1 comments about Old & New: Combining Past and Present In Contemporary Homes.

1. This was an awesome buy. It gave me lots of ideas for decorating my aspiring eclectic home.

4 comments about Super Potato Design: The Complete Works of Takashi Sugimoto: Japan's Leading Interior Designer.

1. This is the most interesting and valuable book to our design office that we've received in a long time. It's very avante guard and has encouraged us to be more creative in our design.



2. I got this purely based upon the caption that he was Japan's best interior designer. I think for material usage in traditional design sense he is, and this book shows it. Althought it doesnt cover his most interesting interiors( at the back there is a list of his complete works and some seem neglected not to be included in the main part). Restaurants are his main station and in the book it it shows a willingness to experiment and push the boundries as to what or bar, partition or ceiling can be made from. It contains text explaining materiality, overall space photos, detail photos and floor plans. His interiors are a good representation of how modern japanese interiors have developed from the traditonal approach. I would recommend this book to fans of japanese design, desingers looking to use manmade / natural / recycled materials and desingers trying to get their brains past the its all plasterboard dilema



3. Super Potato design work is amazing, exquisitely beautiful, original, inventive and very Japanese. Top photography, excellent text and unusually incisive captions here are icing on the cake. I strongly recommend this wonderful book to anybody interested in beauty and creativity, the level of genius on display transcends the architecture/design field. You will be drawn back to it again and again.



4. Incredible design work. Every interior and industrial design student should own this. Very inspering work

5 comments about Island Life: Inspirational Interiors.

1. You may or may not receive this book. Like another reviewer, my order was never completed. I ordered it THREE times, waited 6 weeks each time...and then was informed my order was cancelled because it was unavailable. The last time I ordered it, I called them and they "assured" me it was "IN STOCK". Later, I was notified it was unavailable once again. Its bizarre! Don't hold your breath waiting for this one. It may be a great book, but I will apparently never know.



2. I found this book an absolute dream. The pictures are superb and the text is so unpretentious and simple. I loved the way the family has created such a simple and beautiful house (or houses) unlike so many of the gaudy mansions of the rich that inhabit the Bahamas.
   I have visited Harbor Island and the lifestyle appears so slow and easy that it really appears to be a paradise. India points out though that there is a price to be paid. The climate does make it difficult to maintain property.
   In summary, I loved the book, the words and the pictures and I read it from cover to cover in a little under two days. It left we wanting a simpler, more balanced life and sunshine!



3. I find myself reaching for this book over and over again. In it the authors generously give us a glimpse of the life they have made on a small island in the Bahamas. With a lot of hard work and no pretension, they have gotten it mostly just right. Their houses are neither overdone nor underdone, but pleasing to the eye, soothing and liveable. Highly recommended.



4. Never got item - waited several weeks and then was notified.



5. The cover was very appealing. First impressions etc;. The inside photos even more so. The writing however sounded like the ramblings of a spoiled child living in an unreachable reality sometimes and at other times, the snobbery of an aristocracy only appreciated in the mind of the writer and those who really believe that paradise can only be created by the writer.

   I live in the Bahamas and so yes I have a paradise of my own, but does anyone really care about 'my personal paradise' so much that they would read about it. I think not. The thing that makes simple beauty, well simply beautiful is simply leaving it alone.

   Final thot; Nice to look at.....PERIOD.

   other books I own - CARIBBEAN STYLE; CARIBBEAN ELEGANCE; ISLAND STYLE.

5 comments about French Country Living.

1. The pictures in this book are beautiful. It is exactly what I was looking for!



2. I bought this book without knowing much about it and I found it very interesting and the pictures are lovely. It's better than I had expected.



3. Beautiful book. Inspiring photographs that capture French country style (obviously, note the title). My only complaint about Clifton-Mogg books is that the photos are recycled. I see the same photos is many other books. There are MANY wonderful estates, villas, and country properties out there - - - it would be nice to see more of them instead of these multi-used images. The "recycles photos" are no problem if you just have one of her books - - but if you buy many European decorating books, you may see repeat photos.



4. If you are afraid of color, this book is for you. Don't let it convince you, though, that french country is not about bold colors- every other book I've seen says the opposite. That said, it is a beatiful book, with lots of rustic elements.



5. Caroline Clifton-Mogg's French Country Living is a delicious book to look at; the pages are filled with beautiful, airy rooms and the accompanying text does a good job of explaining how the effect is achieved--lots of grey in the colors, painted furniture, small-sized fabric prints, etc.
   
   This is French country living in the Marie-Antoinette-at-Petit-Trianon style, not truly rural la France profonde, however. The exquisitely restored rooms are filled with priceless antiques, and a cursory glance over the photo credits suggests that the majority of houses shown are located in either Provence, or the richer departements near Paris (the most famous house in Yvelines is Versailles, if that gives you an idea of what's in the neighborhood of some of the chateaux photographed). Having seen more than one room in a rural French house with vinyl wallpaper on the ceiling and door, I can only wish that all of French country life was this beautiful!

2 comments about By Design: Why There Are No Locks on the Bathroom Doors in the Hotel Louis XIV and Other Object Lessons.

1. This outstanding book is said to be aimed at design students, professionals, or anyone else who could benefit from af uller appreciation of the design process. And yes, I have to agree, it is.
   
   More important to me however is the presentation in this book of the essence of what design is all about. This is the kind of book that the financial people behind a new big hotel should read. It is the book that a product development engineer should read before he starts working with his industrial designer. This is the book that nearly any business manager from marketing, to engineering, to sales, should read.
   
   The first time I travelled to Scandinavia I was struck with the simple elements of design that they do so much better than we do in this country. Simple things like the design of hotel doors, no more expensive than what we do here, just better.
   
   And the sub-title, 'why there are no locks on the bathrobe doors in the Hotel Louis XIV' -that's a great story, it makes such eminent sense. A special problem, a great design, see page 179.



2. A must have for all Designers interested in understanding how products are ultimately judged within their context-by thier effectiveness and usefulness.The six levels of Design Caplan outlines is a great measuring stick for all disciplines of Design and Engineering.

3 comments about The Interior Design Business Handbook: A Complete Guide to Profitability.

1. Clear, well written, with astute comments about the business side of this interesting profession. This lady knows what she is talking about, having been in this area of consulting for many years. You can tell her expertise easily by reading this book! A must for all interior designers.



2. Great ideas for any design firm, as well as practical methods
   for someone wanting to start out on their own.



3. An excellent guide book for newly established interior design company.

1 comments about Coastal Style: Home Decorating Ideas Inspired by Seaside Living.

1. This is a good book on the basics of how to decorate a coastal home. For the novice in "beachy" decor or the landlubber who craves a coastal look in their landlocked home, it gives general information about paint colors, lighting, accessories, furniture choices, utilizing the natural beauty of the ocean view, and use of a variety of textures to enhance the seaside home. The photography is superb, but i found the colors atonal and drab at times and the distressed furniture and "shabby chic" look somewhat boring and unappealing. The authors' tone is quite sophisticated and they seem to write with a definite European sensibility and flair.

2 comments about Environmental Psychology for Design.

1. This was a required school text which I was very excited to buy, but I found the level of information was more general than I wanted. The author has certainly pooled together great amounts of research in each chapter (eg. children, elderly, commercial space) and admittedly gives plenty of references to delve further into, which I did. As an interior design senior with children and aging parents who has worked in corporate and retail spaces, the information provided seemed more in the common sense arena. Maybe it's just me.
   
   I also found the repetitive nature of the text a little tedious, and the core information could have been compressed considerably. The review sections and then further questions to ponder after each chapter struck me as more high school than senior level, or maybe the book is the culmination of powerpoint slide shows the author delivers in class?
   
   I'm sure readers will find it interesting but in the end I was disappointed at the value added versus book cost. Ouch.



2. This book is a must for anyone studying architecture and or interior design as well as those practicing professionals who desire an understanding of environmental psychology. It is organized in easy to comprehend chapters by subject. This book is loaded with information that addresses issues design professionals need to consider in their design process. This book is filled with practical ideas and solutions. You will understand how important good design plays on the overall well being of the end user.
   
   No architecture or design curriculum should be without this book as required reading.

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 Pottery Barn Living Rooms (Pottery Barn Design Library).

1. I am rather insecure when it comes to interior design, yet I have the desire to have a beautiful home on a budget. This book helped me not only identify a color palate for my living room, but gave me ideas to easily change the look for the change of seasons. It helped my husband and I create our own casual, yet polished look that we are proud to call home!



2. I really have enjoyed this book. Though I have not found every page useful, there are enough ideas to make it worth the purchase. The chapters cover many important design aspects in a living room: your style, space, color, texture, furnishings, lighting, windows, storage, accessories and display. Be aware that it is naturally focused to the Pottery Barn style of decorating - which can be somewhat generic. But there are enough inspirational ideas that you can interpret and make them work for you whether you shop at Pottery Barn or not.



3. GREAT book and great series (all the Pottery Barn Design Library books)! I have an interior design background, and this series is the best I've ever read --- great design and storage ideas that are easy to do and the ideas are multi-faceted, so you could use in another room, etc.



4. I have read/used three of the Pottery Barn books listed in order of my opinion of them: Baths, Living Rooms, and Bedrooms. Baths was very good, with beautiful photographs, interesting and innovative ideas, and some useful design advice. Most of the book provided a several page showcase for an individual bath with discussion of what made it special.
   
   Living rooms was OK. It's content was more canned, but it still had some inspiration and enough ideas that were useful that although I would not put it amongst the best such books, it was worth an hour or two to browse.
   
   Bedrooms hit the bottom of the list for me. The content seemed especially canned. The ideas were not fully developed and most of them appeared to me more appropriate to someone's first apartment than an established home (so it just needs the right audience?). Lot's of the pictures involved just using eclectic pieces and did not involve actually developing a decorative theme.



5. I think Pottery Barn livingrooms gives clear, memorable design ideas that all point to achieving a sense of calm in your nest. Beyond that they show you how to mix textures, periods and shapes to make your space interesting. And maybe best of all they give us rooms that are nicely edited so that every special detail, or object's qualities can be appreciated. It's a very good guide to good taste.