saving point of the book. Projects by seldom-published architects Lewis Graber of Jackson, MS, and John Tackett of Memphis, TN, are featured along with Bobby McAlpine of Nashville, TN, in addition to some very attractive older homes. Only for the most dedicated lovers of Southern houses.



3. Overpriced and boring. Take a great look at that wonderful cover. It's the best thing about the book. How disappointing for the price. Blah.



4. This is the book you want to read if you are interested in all the variety and spice of Southern living, from formality to casual bare-foot elegance. The authors have captured the essence of Southern grace and charm, and revealed some spectacular decorative work in the process.



5. loved the book but I cant say enough abought how amazon takes care of their customers wish everyone was like that

1 comments about Bathroom Decorating Ideas Under $100 (Better Homes & Gardens).

1. This is one of the few decorating books that would make everyone happy, because it has a section on such a range of styles. But, it's short and sweet. Giving you several key ideas that you could implement in your own bathroom for under $100 for each of the various styles. The pictures are fresh and beautiful, I felt calmer just looking at the 'Spa' pages.