No comments about Tile Designs from Portugal/Desenhos Em Azulejos De Portugal.

5 comments about Interior Design with Feng Shui: New and Expanded.

1. This book is wonderful for those that would like to know the setup of Feng Shui. It's well written and easy to understand. It doesnt really tell you about placement within the bague, however it gives you understanding of feng shui in a different light. It's very informative and helps you understand how the placement of your home effects your energy. All in all, a good choice.



2. 
   This book on Feng Shui covers only topics related to interior design, but is a must have reference, since is filled with practical information, and detailed description with examples of different possible room shapes that you most certainly will encounter at home. Each case scenario is accompanied with diagrams and figures to help understand even better how the placement of a mirror, a bed, or a fish tank can affect the mood, luck, prosperity, or even the health of each family member.
   
   "Interior Design with Feng Shui" teaches how to re-arrange your home to be in complete harmony with nature and with the surrounding environment, optimizing the energy flowing through your house.
   
   This book is for everyone, not only for interior designers or architects, since it is written in a readable and clear way, including fundamental concepts of Feng Shui, and a glossary for the beginner.



3. Another great book by Sarah Rossbach; extremely informative and well written. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who would like to improve their lot in life with Feng Shui. Also check out her other book regarding Feng Shui and colour, co-written with Master Lin Yun.



4. I've read a number of Feng Shui books, so when this one was recommended and sent to me by a good friend, everything fell into place!!! all the missing information, the little details, everything I read before was fully understood once I had this marvel in my hand.
   
   After reading 18 books of Feng Shui I can totally recommend this one...Thank You Sarah!!!



5. I'd had this book recommended to me as a good one with which to begin to understand Feng Shui. While I will agree that aspects of it were clear and full of practical application (the examples of room layouts, etc.), in general I found the book to be poorly organized and certainly not enough in and of itself to gain a basic understanding of Feng Shui.

   I found that I learned enough to be interested further, and got some practical advice about furniture placement. Not where I would send a beginner, however.

1 comments about Luxury Hotels The Americas (Luxury Hotels).

1. The Luxury book is a beautiful addition to any library, travel lover, or those who love luxury. It was wonderful looking through this book finding some of my favorite hotels in America outlined in spectacular photographs. It makes one want one want to pick up the telephone and call the airlines to make a visit to some of the properties. Being a merchant of the finest luxury home products, these properties go hand in hand. Go splurge and experience them.

No comments about Architect and Engineer: A Study in Sibling Rivalry.

3 comments about Inspired Retail Space: Attract Customers, Build Branding, Increase Volume.

1. unlike the other reviewers, i actually found this book to be quite inspiring. there's a ton of beautiful pictures of what you can do if you have a lot of money. in my opinion, it's not how much money you have but how you use it that matters. this is quality over quantity here and if you just want to look like everyone else, don't buy this, just go to the mall and see what the shops there are doing.
   
   the idea that you have to jam pack as much stuff as possible in your store in order to be successful is outdated and frankly, just plain silly. i would much rather go into a store that was well edited then to a store that looks like the owner barfed up a bunch of product on the walls, floor, and ceiling - you name it. these stores personally make me want to leave - visual overload!
   
   so, if you are looking for what "could be" than this book is right for you - but if what you want is store with more product than floor space, look somewhere else... the title does it justice - the INSPIRED retail space. other books of note are "hip interiors" and "hip entertaining" both which i highly recommend for great inspiration.



2. This book was a dissapointment for me. I don't have an unlimited budget for store design and most of the businesses featured in this book clearly did. There are a few exceptions to this in the book, but if you're a small business looking for ideas to freshen up your store, I would not recommend this book.



3. This book is basically just a picture book of expensive stores most of us can't afford to shop in (the ones with 2 pairs of shoes on one entire wall, and 3 items on fancy hangers on the other wall). Most of the displays are designed so specifically around the products so it's difficult to even use the pictures as inspitration for different types of merchandise.
   
   We got much more inspiration from the book "Store Presentation & Design" by Vsiual Reference Publications.

1 comments about Beyond the Bungalow.

1. I really enjoyed this book because it points out several historic house museums that I was not aware of and can now add to my must see list. This book covers those homes that are not technically bungalows but are still a part of the rich American Arts and Crafts movement.
   
   The text is a bit hard to work through but the author does have some wonderful ideas. There are roughly 50 different houses shown all from the exterior and about 25 have additional interior photos. Not all the homes are available to the public so it is a nice way to see inside some private homes.
   
   This is not a how to book but it covers its subject nicely.

5 comments about American Ruins.

1. IR photography was popular some 50 years ago and remains an interesting way to view landscapes. The MOST interesting facet of the book is the selection of ruins that, in many cases are little known outside their immediate area.



2. It was a book I wanted. I bought it at the high price. When I got it there is so much type written words where you would expect more pictures. Also the pictures are done in Black and White. Where the ruins blend in and you cannot really see them. Also many of the pictures look the same but say different ruins. So, less type and more color pictures or a better photographer.
   Not worth the money!!!!



3. The book was well put togetheer and had sites in it that I had not been to and knew very little about. The Photography was good and helped with the written explanations of each site.



4. Very good. Saw the book on CBS Sunday Morning. Excellent book and my father-in-law truly enjoyed it. He is difficult to buy gifts but this one was a true winner. Would recommend this book to anyone interested in our past and future. Only issue was 2 day deliver by FedEx was three days- no reason was given.



5. The book was not really what I expected, but the photographs were beautiful. The pictures are really why I am giving this book 4 stars.

5 comments about Elements of Design: Rowena Reed Kostellow and the Structure of Visual Relationships.

1. It was very fast to get the product and I experience a very good seller!



2. To truly get the most out of this book, you need one of Rowena's dwindling number of students still left at Pratt teaching to stand over your shoulder. The exercises in this book can all produce amazing results in terms of beautiful abstract relationships but to "know" what is right or wrong with an object using this visual language really takes someone showing you what is wrong with a transition or how this proportion is too similar to that one or how this spacial relationship is not quite right. In the end, you need to know what is wrong in order to really be able to see what is right and it takes someone to show these things to you over and over again. The book is an excellent companion and record of Rowena's interesting and effective exercises, but it's difficult to use as a guide for someone not dialogging with one of her former students and even that is challenging because each one delivers her gospel of 3D a little differently.



3. This book is a nice window into a professional display of techniques and exercises that garner superior forms and shapes. I bought this book for an industrial design class, it was not mandatory, but completley necessary and helpful. i highly recommend it.



4. This is a technical book that is an attempt to teach what RRK developed over a lifetime obsession with visual compositions. She did one thing, over and over, refining it over a long and productive career at Pratt, in Brooklyn. As such, I believe that it would best be used in the classroom, rather than as a simple read for those who want to understand modern design. Being ignorent about issues in studio design - really doing it, rather than observing it like I do - I got a lot out of it. But I will need to refer to it and read through many more times to truly absorb the exercises. For what it is, the book is a masterpiece as an exercise in visual thinking and the method left its imprint on many of the greatest American designers from before WWII to the 1980s.

   Recommended, but for designers rather than design critics.




5. I agree with one of the reviewers in that the rules presented in this text should not be applied loosely and expected to produce "a beautiful design". As far as industrial design goes it still is not even so great. HOWEVER what it does teach is basic 3-dimensional design. There are lessons in here that anyone who works in a 3-d medium (interior, industrial, fashion, sculpture, etc) should be fluent in. I did the exercises and it has allowed me to get such a tighter grasp on my work and understand all the subtle effects I can produce in it. It is also invaluable to me as a reference guide. Study this book in order to help develop your sense of 3 dimensional structure and compositions but not as a base for design education (only because design incorporates much more than "beauty").

5 comments about Environmental Land Use Planning and Management.

1. this is a useful book for environmental planners and people who are concerned with environmental planning. its full coverage of environmental issues can help to understand these problem well.



2. Not exactly what I was expecting, but will be used for desk reference.



3. A refreshingly different perspective on the environment, how planners and water resources engineers relate to it, and land development.
   
   A must have just because.



4. When I was to order a book on Environmental Land Use Planning and Management, there were plenty on Amazon.com! Then I found, Butlers notes on this book, which leads me to purchase.
   This book is a great one in this topic. For almost all environmental planning questions that you can find an answer in it. The book is rich in literature survey and is clearly written by a teacher; as the material is highly digested and understandable. I think, only a "Master" Can Explain things with simple words.
   Of course, with this much explanations on the enviromental landuse planning and management, you should not expect the details of several methodologis, But for sure you can find a reference to find your answer when details are necessities.



5. There is little doubt that this book is the result of decades of experience, research, and teaching on the part of its author. John Randolph has compiled a fantastic resource that is the first place I turn when thinking about, writing about, or doing research on land use planning and its impacts on the natural environment. The book provides a foundational understanding of ecosystems, landscape ecology, soil characteristics, hydrological systems, habitat, and more and then clearly explains how land use choices impact the natural world. Through numerous real world examples, easy to follow exercises, and in depth exploration of his topics, Randolph also guides us toward more responsible land use choices. The dozens of full color maps and pictures further enhance the quality of this informative text. It is a pleasure to read and promises to serve as one of the top references on this subject for years to come.

No comments about Islamic Gardens and Landscapes (Penn Studies in Landscape Architecture).