AtticMag » Book Reviews http://www.atticmag.com Kitchens, Bathrooms, Rugs, Interior Design Fri, 10 Sep 2010 02:45:14 +0000 en hourly 1 More Decorating Book Reviews http://www.atticmag.com/2010/03/more-decorating-book-reviews/ http://www.atticmag.com/2010/03/more-decorating-book-reviews/#comments Tue, 02 Mar 2010 06:08:18 +0000 Jane F http://www.atticmag.com/?p=14607 Guest Blogger Our friend Ivette lives near Washington, D.C. She has wonderful décor ideas and is a super DIY renovator who is guest-IvetteHedNU-150amazing with a paintbrush. She and her husband, Joel, are currently hard at work creating a family room in their basement and adding a guest bath. Ivette also collects design books as a hobby and summarized every single volume on her shelves for us! Those reviews can be found on our Home Decorating Books page where you also will find updates. Here are her latest additions. book-countryLivingok-150Country Living Cottage Style.  By Marie Proeller Hueston. Hearst Books, 2003. ISBN: 978-1-58816-567-1. While filled with lots of great photographs of cottage rooms, the text is very basic and there really isn’t much new here.  Still, this is a terrific cottage primer style and the designs vary from rustic cottage to more modern cottage. It’s all briefly touched on here. book-englishcountrystyle-150AEnglish Country Style. By Mary Gilliat. Shuckburgh, Reynolds, Ltd. 1986. ISBN: 0-316-31382-3. This book proves that true English Country style doesn’t look dated.  All these rooms are classically beautiful and timeless.  The text is very detailed and instructive.  Most of the rooms are the more formal English Country style, but all is seen here.  If you are a fan of this style, you owe it to yourself to search out a copy of this book, which unfortunately is out of print. book-suzannekasle-150rInspired Interiors. By Suzanne Kasler. Rizzoli, 2009. ISBN: 978-0-8478-3220-0. This is an exquisite design book with such large-format pictures that you feel like you’re almost in the room.  The spaces are exquisite, very much in Kasler’s modern traditional style.  The narrative and captions are instructive, not just descriptive, and filled with interesting design insights and techniques. xxxxx book-englishcottage-150Perfect English Cottage.  By Ros Byam Shaw. Ryland Peters Small, 2009. ISBN: 978-1-84597-902-1. Like all of Shaw’s books, this is a winner. There is beautiful photography of mostly humble English cottages decorated almost entirely by their owners.  The narrative is rich with the histories of the houses and the owners as well as jam-packed with great decorating ideas. book-elledecor-150Style and Substance, The Best of Elle Décor.  By Margaret Russell. Filipacchi Publishing, 2009. ISBN: 978-1-933231-60-0. The pictures in this book are fabulous and varied, filled with myriad design ideas.  The narrative, which is mostly captions for the pictures, falls woefully short though, being more descriptive of the picture than the design concepts behind the rooms.  So, this is a great book for browsing and gathering new ideas, but you’ll need to know how to implement them yourself, and you’ll also need to figure out why they work in the first place. book-thadhayes-150The Tailored Interior.  By Thad Hayes. Rizzoli, 2009. ISBN: 978-0-8478-3081-7. A beautifully photographed book filled with Hayes’ lovely, understatedly modern rooms.  Absolute eye candy, but I wish there had been more narrative and what little there is had been more descriptive of the thought process that went into designing the rooms.  The book is disappointing in that respect, but the rooms and pictures make up for it to some extent.]]> http://www.atticmag.com/2010/03/more-decorating-book-reviews/feed/ 3 Decorating Book Review Update http://www.atticmag.com/2009/11/decorating-book-review-update/ http://www.atticmag.com/2009/11/decorating-book-review-update/#comments Tue, 03 Nov 2009 05:02:23 +0000 admin http://www.atticmag.com/?p=10024 Guest Blogger Our friend Ivette lives near Washington, D.C. She has wonderful décor ideas and is a super DIY renovator who is guest-IvetteHedNU-150amazing with a paintbrush. She and her husband, Joel, are currently hard at work creating a family room in their basement and adding a guest bath. Ivette also collects design books as a hobby and summarized every single volume on her shelves for us! Those reviews can be found on our Home Decorating Books page where you also will find two updates Here are her latest additions. book-barrydixona Barry Dixon Interiors. By Barry Dixon. Gibbs Smith Publishers, Layton, Utah.  2008.  ISBN:  1423601890. I wanted to like this book, I really did.  But, I didn’t.  While Dixon’s style is not one of my favorites, I can get past that and enjoy the beautiful photography of very well designed rooms.  But unfortunately, the text is very minimal and lacking in any useful information.  I learned very little.  Still it is a beautiful book and may be worth it for Dixon fans. xxxxxxxxxx book-cuban-eleganceaCuban Elegance.  By Michael Connors. Harry N. Abrams, Inc., NY.,  2004. ISBN:  0-8109-4337-9. This is part design book, part history book – with  photography of exquisite rooms and furniture and detailed discussion of the distinctive combination of English, French, and Spanish styles that are unique to Cuba.  With a little imagination, it’s easy to connect the simplicity of elegant Old Cuban room to the simplicity of modern day Cuban designers like Vicente Wolf and Orlando Diaz-Azcuy.  This is fascinating as unique beauty, which we see too rarely, and which sadly is disappearing in Cuba. book-smith-housesbMichael S. Smith Houses. By Michael S. Smith. Rizzoli, NY. , 2008. ISBN:  13:978-0-8478-3070-1. Another beautiful book by premier designer Michael Smith, although with less design detail in the text than the first one.  But the homes are beautiful, his narrative is instructive, and the photography looks wonderful. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx book-toyourtasteaTo Your Taste. By Celerie Kemble. Clarkson Potter Publishers, NY.  2008. ISBN:  978-0-307-39442-2. This book completely surprised me by becoming one of my all-time favorites. It’s full of exquisite, high-end but reachable rooms, and it has a fresh, young sense of style while remaining completely classic.  There are also numerous room styles.  The generous narrative is full of great new viewpoints on design.  Highly recommended.  ]]> http://www.atticmag.com/2009/11/decorating-book-review-update/feed/ 0 Decorating Library http://www.atticmag.com/2009/04/decorating-library/ http://www.atticmag.com/2009/04/decorating-library/#comments Sun, 26 Apr 2009 11:03:53 +0000 Guest Blogger /?p=6167 Guest Blogger - Ivette Our friend Ivette lives near Washington, D.C. She has wonderful ideas and is a super DIY renovator who is amazing guest-IvetteHedNU-150with a paintbrush. Ivette also collects design books as a hobby and summarized every single volume on her shelves for us! Those reviews can be found on our Home Decorating Books page. These new reviews cover some of her recent acquisitions. books-hbcolorsbookHouse Beautiful: Colors for Your Home - 300 Designer Favorites. Hearst Communications Inc., 2008. ISBN: 978-1-58816-739-2. This was a hostess gift from a friend who shares my passion for paint, and I really enjoyed it. Lots of swatches and pictures of lovely rooms with a focus on color with comments by designers on what they like about them. I think, however, this is really only a book for those crazy, paint/color obsessed types. I recommend it to you if you're one of them. books-mlinariccoverMlinaric on Decorating. Cecil, Mirabel and David Mlinaric. Francis Lincoln Limited, 2008. ISBN: 978-0-7112-2541-1. Exquisite, like the designs of the man himself. This is basically a love treatise to the talents of one man, the specific homes he's touched and the beauty he leaves behind. Extremely informative and detailed text; beautiful photographs of spaces decorated in a far reaching range of styles. Mlinaric is definitely not an English Country one-trick pony. And neither is this book. I highly recommend it. books-thehomebookThe Home Book: Creating a Beautiful Home of Your Own. House Beautiful. Spier, Carol, Hearst Communications Inc., 2008. ISBN: 978-1-58816-603-6. This is terrific! I totally expected it to be very basic information but while it is an introductory primer, it is a very thorough one, filled with great ideas and insights into the design process, both from the author and from numerous contributing interior designers. The pictures in the book are the best part, as they run the gamut of styles and are great for inspiration. The kitchen section, in particular, is one of the most beautiful assemblage of kitchen designs I've seen in one place. books-clodaghbookcoverYour Home, Your Sanctuary. Clodagh. Rizzoli International Publications Inc., 2008. ISBN: 13-978-8478-3160-9. A bit of a disappointment. Not because it's bad necessarily but because it brought nothing new from Clodagh's first book, which was frankly better and more informative. The rooms are lovely, of course, and tranquil but I do feel the photography focused a little too much on details than on entire rooms and the process that went into designing them. There are lots of photos of glasses on a shelf for example, or a pebble by the bath. I realize how important details are, especially when trying to show a way of achieving a Zen look, but the book falls short. There isn't nearly enough text, and I found myself wanting more of Clodagh's insights, versus just looking at pretty pictures of her pretty rooms. I did feel relaxed though!]]> http://www.atticmag.com/2009/04/decorating-library/feed/ 0 New Home Decorating Book Reviews http://www.atticmag.com Kitchens, Bathrooms, Rugs, Interior Design Fri, 10 Sep 2010 02:45:14 +0000 en hourly 1 AtticMag » Book Reviews http://www.atticmag.com Kitchens, Bathrooms, Rugs, Interior Design Fri, 10 Sep 2010 02:45:14 +0000 en hourly 1 More Decorating Book Reviews http://www.atticmag.com/2010/03/more-decorating-book-reviews/ http://www.atticmag.com/2010/03/more-decorating-book-reviews/#comments Tue, 02 Mar 2010 06:08:18 +0000 Jane F http://www.atticmag.com/?p=14607 Guest Blogger Our friend Ivette lives near Washington, D.C. She has wonderful décor ideas and is a super DIY renovator who is guest-IvetteHedNU-150amazing with a paintbrush. She and her husband, Joel, are currently hard at work creating a family room in their basement and adding a guest bath. Ivette also collects design books as a hobby and summarized every single volume on her shelves for us! Those reviews can be found on our Home Decorating Books page where you also will find updates. Here are her latest additions. book-countryLivingok-150Country Living Cottage Style.  By Marie Proeller Hueston. Hearst Books, 2003. ISBN: 978-1-58816-567-1. While filled with lots of great photographs of cottage rooms, the text is very basic and there really isn’t much new here.  Still, this is a terrific cottage primer style and the designs vary from rustic cottage to more modern cottage. It’s all briefly touched on here. book-englishcountrystyle-150AEnglish Country Style. By Mary Gilliat. Shuckburgh, Reynolds, Ltd. 1986. ISBN: 0-316-31382-3. This book proves that true English Country style doesn’t look dated.  All these rooms are classically beautiful and timeless.  The text is very detailed and instructive.  Most of the rooms are the more formal English Country style, but all is seen here.  If you are a fan of this style, you owe it to yourself to search out a copy of this book, which unfortunately is out of print. book-suzannekasle-150rInspired Interiors. By Suzanne Kasler. Rizzoli, 2009. ISBN: 978-0-8478-3220-0. This is an exquisite design book with such large-format pictures that you feel like you’re almost in the room.  The spaces are exquisite, very much in Kasler’s modern traditional style.  The narrative and captions are instructive, not just descriptive, and filled with interesting design insights and techniques. xxxxx book-englishcottage-150Perfect English Cottage.  By Ros Byam Shaw. Ryland Peters Small, 2009. ISBN: 978-1-84597-902-1. Like all of Shaw’s books, this is a winner. There is beautiful photography of mostly humble English cottages decorated almost entirely by their owners.  The narrative is rich with the histories of the houses and the owners as well as jam-packed with great decorating ideas. book-elledecor-150Style and Substance, The Best of Elle Décor.  By Margaret Russell. Filipacchi Publishing, 2009. ISBN: 978-1-933231-60-0. The pictures in this book are fabulous and varied, filled with myriad design ideas.  The narrative, which is mostly captions for the pictures, falls woefully short though, being more descriptive of the picture than the design concepts behind the rooms.  So, this is a great book for browsing and gathering new ideas, but you’ll need to know how to implement them yourself, and you’ll also need to figure out why they work in the first place. book-thadhayes-150The Tailored Interior.  By Thad Hayes. Rizzoli, 2009. ISBN: 978-0-8478-3081-7. A beautifully photographed book filled with Hayes’ lovely, understatedly modern rooms.  Absolute eye candy, but I wish there had been more narrative and what little there is had been more descriptive of the thought process that went into designing the rooms.  The book is disappointing in that respect, but the rooms and pictures make up for it to some extent.]]> http://www.atticmag.com/2010/03/more-decorating-book-reviews/feed/ 3 Decorating Book Review Update http://www.atticmag.com/2009/11/decorating-book-review-update/ http://www.atticmag.com/2009/11/decorating-book-review-update/#comments Tue, 03 Nov 2009 05:02:23 +0000 admin http://www.atticmag.com/?p=10024 Guest Blogger Our friend Ivette lives near Washington, D.C. She has wonderful décor ideas and is a super DIY renovator who is guest-IvetteHedNU-150amazing with a paintbrush. She and her husband, Joel, are currently hard at work creating a family room in their basement and adding a guest bath. Ivette also collects design books as a hobby and summarized every single volume on her shelves for us! Those reviews can be found on our Home Decorating Books page where you also will find two updates Here are her latest additions. book-barrydixona Barry Dixon Interiors. By Barry Dixon. Gibbs Smith Publishers, Layton, Utah.  2008.  ISBN:  1423601890. I wanted to like this book, I really did.  But, I didn’t.  While Dixon’s style is not one of my favorites, I can get past that and enjoy the beautiful photography of very well designed rooms.  But unfortunately, the text is very minimal and lacking in any useful information.  I learned very little.  Still it is a beautiful book and may be worth it for Dixon fans. xxxxxxxxxx book-cuban-eleganceaCuban Elegance.  By Michael Connors. Harry N. Abrams, Inc., NY.,  2004. ISBN:  0-8109-4337-9. This is part design book, part history book – with  photography of exquisite rooms and furniture and detailed discussion of the distinctive combination of English, French, and Spanish styles that are unique to Cuba.  With a little imagination, it’s easy to connect the simplicity of elegant Old Cuban room to the simplicity of modern day Cuban designers like Vicente Wolf and Orlando Diaz-Azcuy.  This is fascinating as unique beauty, which we see too rarely, and which sadly is disappearing in Cuba. book-smith-housesbMichael S. Smith Houses. By Michael S. Smith. Rizzoli, NY. , 2008. ISBN:  13:978-0-8478-3070-1. Another beautiful book by premier designer Michael Smith, although with less design detail in the text than the first one.  But the homes are beautiful, his narrative is instructive, and the photography looks wonderful. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx book-toyourtasteaTo Your Taste. By Celerie Kemble. Clarkson Potter Publishers, NY.  2008. ISBN:  978-0-307-39442-2. This book completely surprised me by becoming one of my all-time favorites. It’s full of exquisite, high-end but reachable rooms, and it has a fresh, young sense of style while remaining completely classic.  There are also numerous room styles.  The generous narrative is full of great new viewpoints on design.  Highly recommended.  ]]> http://www.atticmag.com/2009/11/decorating-book-review-update/feed/ 0 Decorating Library http://www.atticmag.com/2009/04/decorating-library/ http://www.atticmag.com/2009/04/decorating-library/#comments Sun, 26 Apr 2009 11:03:53 +0000 Guest Blogger /?p=6167 Guest Blogger - Ivette Our friend Ivette lives near Washington, D.C. She has wonderful ideas and is a super DIY renovator who is amazing guest-IvetteHedNU-150with a paintbrush. Ivette also collects design books as a hobby and summarized every single volume on her shelves for us! Those reviews can be found on our Home Decorating Books page. These new reviews cover some of her recent acquisitions. books-hbcolorsbookHouse Beautiful: Colors for Your Home - 300 Designer Favorites. Hearst Communications Inc., 2008. ISBN: 978-1-58816-739-2. This was a hostess gift from a friend who shares my passion for paint, and I really enjoyed it. Lots of swatches and pictures of lovely rooms with a focus on color with comments by designers on what they like about them. I think, however, this is really only a book for those crazy, paint/color obsessed types. I recommend it to you if you're one of them. books-mlinariccoverMlinaric on Decorating. Cecil, Mirabel and David Mlinaric. Francis Lincoln Limited, 2008. ISBN: 978-0-7112-2541-1. Exquisite, like the designs of the man himself. This is basically a love treatise to the talents of one man, the specific homes he's touched and the beauty he leaves behind. Extremely informative and detailed text; beautiful photographs of spaces decorated in a far reaching range of styles. Mlinaric is definitely not an English Country one-trick pony. And neither is this book. I highly recommend it. books-thehomebookThe Home Book: Creating a Beautiful Home of Your Own. House Beautiful. Spier, Carol, Hearst Communications Inc., 2008. ISBN: 978-1-58816-603-6. This is terrific! I totally expected it to be very basic information but while it is an introductory primer, it is a very thorough one, filled with great ideas and insights into the design process, both from the author and from numerous contributing interior designers. The pictures in the book are the best part, as they run the gamut of styles and are great for inspiration. The kitchen section, in particular, is one of the most beautiful assemblage of kitchen designs I've seen in one place. books-clodaghbookcoverYour Home, Your Sanctuary. Clodagh. Rizzoli International Publications Inc., 2008. ISBN: 13-978-8478-3160-9. A bit of a disappointment. Not because it's bad necessarily but because it brought nothing new from Clodagh's first book, which was frankly better and more informative. The rooms are lovely, of course, and tranquil but I do feel the photography focused a little too much on details than on entire rooms and the process that went into designing them. There are lots of photos of glasses on a shelf for example, or a pebble by the bath. I realize how important details are, especially when trying to show a way of achieving a Zen look, but the book falls short. There isn't nearly enough text, and I found myself wanting more of Clodagh's insights, versus just looking at pretty pictures of her pretty rooms. I did feel relaxed though!]]> http://www.atticmag.com/2009/04/decorating-library/feed/ 0 New Home Decorating Book Reviews http://www.atticmag.com/2010/03/more-decorating-book-reviews/ http://www.atticmag.com/2010/03/more-decorating-book-reviews/#comments Tue, 02 Mar 2010 06:08:18 +0000 Jane F http://www.atticmag.com/?p=14607 Guest Blogger Our friend Ivette lives near Washington, D.C. She has wonderful décor ideas and is a super DIY renovator who is guest-IvetteHedNU-150amazing with a paintbrush. She and her husband, Joel, are currently hard at work creating a family room in their basement and adding a guest bath. Ivette also collects design books as a hobby and summarized every single volume on her shelves for us! Those reviews can be found on our Home Decorating Books page where you also will find updates. Here are her latest additions. book-countryLivingok-150Country Living Cottage Style.  By Marie Proeller Hueston. Hearst Books, 2003. ISBN: 978-1-58816-567-1. While filled with lots of great photographs of cottage rooms, the text is very basic and there really isn’t much new here.  Still, this is a terrific cottage primer style and the designs vary from rustic cottage to more modern cottage. It’s all briefly touched on here. book-englishcountrystyle-150AEnglish Country Style. By Mary Gilliat. Shuckburgh, Reynolds, Ltd. 1986. ISBN: 0-316-31382-3. This book proves that true English Country style doesn’t look dated.  All these rooms are classically beautiful and timeless.  The text is very detailed and instructive.  Most of the rooms are the more formal English Country style, but all is seen here.  If you are a fan of this style, you owe it to yourself to search out a copy of this book, which unfortunately is out of print. book-suzannekasle-150rInspired Interiors. By Suzanne Kasler. Rizzoli, 2009. ISBN: 978-0-8478-3220-0. This is an exquisite design book with such large-format pictures that you feel like you’re almost in the room.  The spaces are exquisite, very much in Kasler’s modern traditional style.  The narrative and captions are instructive, not just descriptive, and filled with interesting design insights and techniques. xxxxx book-englishcottage-150Perfect English Cottage.  By Ros Byam Shaw. Ryland Peters Small, 2009. ISBN: 978-1-84597-902-1. Like all of Shaw’s books, this is a winner. There is beautiful photography of mostly humble English cottages decorated almost entirely by their owners.  The narrative is rich with the histories of the houses and the owners as well as jam-packed with great decorating ideas. book-elledecor-150Style and Substance, The Best of Elle Décor.  By Margaret Russell. Filipacchi Publishing, 2009. ISBN: 978-1-933231-60-0. The pictures in this book are fabulous and varied, filled with myriad design ideas.  The narrative, which is mostly captions for the pictures, falls woefully short though, being more descriptive of the picture than the design concepts behind the rooms.  So, this is a great book for browsing and gathering new ideas, but you’ll need to know how to implement them yourself, and you’ll also need to figure out why they work in the first place. book-thadhayes-150The Tailored Interior.  By Thad Hayes. Rizzoli, 2009. ISBN: 978-0-8478-3081-7. A beautifully photographed book filled with Hayes’ lovely, understatedly modern rooms.  Absolute eye candy, but I wish there had been more narrative and what little there is had been more descriptive of the thought process that went into designing the rooms.  The book is disappointing in that respect, but the rooms and pictures make up for it to some extent.]]> http://www.atticmag.com/2010/03/more-decorating-book-reviews/feed/ 3 AtticMag » Book Reviews http://www.atticmag.com Kitchens, Bathrooms, Rugs, Interior Design Fri, 10 Sep 2010 02:45:14 +0000 en hourly 1 More Decorating Book Reviews http://www.atticmag.com/2010/03/more-decorating-book-reviews/ http://www.atticmag.com/2010/03/more-decorating-book-reviews/#comments Tue, 02 Mar 2010 06:08:18 +0000 Jane F http://www.atticmag.com/?p=14607 Guest Blogger Our friend Ivette lives near Washington, D.C. She has wonderful décor ideas and is a super DIY renovator who is guest-IvetteHedNU-150amazing with a paintbrush. She and her husband, Joel, are currently hard at work creating a family room in their basement and adding a guest bath. Ivette also collects design books as a hobby and summarized every single volume on her shelves for us! Those reviews can be found on our Home Decorating Books page where you also will find updates. Here are her latest additions. book-countryLivingok-150Country Living Cottage Style.  By Marie Proeller Hueston. Hearst Books, 2003. ISBN: 978-1-58816-567-1. While filled with lots of great photographs of cottage rooms, the text is very basic and there really isn’t much new here.  Still, this is a terrific cottage primer style and the designs vary from rustic cottage to more modern cottage. It’s all briefly touched on here. book-englishcountrystyle-150AEnglish Country Style. By Mary Gilliat. Shuckburgh, Reynolds, Ltd. 1986. ISBN: 0-316-31382-3. This book proves that true English Country style doesn’t look dated.  All these rooms are classically beautiful and timeless.  The text is very detailed and instructive.  Most of the rooms are the more formal English Country style, but all is seen here.  If you are a fan of this style, you owe it to yourself to search out a copy of this book, which unfortunately is out of print. book-suzannekasle-150rInspired Interiors. By Suzanne Kasler. Rizzoli, 2009. ISBN: 978-0-8478-3220-0. This is an exquisite design book with such large-format pictures that you feel like you’re almost in the room.  The spaces are exquisite, very much in Kasler’s modern traditional style.  The narrative and captions are instructive, not just descriptive, and filled with interesting design insights and techniques. xxxxx book-englishcottage-150Perfect English Cottage.  By Ros Byam Shaw. Ryland Peters Small, 2009. ISBN: 978-1-84597-902-1. Like all of Shaw’s books, this is a winner. There is beautiful photography of mostly humble English cottages decorated almost entirely by their owners.  The narrative is rich with the histories of the houses and the owners as well as jam-packed with great decorating ideas. book-elledecor-150Style and Substance, The Best of Elle Décor.  By Margaret Russell. Filipacchi Publishing, 2009. ISBN: 978-1-933231-60-0. The pictures in this book are fabulous and varied, filled with myriad design ideas.  The narrative, which is mostly captions for the pictures, falls woefully short though, being more descriptive of the picture than the design concepts behind the rooms.  So, this is a great book for browsing and gathering new ideas, but you’ll need to know how to implement them yourself, and you’ll also need to figure out why they work in the first place. book-thadhayes-150The Tailored Interior.  By Thad Hayes. Rizzoli, 2009. ISBN: 978-0-8478-3081-7. A beautifully photographed book filled with Hayes’ lovely, understatedly modern rooms.  Absolute eye candy, but I wish there had been more narrative and what little there is had been more descriptive of the thought process that went into designing the rooms.  The book is disappointing in that respect, but the rooms and pictures make up for it to some extent.]]> http://www.atticmag.com/2010/03/more-decorating-book-reviews/feed/ 3 Decorating Book Review Update http://www.atticmag.com/2009/11/decorating-book-review-update/ http://www.atticmag.com/2009/11/decorating-book-review-update/#comments Tue, 03 Nov 2009 05:02:23 +0000 admin http://www.atticmag.com/?p=10024 Guest Blogger Our friend Ivette lives near Washington, D.C. She has wonderful décor ideas and is a super DIY renovator who is guest-IvetteHedNU-150amazing with a paintbrush. She and her husband, Joel, are currently hard at work creating a family room in their basement and adding a guest bath. Ivette also collects design books as a hobby and summarized every single volume on her shelves for us! Those reviews can be found on our Home Decorating Books page where you also will find two updates Here are her latest additions. book-barrydixona Barry Dixon Interiors. By Barry Dixon. Gibbs Smith Publishers, Layton, Utah.  2008.  ISBN:  1423601890. I wanted to like this book, I really did.  But, I didn’t.  While Dixon’s style is not one of my favorites, I can get past that and enjoy the beautiful photography of very well designed rooms.  But unfortunately, the text is very minimal and lacking in any useful information.  I learned very little.  Still it is a beautiful book and may be worth it for Dixon fans. xxxxxxxxxx book-cuban-eleganceaCuban Elegance.  By Michael Connors. Harry N. Abrams, Inc., NY.,  2004. ISBN:  0-8109-4337-9. This is part design book, part history book – with  photography of exquisite rooms and furniture and detailed discussion of the distinctive combination of English, French, and Spanish styles that are unique to Cuba.  With a little imagination, it’s easy to connect the simplicity of elegant Old Cuban room to the simplicity of modern day Cuban designers like Vicente Wolf and Orlando Diaz-Azcuy.  This is fascinating as unique beauty, which we see too rarely, and which sadly is disappearing in Cuba. book-smith-housesbMichael S. Smith Houses. By Michael S. Smith. Rizzoli, NY. , 2008. ISBN:  13:978-0-8478-3070-1. Another beautiful book by premier designer Michael Smith, although with less design detail in the text than the first one.  But the homes are beautiful, his narrative is instructive, and the photography looks wonderful. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx book-toyourtasteaTo Your Taste. By Celerie Kemble. Clarkson Potter Publishers, NY.  2008. ISBN:  978-0-307-39442-2. This book completely surprised me by becoming one of my all-time favorites. It’s full of exquisite, high-end but reachable rooms, and it has a fresh, young sense of style while remaining completely classic.  There are also numerous room styles.  The generous narrative is full of great new viewpoints on design.  Highly recommended.  ]]> http://www.atticmag.com/2009/11/decorating-book-review-update/feed/ 0 Decorating Library http://www.atticmag.com/2009/04/decorating-library/ http://www.atticmag.com/2009/04/decorating-library/#comments Sun, 26 Apr 2009 11:03:53 +0000 Guest Blogger /?p=6167 Guest Blogger - Ivette Our friend Ivette lives near Washington, D.C. She has wonderful ideas and is a super DIY renovator who is amazing guest-IvetteHedNU-150with a paintbrush. Ivette also collects design books as a hobby and summarized every single volume on her shelves for us! Those reviews can be found on our Home Decorating Books page. These new reviews cover some of her recent acquisitions. books-hbcolorsbookHouse Beautiful: Colors for Your Home - 300 Designer Favorites. Hearst Communications Inc., 2008. ISBN: 978-1-58816-739-2. This was a hostess gift from a friend who shares my passion for paint, and I really enjoyed it. Lots of swatches and pictures of lovely rooms with a focus on color with comments by designers on what they like about them. I think, however, this is really only a book for those crazy, paint/color obsessed types. I recommend it to you if you're one of them. books-mlinariccoverMlinaric on Decorating. Cecil, Mirabel and David Mlinaric. Francis Lincoln Limited, 2008. ISBN: 978-0-7112-2541-1. Exquisite, like the designs of the man himself. This is basically a love treatise to the talents of one man, the specific homes he's touched and the beauty he leaves behind. Extremely informative and detailed text; beautiful photographs of spaces decorated in a far reaching range of styles. Mlinaric is definitely not an English Country one-trick pony. And neither is this book. I highly recommend it. books-thehomebookThe Home Book: Creating a Beautiful Home of Your Own. House Beautiful. Spier, Carol, Hearst Communications Inc., 2008. ISBN: 978-1-58816-603-6. This is terrific! I totally expected it to be very basic information but while it is an introductory primer, it is a very thorough one, filled with great ideas and insights into the design process, both from the author and from numerous contributing interior designers. The pictures in the book are the best part, as they run the gamut of styles and are great for inspiration. The kitchen section, in particular, is one of the most beautiful assemblage of kitchen designs I've seen in one place. books-clodaghbookcoverYour Home, Your Sanctuary. Clodagh. Rizzoli International Publications Inc., 2008. ISBN: 13-978-8478-3160-9. A bit of a disappointment. Not because it's bad necessarily but because it brought nothing new from Clodagh's first book, which was frankly better and more informative. The rooms are lovely, of course, and tranquil but I do feel the photography focused a little too much on details than on entire rooms and the process that went into designing them. There are lots of photos of glasses on a shelf for example, or a pebble by the bath. I realize how important details are, especially when trying to show a way of achieving a Zen look, but the book falls short. There isn't nearly enough text, and I found myself wanting more of Clodagh's insights, versus just looking at pretty pictures of her pretty rooms. I did feel relaxed though!]]> http://www.atticmag.com/2009/04/decorating-library/feed/ 0 New Home Decorating Book Reviews http://www.atticmag.com/2009/11/decorating-book-review-update/ http://www.atticmag.com/2009/11/decorating-book-review-update/#comments Tue, 03 Nov 2009 05:02:23 +0000 admin http://www.atticmag.com/?p=10024 Guest Blogger Our friend Ivette lives near Washington, D.C. She has wonderful décor ideas and is a super DIY renovator who is guest-IvetteHedNU-150amazing with a paintbrush. She and her husband, Joel, are currently hard at work creating a family room in their basement and adding a guest bath. Ivette also collects design books as a hobby and summarized every single volume on her shelves for us! Those reviews can be found on our Home Decorating Books page where you also will find two updates Here are her latest additions. book-barrydixona Barry Dixon Interiors. By Barry Dixon. Gibbs Smith Publishers, Layton, Utah.  2008.  ISBN:  1423601890. I wanted to like this book, I really did.  But, I didn’t.  While Dixon’s style is not one of my favorites, I can get past that and enjoy the beautiful photography of very well designed rooms.  But unfortunately, the text is very minimal and lacking in any useful information.  I learned very little.  Still it is a beautiful book and may be worth it for Dixon fans. xxxxxxxxxx book-cuban-eleganceaCuban Elegance.  By Michael Connors. Harry N. Abrams, Inc., NY.,  2004. ISBN:  0-8109-4337-9. This is part design book, part history book – with  photography of exquisite rooms and furniture and detailed discussion of the distinctive combination of English, French, and Spanish styles that are unique to Cuba.  With a little imagination, it’s easy to connect the simplicity of elegant Old Cuban room to the simplicity of modern day Cuban designers like Vicente Wolf and Orlando Diaz-Azcuy.  This is fascinating as unique beauty, which we see too rarely, and which sadly is disappearing in Cuba. book-smith-housesbMichael S. Smith Houses. By Michael S. Smith. Rizzoli, NY. , 2008. ISBN:  13:978-0-8478-3070-1. Another beautiful book by premier designer Michael Smith, although with less design detail in the text than the first one.  But the homes are beautiful, his narrative is instructive, and the photography looks wonderful. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx book-toyourtasteaTo Your Taste. By Celerie Kemble. Clarkson Potter Publishers, NY.  2008. ISBN:  978-0-307-39442-2. This book completely surprised me by becoming one of my all-time favorites. It’s full of exquisite, high-end but reachable rooms, and it has a fresh, young sense of style while remaining completely classic.  There are also numerous room styles.  The generous narrative is full of great new viewpoints on design.  Highly recommended.  ]]> http://www.atticmag.com/2009/11/decorating-book-review-update/feed/ 0 AtticMag » Book Reviews http://www.atticmag.com Kitchens, Bathrooms, Rugs, Interior Design Fri, 10 Sep 2010 02:45:14 +0000 en hourly 1 More Decorating Book Reviews http://www.atticmag.com/2010/03/more-decorating-book-reviews/ http://www.atticmag.com/2010/03/more-decorating-book-reviews/#comments Tue, 02 Mar 2010 06:08:18 +0000 Jane F http://www.atticmag.com/?p=14607 Guest Blogger Our friend Ivette lives near Washington, D.C. She has wonderful décor ideas and is a super DIY renovator who is guest-IvetteHedNU-150amazing with a paintbrush. She and her husband, Joel, are currently hard at work creating a family room in their basement and adding a guest bath. Ivette also collects design books as a hobby and summarized every single volume on her shelves for us! Those reviews can be found on our Home Decorating Books page where you also will find updates. Here are her latest additions. book-countryLivingok-150Country Living Cottage Style.  By Marie Proeller Hueston. Hearst Books, 2003. ISBN: 978-1-58816-567-1. While filled with lots of great photographs of cottage rooms, the text is very basic and there really isn’t much new here.  Still, this is a terrific cottage primer style and the designs vary from rustic cottage to more modern cottage. It’s all briefly touched on here. book-englishcountrystyle-150AEnglish Country Style. By Mary Gilliat. Shuckburgh, Reynolds, Ltd. 1986. ISBN: 0-316-31382-3. This book proves that true English Country style doesn’t look dated.  All these rooms are classically beautiful and timeless.  The text is very detailed and instructive.  Most of the rooms are the more formal English Country style, but all is seen here.  If you are a fan of this style, you owe it to yourself to search out a copy of this book, which unfortunately is out of print. book-suzannekasle-150rInspired Interiors. By Suzanne Kasler. Rizzoli, 2009. ISBN: 978-0-8478-3220-0. This is an exquisite design book with such large-format pictures that you feel like you’re almost in the room.  The spaces are exquisite, very much in Kasler’s modern traditional style.  The narrative and captions are instructive, not just descriptive, and filled with interesting design insights and techniques. xxxxx book-englishcottage-150Perfect English Cottage.  By Ros Byam Shaw. Ryland Peters Small, 2009. ISBN: 978-1-84597-902-1. Like all of Shaw’s books, this is a winner. There is beautiful photography of mostly humble English cottages decorated almost entirely by their owners.  The narrative is rich with the histories of the houses and the owners as well as jam-packed with great decorating ideas. book-elledecor-150Style and Substance, The Best of Elle Décor.  By Margaret Russell. Filipacchi Publishing, 2009. ISBN: 978-1-933231-60-0. The pictures in this book are fabulous and varied, filled with myriad design ideas.  The narrative, which is mostly captions for the pictures, falls woefully short though, being more descriptive of the picture than the design concepts behind the rooms.  So, this is a great book for browsing and gathering new ideas, but you’ll need to know how to implement them yourself, and you’ll also need to figure out why they work in the first place. book-thadhayes-150The Tailored Interior.  By Thad Hayes. Rizzoli, 2009. ISBN: 978-0-8478-3081-7. A beautifully photographed book filled with Hayes’ lovely, understatedly modern rooms.  Absolute eye candy, but I wish there had been more narrative and what little there is had been more descriptive of the thought process that went into designing the rooms.  The book is disappointing in that respect, but the rooms and pictures make up for it to some extent.]]> http://www.atticmag.com/2010/03/more-decorating-book-reviews/feed/ 3 Decorating Book Review Update http://www.atticmag.com/2009/11/decorating-book-review-update/ http://www.atticmag.com/2009/11/decorating-book-review-update/#comments Tue, 03 Nov 2009 05:02:23 +0000 admin http://www.atticmag.com/?p=10024 Guest Blogger Our friend Ivette lives near Washington, D.C. She has wonderful décor ideas and is a super DIY renovator who is guest-IvetteHedNU-150amazing with a paintbrush. She and her husband, Joel, are currently hard at work creating a family room in their basement and adding a guest bath. Ivette also collects design books as a hobby and summarized every single volume on her shelves for us! Those reviews can be found on our Home Decorating Books page where you also will find two updates Here are her latest additions. book-barrydixona Barry Dixon Interiors. By Barry Dixon. Gibbs Smith Publishers, Layton, Utah.  2008.  ISBN:  1423601890. I wanted to like this book, I really did.  But, I didn’t.  While Dixon’s style is not one of my favorites, I can get past that and enjoy the beautiful photography of very well designed rooms.  But unfortunately, the text is very minimal and lacking in any useful information.  I learned very little.  Still it is a beautiful book and may be worth it for Dixon fans. xxxxxxxxxx book-cuban-eleganceaCuban Elegance.  By Michael Connors. Harry N. Abrams, Inc., NY.,  2004. ISBN:  0-8109-4337-9. This is part design book, part history book – with  photography of exquisite rooms and furniture and detailed discussion of the distinctive combination of English, French, and Spanish styles that are unique to Cuba.  With a little imagination, it’s easy to connect the simplicity of elegant Old Cuban room to the simplicity of modern day Cuban designers like Vicente Wolf and Orlando Diaz-Azcuy.  This is fascinating as unique beauty, which we see too rarely, and which sadly is disappearing in Cuba. book-smith-housesbMichael S. Smith Houses. By Michael S. Smith. Rizzoli, NY. , 2008. ISBN:  13:978-0-8478-3070-1. Another beautiful book by premier designer Michael Smith, although with less design detail in the text than the first one.  But the homes are beautiful, his narrative is instructive, and the photography looks wonderful. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx book-toyourtasteaTo Your Taste. By Celerie Kemble. Clarkson Potter Publishers, NY.  2008. ISBN:  978-0-307-39442-2. This book completely surprised me by becoming one of my all-time favorites. It’s full of exquisite, high-end but reachable rooms, and it has a fresh, young sense of style while remaining completely classic.  There are also numerous room styles.  The generous narrative is full of great new viewpoints on design.  Highly recommended.  ]]> http://www.atticmag.com/2009/11/decorating-book-review-update/feed/ 0 Decorating Library http://www.atticmag.com/2009/04/decorating-library/ http://www.atticmag.com/2009/04/decorating-library/#comments Sun, 26 Apr 2009 11:03:53 +0000 Guest Blogger /?p=6167 Guest Blogger - Ivette Our friend Ivette lives near Washington, D.C. She has wonderful ideas and is a super DIY renovator who is amazing guest-IvetteHedNU-150with a paintbrush. Ivette also collects design books as a hobby and summarized every single volume on her shelves for us! Those reviews can be found on our Home Decorating Books page. These new reviews cover some of her recent acquisitions. books-hbcolorsbookHouse Beautiful: Colors for Your Home - 300 Designer Favorites. Hearst Communications Inc., 2008. ISBN: 978-1-58816-739-2. This was a hostess gift from a friend who shares my passion for paint, and I really enjoyed it. Lots of swatches and pictures of lovely rooms with a focus on color with comments by designers on what they like about them. I think, however, this is really only a book for those crazy, paint/color obsessed types. I recommend it to you if you're one of them. books-mlinariccoverMlinaric on Decorating. Cecil, Mirabel and David Mlinaric. Francis Lincoln Limited, 2008. ISBN: 978-0-7112-2541-1. Exquisite, like the designs of the man himself. This is basically a love treatise to the talents of one man, the specific homes he's touched and the beauty he leaves behind. Extremely informative and detailed text; beautiful photographs of spaces decorated in a far reaching range of styles. Mlinaric is definitely not an English Country one-trick pony. And neither is this book. I highly recommend it. books-thehomebookThe Home Book: Creating a Beautiful Home of Your Own. House Beautiful. Spier, Carol, Hearst Communications Inc., 2008. ISBN: 978-1-58816-603-6. This is terrific! I totally expected it to be very basic information but while it is an introductory primer, it is a very thorough one, filled with great ideas and insights into the design process, both from the author and from numerous contributing interior designers. The pictures in the book are the best part, as they run the gamut of styles and are great for inspiration. The kitchen section, in particular, is one of the most beautiful assemblage of kitchen designs I've seen in one place. books-clodaghbookcoverYour Home, Your Sanctuary. Clodagh. Rizzoli International Publications Inc., 2008. ISBN: 13-978-8478-3160-9. A bit of a disappointment. Not because it's bad necessarily but because it brought nothing new from Clodagh's first book, which was frankly better and more informative. The rooms are lovely, of course, and tranquil but I do feel the photography focused a little too much on details than on entire rooms and the process that went into designing them. There are lots of photos of glasses on a shelf for example, or a pebble by the bath. I realize how important details are, especially when trying to show a way of achieving a Zen look, but the book falls short. There isn't nearly enough text, and I found myself wanting more of Clodagh's insights, versus just looking at pretty pictures of her pretty rooms. I did feel relaxed though!]]> http://www.atticmag.com/2009/04/decorating-library/feed/ 0 New Home Decorating Book Reviews http://www.atticmag.com/2009/04/decorating-library/ http://www.atticmag.com/2009/04/decorating-library/#comments Sun, 26 Apr 2009 11:03:53 +0000 Guest Blogger /?p=6167 Guest Blogger - Ivette Our friend Ivette lives near Washington, D.C. She has wonderful ideas and is a super DIY renovator who is amazing guest-IvetteHedNU-150with a paintbrush. Ivette also collects design books as a hobby and summarized every single volume on her shelves for us! Those reviews can be found on our Home Decorating Books page. These new reviews cover some of her recent acquisitions. books-hbcolorsbookHouse Beautiful: Colors for Your Home - 300 Designer Favorites. Hearst Communications Inc., 2008. ISBN: 978-1-58816-739-2. This was a hostess gift from a friend who shares my passion for paint, and I really enjoyed it. Lots of swatches and pictures of lovely rooms with a focus on color with comments by designers on what they like about them. I think, however, this is really only a book for those crazy, paint/color obsessed types. I recommend it to you if you're one of them. books-mlinariccoverMlinaric on Decorating. Cecil, Mirabel and David Mlinaric. Francis Lincoln Limited, 2008. ISBN: 978-0-7112-2541-1. Exquisite, like the designs of the man himself. This is basically a love treatise to the talents of one man, the specific homes he's touched and the beauty he leaves behind. Extremely informative and detailed text; beautiful photographs of spaces decorated in a far reaching range of styles. Mlinaric is definitely not an English Country one-trick pony. And neither is this book. I highly recommend it. books-thehomebookThe Home Book: Creating a Beautiful Home of Your Own. House Beautiful. Spier, Carol, Hearst Communications Inc., 2008. ISBN: 978-1-58816-603-6. This is terrific! I totally expected it to be very basic information but while it is an introductory primer, it is a very thorough one, filled with great ideas and insights into the design process, both from the author and from numerous contributing interior designers. The pictures in the book are the best part, as they run the gamut of styles and are great for inspiration. The kitchen section, in particular, is one of the most beautiful assemblage of kitchen designs I've seen in one place. books-clodaghbookcoverYour Home, Your Sanctuary. Clodagh. Rizzoli International Publications Inc., 2008. ISBN: 13-978-8478-3160-9. A bit of a disappointment. Not because it's bad necessarily but because it brought nothing new from Clodagh's first book, which was frankly better and more informative. The rooms are lovely, of course, and tranquil but I do feel the photography focused a little too much on details than on entire rooms and the process that went into designing them. There are lots of photos of glasses on a shelf for example, or a pebble by the bath. I realize how important details are, especially when trying to show a way of achieving a Zen look, but the book falls short. There isn't nearly enough text, and I found myself wanting more of Clodagh's insights, versus just looking at pretty pictures of her pretty rooms. I did feel relaxed though!]]> http://www.atticmag.com/2009/04/decorating-library/feed/ 0 AtticMag » Book Reviews http://www.atticmag.com Kitchens, Bathrooms, Rugs, Interior Design Fri, 10 Sep 2010 02:45:14 +0000 en hourly 1 More Decorating Book Reviews http://www.atticmag.com/2010/03/more-decorating-book-reviews/ http://www.atticmag.com/2010/03/more-decorating-book-reviews/#comments Tue, 02 Mar 2010 06:08:18 +0000 Jane F http://www.atticmag.com/?p=14607 Guest Blogger Our friend Ivette lives near Washington, D.C. She has wonderful décor ideas and is a super DIY renovator who is guest-IvetteHedNU-150amazing with a paintbrush. She and her husband, Joel, are currently hard at work creating a family room in their basement and adding a guest bath. Ivette also collects design books as a hobby and summarized every single volume on her shelves for us! Those reviews can be found on our Home Decorating Books page where you also will find updates. Here are her latest additions. book-countryLivingok-150Country Living Cottage Style.  By Marie Proeller Hueston. Hearst Books, 2003. ISBN: 978-1-58816-567-1. While filled with lots of great photographs of cottage rooms, the text is very basic and there really isn’t much new here.  Still, this is a terrific cottage primer style and the designs vary from rustic cottage to more modern cottage. It’s all briefly touched on here. book-englishcountrystyle-150AEnglish Country Style. By Mary Gilliat. Shuckburgh, Reynolds, Ltd. 1986. ISBN: 0-316-31382-3. This book proves that true English Country style doesn’t look dated.  All these rooms are classically beautiful and timeless.  The text is very detailed and instructive.  Most of the rooms are the more formal English Country style, but all is seen here.  If you are a fan of this style, you owe it to yourself to search out a copy of this book, which unfortunately is out of print. book-suzannekasle-150rInspired Interiors. By Suzanne Kasler. Rizzoli, 2009. ISBN: 978-0-8478-3220-0. This is an exquisite design book with such large-format pictures that you feel like you’re almost in the room.  The spaces are exquisite, very much in Kasler’s modern traditional style.  The narrative and captions are instructive, not just descriptive, and filled with interesting design insights and techniques. xxxxx book-englishcottage-150Perfect English Cottage.  By Ros Byam Shaw. Ryland Peters Small, 2009. ISBN: 978-1-84597-902-1. Like all of Shaw’s books, this is a winner. There is beautiful photography of mostly humble English cottages decorated almost entirely by their owners.  The narrative is rich with the histories of the houses and the owners as well as jam-packed with great decorating ideas. book-elledecor-150Style and Substance, The Best of Elle Décor.  By Margaret Russell. Filipacchi Publishing, 2009. ISBN: 978-1-933231-60-0. The pictures in this book are fabulous and varied, filled with myriad design ideas.  The narrative, which is mostly captions for the pictures, falls woefully short though, being more descriptive of the picture than the design concepts behind the rooms.  So, this is a great book for browsing and gathering new ideas, but you’ll need to know how to implement them yourself, and you’ll also need to figure out why they work in the first place. book-thadhayes-150The Tailored Interior.  By Thad Hayes. Rizzoli, 2009. ISBN: 978-0-8478-3081-7. A beautifully photographed book filled with Hayes’ lovely, understatedly modern rooms.  Absolute eye candy, but I wish there had been more narrative and what little there is had been more descriptive of the thought process that went into designing the rooms.  The book is disappointing in that respect, but the rooms and pictures make up for it to some extent.]]> http://www.atticmag.com/2010/03/more-decorating-book-reviews/feed/ 3 Decorating Book Review Update http://www.atticmag.com/2009/11/decorating-book-review-update/ http://www.atticmag.com/2009/11/decorating-book-review-update/#comments Tue, 03 Nov 2009 05:02:23 +0000 admin http://www.atticmag.com/?p=10024 Guest Blogger Our friend Ivette lives near Washington, D.C. She has wonderful décor ideas and is a super DIY renovator who is guest-IvetteHedNU-150amazing with a paintbrush. She and her husband, Joel, are currently hard at work creating a family room in their basement and adding a guest bath. Ivette also collects design books as a hobby and summarized every single volume on her shelves for us! Those reviews can be found on our Home Decorating Books page where you also will find two updates Here are her latest additions. book-barrydixona Barry Dixon Interiors. By Barry Dixon. Gibbs Smith Publishers, Layton, Utah.  2008.  ISBN:  1423601890. I wanted to like this book, I really did.  But, I didn’t.  While Dixon’s style is not one of my favorites, I can get past that and enjoy the beautiful photography of very well designed rooms.  But unfortunately, the text is very minimal and lacking in any useful information.  I learned very little.  Still it is a beautiful book and may be worth it for Dixon fans. xxxxxxxxxx book-cuban-eleganceaCuban Elegance.  By Michael Connors. Harry N. Abrams, Inc., NY.,  2004. ISBN:  0-8109-4337-9. This is part design book, part history book – with  photography of exquisite rooms and furniture and detailed discussion of the distinctive combination of English, French, and Spanish styles that are unique to Cuba.  With a little imagination, it’s easy to connect the simplicity of elegant Old Cuban room to the simplicity of modern day Cuban designers like Vicente Wolf and Orlando Diaz-Azcuy.  This is fascinating as unique beauty, which we see too rarely, and which sadly is disappearing in Cuba. book-smith-housesbMichael S. Smith Houses. By Michael S. Smith. Rizzoli, NY. , 2008. ISBN:  13:978-0-8478-3070-1. Another beautiful book by premier designer Michael Smith, although with less design detail in the text than the first one.  But the homes are beautiful, his narrative is instructive, and the photography looks wonderful. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx book-toyourtasteaTo Your Taste. By Celerie Kemble. Clarkson Potter Publishers, NY.  2008. ISBN:  978-0-307-39442-2. This book completely surprised me by becoming one of my all-time favorites. It’s full of exquisite, high-end but reachable rooms, and it has a fresh, young sense of style while remaining completely classic.  There are also numerous room styles.  The generous narrative is full of great new viewpoints on design.  Highly recommended.  ]]> http://www.atticmag.com/2009/11/decorating-book-review-update/feed/ 0 Decorating Library http://www.atticmag.com/2009/04/decorating-library/ http://www.atticmag.com/2009/04/decorating-library/#comments Sun, 26 Apr 2009 11:03:53 +0000 Guest Blogger /?p=6167 Guest Blogger - Ivette Our friend Ivette lives near Washington, D.C. She has wonderful ideas and is a super DIY renovator who is amazing guest-IvetteHedNU-150with a paintbrush. Ivette also collects design books as a hobby and summarized every single volume on her shelves for us! Those reviews can be found on our Home Decorating Books page. These new reviews cover some of her recent acquisitions. books-hbcolorsbookHouse Beautiful: Colors for Your Home - 300 Designer Favorites. Hearst Communications Inc., 2008. ISBN: 978-1-58816-739-2. This was a hostess gift from a friend who shares my passion for paint, and I really enjoyed it. Lots of swatches and pictures of lovely rooms with a focus on color with comments by designers on what they like about them. I think, however, this is really only a book for those crazy, paint/color obsessed types. I recommend it to you if you're one of them. books-mlinariccoverMlinaric on Decorating. Cecil, Mirabel and David Mlinaric. Francis Lincoln Limited, 2008. ISBN: 978-0-7112-2541-1. Exquisite, like the designs of the man himself. This is basically a love treatise to the talents of one man, the specific homes he's touched and the beauty he leaves behind. Extremely informative and detailed text; beautiful photographs of spaces decorated in a far reaching range of styles. Mlinaric is definitely not an English Country one-trick pony. And neither is this book. I highly recommend it. books-thehomebookThe Home Book: Creating a Beautiful Home of Your Own. House Beautiful. Spier, Carol, Hearst Communications Inc., 2008. ISBN: 978-1-58816-603-6. This is terrific! I totally expected it to be very basic information but while it is an introductory primer, it is a very thorough one, filled with great ideas and insights into the design process, both from the author and from numerous contributing interior designers. The pictures in the book are the best part, as they run the gamut of styles and are great for inspiration. The kitchen section, in particular, is one of the most beautiful assemblage of kitchen designs I've seen in one place. books-clodaghbookcoverYour Home, Your Sanctuary. Clodagh. Rizzoli International Publications Inc., 2008. ISBN: 13-978-8478-3160-9. A bit of a disappointment. Not because it's bad necessarily but because it brought nothing new from Clodagh's first book, which was frankly better and more informative. The rooms are lovely, of course, and tranquil but I do feel the photography focused a little too much on details than on entire rooms and the process that went into designing them. There are lots of photos of glasses on a shelf for example, or a pebble by the bath. I realize how important details are, especially when trying to show a way of achieving a Zen look, but the book falls short. There isn't nearly enough text, and I found myself wanting more of Clodagh's insights, versus just looking at pretty pictures of her pretty rooms. I did feel relaxed though!]]> http://www.atticmag.com/2009/04/decorating-library/feed/ 0 New Home Decorating Book Reviews http://www.atticmag.com/2008/12/new-home-decorating-book-reviews/ http://www.atticmag.com/2008/12/new-home-decorating-book-reviews/#comments Thu, 11 Dec 2008 04:05:16 +0000 Jane T /?p=3656 Ivette reviews 20 more decorating books from her extensive library. For previous reviews, see her Home Decorating Books page.

A to D books-a-d

At Home with White Ryland, Peters & Small. Bartlett, Atlanta 2007 While not a particularly informative book for those with some design knowledge already, this book is as clear in its instruction as its rooms are clean, simple and beautiful. For those who love white, this is utter heaven. Lots of inspiration here and an unavoidable Swedish-style bent. Briger + Briger Briger, Cris and Paul. Rizzoli 2007 Only three homes are showcased here but each is uniquely beautiful in the Brigers’ traditional style with a slightly contemporary bent. Fantastic photography of both exteriors and interiors; narratives are mostly descriptive. Crossing Boundaries: A Global Vision of Design Wolf, Vicente. The Monacelli Press, Inc 2006 This is a beauty! Wolf takes on some of his most exotic excursions to fascinating lands and then translates the visual inspiration into interiors. We see his thought process from one to the other, and as always, his rooms are an inspiration. Part design book, part travel book, part art photography. This is worth its weight in gilt. David Hicks: Designer Hicks, Ashley. Scriptum Editions 2003 A son’s take on his father’s brilliant design career. We learn about the man and his design philosophy. Lots of photographs of actual rooms, many of which are extant. A very insightful view of a very unique designer who was ahead of his time. Decorating Master Class: The Cullman and Kravis Way Cullman, Elissa and Tracey Pruzan. Abrams 2008 This is basically a textbook in how to decorate like the namesake NYC decorating firm. The style is primarily modern-traditional and the depth of information is terrific. The book is divided into the elements of creating a design and each is discussed in great detail -- from floorplans, to lighting, windows and color. There are two special sections on kitchens and bathrooms. Beautiful photography. Design and Detail in the Home Linley, David. Harry N. Abrams, Inc. 2000 Eye candy! While Linley’s furniture may be out of reach for many of us, the design brilliance exhibited in these amazing, large photographs is not. There isn’t a lot of narrative here but what’s there is very informative (if a bit self- aggrandizing). But trust me, you won’t mind.

E to R books-e-h

English Country Interiors: Inside Cotswold Homes North, Sarah. Mitchell Beazley 2004 Beautifully photographed book, with limited, but useful, text. The homes here range from the very traditional to the positively quirky. All are lovely in their own ways and unique to their inhabitants. Farrow & Ball: The Art of Color Coleman, Brian D. Gibbs Smith, Publisher 2007 A gorgeous book filled with beautiful photographs of exquisite rooms, all painted in F&B colors, naturally. But far from being commercial, this is a truly inspirational book on design with various styles of rooms included in myriad of color spectrums. The narrative is very informative and serialized for separate homes by individual designers. John Fowler: Prince of Decorators Wood, Martha. Frances Lincoln Limited Publishers 2007 The title says it all. An absolutely brilliant chronicle of the design and the designer. A biography narrated with photographs of interiors, we see how his style developed over the years, what inspired him, and what obstacles he faced. Beautiful photography, excellent text. Houses: Inside and Out Gomes, Mariette Himes. Harper Collins 2007 This book is more about design philosophy than technique. Himes takes us into her own home, as well as several others. Her designs continue to be exquisite, so if you’re a fan, get this one. Kelly Hoppen Home: From Concept to Reality Hoppen, Kelly. Little, Brown and Company 2007 This is a fabulously instructional book with both terrific photos of full rooms and details, as well as instructional text, floorplans, sample boards etc. Hoppen shares her design thought process with us, and we learn a lot. The rooms are all designed by her and have her signature “look.” But these lessons will work for any style. Living with Light: Decorating the Scandinavian Way Abbott, Gail. CICO Books 2008 A good primer for decorating in the Scandinavian style. Explains the issues of light in that part of the world and how to maximize light in the home. Room examples are beautiful and fresh and there is a lot of focus on room details as well. Rooms to Inspire: Decorating with America’s Best Designers Kelly, Annie. Rizzoli 2006 As its title suggests, this is a compendium of rooms designed by different American designers. Styles run the gamut from Kelly Wearstler “modernist” and Martyn Lawrence-Buillard ornate exotic, to Ballard serene. The emphasis is on the exotic and ornate, with good text and a focus on color theory.

S to Z books-l-s

Simple Style: Creating Relaxed Interiors in the Contemporary Home Bird, Julia. Quadrille Publishing 2007 Warm, easy, contemporary rooms. Lots of great photography and very instructional text. This book shows you some beautiful spaces and then gives you the tools to follow suit. So Chic: Glamorous Lives, Stylish Spaces Russell, Margaret. Filipacchi Publishing USA, Inc 2007 This is a really fun book filled with the type of funky, unique, and inspirational interiors you expect from the editor of Elle Décor magazine. As usual, I’d have preferred to hear more about the interiors and less about the celebrities, but that’s a personal thing, and there is plenty of design information here. Swedish Interiors Eleish, Rhonda and Edie Van Breems. Gibbs Smith, Publisher 2007 Exquisite photographs of Swedish-style homes in a range of places from Sweden to Wisconsin. These are contemporary homes designed in the Swedish style, both traditional and modern. The English House: English Country Houses & Interiors Griffiths, Sally and Simon McBride. Rizzoli 2004 A study of several homes in England, both exteriors and interiors. Beautiful photography and interesting, detailed text. We’re even transported to the gardens. The Simple Home: The Luxury of Enough Nettleton, Sarah. The Taunton Press 2007 Without being too preachy, this book shows us how beautiful “just right” can be. Different homes are studied with great detail about how they were planned for space and efficiency as well as good looks. The designs here are very nice. A few of them suffer from what I call “the Taunton look”, but others are fresh, cool, and inspirational. The Swedish Room Sjoberg, Lars and Ursula Sjoberg. Frances Lincoln Limited Publishers 1994 To any fan of Swedish design, here is true inspiration from actual Swedish homes and palaces. Beautifully photographed in historical order. Informative text on the history and details of Swedish home design. The cover alone will make any fan of white melt away, but there’s a lot more than that here. Axel Vervoordt: Timeless Interiors Baron, Armelle. Flammarion Press 2007 A compilation of several homes designed by Vervoordt. Truly unique residences, all of them, indicate a designer with enormous range, creativity and individuality. Vervoordt really captures the essence of each of his clients. Beautiful photographs and instructional text, if rather repetitive.]]> http://www.atticmag.com/2008/12/new-home-decorating-book-reviews/feed/ 1