5 comments about Design Directory of Window Treatments, The.

1. Fast and simple, my title says it all. The book is well worth the cost, with wonderful sketches and terrific organization.



2. Fabulous! Most comprhensive in the window covering industry. Which does make it large and heavy. Highly recommend this book



3. I am an interior designer with a start up company. The Design Directory of Window Treatments is an absolute much- this is an invaluable tool to someone who really needs assistance with window treatments. The CD is also a great tool. I could not be happier with my purchase!



4. Clear illustrations. I think about every type of window treatment is covered. Can help maximize sales with customers. A must have for all Drapery Professionals and Designers. No more misunderstandings between customer and designers. Can hardly wait for Jackie's NEW bedcovering book to come out next year. I will be one of the first to buy it.



5. I've been making window treatments for about 6 yrs and I have to say that this is my favorite book by far of all the window treatments books that I have purchased. Not only does it give all sorts of great information its sketches are sooo creative. I find designs in this book that I have not seen anywhere before. A must have for all workrooms!!!

3 comments about Zakka Sewing: 25 Japanese Projects for the Household.

1. If you are addicted to those adorable Japanese Craft Magazines, but find yourself frustrated by their lack of instructions in English, then you should check out this book. There are 25 projects here - from the very simple such as potholders and book covers to the more complicated such as comfy room shoes.
   
   The book is beginner friendly with a section on simple sewing techniques, and descriptions of tools & materials needed. A person with more advanced skills may find some of the projects too simple. And some may wonder about the necessity of projects like covered tape measures or corsage pincushions. Still, other projects hit home. For me, the slippers are a must-do. These are nearly impossible to make if you have to rely solely on Japanese instructions. Other favorites of mine are the sashiko projects and the bird pillow. There is a list of helpful resources in the back.
   
   Cute! I hope this is the first of many more English language zakka books to come.



2. Full of great sewing projects that are unique, well explained and useful. I found several that I look forward to making, including the bunny wallet and bunny pencil case. Very unique, high quality projects.



3. This book is exactly what I've been looking for. It has simple and cute sewing projects. I bought the book yesterday and I have already started on the bunny wallet today.

5 comments about An Affair with a House.

1. Many design books only use words to describe the pictures. While reading these types of books, I find myself only paying attention to the pictures. However, "An Affair with a House" captures Williams's personal story while still vividly displaying her passion for design. If only we could all feel the connection for our houses as she has for her's.



2. Thirty years ago Bunny Williams fell in love with a run down 18th century farmhouse that was being used as a rental by college students. (That should indicate to you just how run down it had become.) She has done so much to restore the house and grounds to their glory days. The landscaping projects alone have taken decades to reach their potential. As Bunny's father pointed out, that had she not been a young woman when she bought the house, the project would have outlived her. Instead, she had the time and talent to bring this house into her vision of what a gracious old home should be.
   
   A renown decorator of others' homes, when Bunny was working on her own dream house, no corners were cut and no expense spared. This book describes how she envisioned the hedges, the entrance foyer, the living room, the kitchen, the patio - and then what she did to bring that vision to reality. There is an amazing sequence as she describes what she felt would be the ideal color of the entrance hall - a delicate peach that she had once seen in the table linen of a restaurant in Tuscany - and what she did to reproduce that color.
   
   The attention to detail that Bunny paid to every aspect of her home over thirty years has resulted in a place that is a true reflection of the owner's passions. The spaces devoted to her beloved dogs; the collections she has gathered through the years; the way she found the perfect place to work in an old wing chair that belonged to her late father.
   
   Bunny also loves to entertain. She shows us her dining areas; how she settled on certain tables; her collections of tableware and linens; and the storage areas. But she doesn't stop there - she shares her favorite methods of flower arranging, and gives us some lovely recipes. It's just another nice touch in this jewel of a book.
   
   "An Affair with a House" isn't a decorating book, per se. It's one woman's story about how she reclaimed a neglected house and brought it back to life. This a beautiful book to spend an afternoon looking through and, if you like the traditional styles, you can find plenty of inspiration from Bunny Williams' own story.
   
   Highly recommended!!!



3. I've read reviews of this book that told how people were appalled at the materialistic aspects of this book. We live fairly simply, but like to look at a home put together beautifully, because it is filled with belongings that they personally chose and collected, and more importantly--hobbies and interests that they treasure . I was impressed that they loved their home.
   
   These people enjoy "living". They garden, travel, raise chickens, cook, entertain, and love their dogs. They are interesting because they pursue learning about life. I guess I've always thought that wealthy living was portrayed in a boring way. You can enjoy your home and really live life and learning in whatever size home you have.



4. I have always loved older homes. Every room in this book tells a story. This book is a great tool in preparing you for lifes journey in restoring an older house. When you decide to make you your house a home, and your dreams a reality. The author reminders the readers that it takes time to accomplish your goals. The pictures are just amazing. I will treasure this book for years to come.



5. Fantastic decorating book! The pictures in the book are as lovely as seeing Bunny William's home in person. I recently toured her home and garden in Litchfield County. It is a beautiful, charming estate. The book is a wonderful memory and reference for me. Very inspiring!

5 comments about My French Life.

1. I've always had a fascination with anything french! Oh I loved this book so much and intend to read it again and again! BEAUTIFULLY DONE! BEAUTIFUL WRITING...I hung on every beautiful word!....Photography couldn't have been more spectacular! I feel closer to France now more than ever!



2. This book is just devine. It will inspire you to take risks, uproot your life and follow your dreams. Vicki and her husband David fell in love with a farmhouse in Provence while holidaying, and have lovingly restored the house and surrounding acreage. The house is truly beautiful and I now have Provence on my list of places I must visit soon. What is interesting is how she made this her new life, learnt a new language, gives us her viewpoint of the French and way of life. What living in France is like to someone who is not French but has chosen it as their new home.
   Vicki also covers Paris - I am thankfully going there next year!
   The photography, thanks to Carla Coulson is spectacular,and this is a beautiful book.
   Vicki also shares a list of shops in Paris and in Saint-Remy-de-Provence she recommends, plus movies, books and music that have have inspired her love of all things French.
   Thank you for sharing your journey with us Vicki.



3. I have never read anything so utterly pretentious -- how wonderful that Ms Archer found this paradise and, at untold cost, restored it brick by brick, stone by stone, using the best local craftspeople,artisans, antiquarians and the like (and who all, along the way, became her new best friends)-- and telling us in the most mundane style how lucky she is to be able to sit and watch the olives grow while also tripping off to Paris or London (her now home).
   
   Her ultimate coup, it seems, and which Ms. Archer proudly tells us she has received, was recognition,by the French Security person at the airport,of her HERMES BERKIN handbag. He informed her that she had bought the most perfect item in the whole world, made with utmost craftsmanship at Hermes-- and she has the privilege of owning it! MON DIEU!!!
   
   Luckily, I got this book from my local library and thus have not added a centime to her rather full coffers. SAVE YOUR MONEY! BETTER TO DONATE IT TO A WORTHY CAUSE!!!!



4. I remember doing a search quite a while back for French Life (or something similiar) and found this book right before it's release. I immediately put it on my Wish List and kind of forgot about it.
   
   A few months later, I found it again (going through my list) and decided I didn't want to spend $35 for this book so after much waiting it became available thru inter-library loan.
   
   Let me tell you that I am so glad I was able to get it this way rather than pay for this overly-plush, terribly written book. Such a letdown..boring writing with heady photographs.
   You will not learn anything new about the French in this book. It's the same thing: French style, food, politeness, slow pace, etc. And I got really sick of the author's constant referrals to her olive farm.
   
   Best book on French style: Veronique Vienne's French Style: How to Think, Shop & Dress Like a Frenchwoman...magnificient OOP book but absolutely worth the inflated price.
   Best book on French cuisine and life: Robert Arbor's Joie de Vivre.
   
   Don't waste your time with this one. You'll just be paying for padded fluff.



5. If you don't have the time or money to go to Paris, this is the next best thing. The photos are dreamy and really wonderful. Put on French music, poor a glass of wine and your there!!!

5 comments about Country French Florals & Interiors (Home Reference).

1. Not as great as I thought - a bit disappointing - decor a bit stuffy and
   outdated.



2. I can't get enough of Charles Faudree......I have his other two books & this one is a wonderful addition to the continuing process of his being ahead of the curve.
   
   I travel often & his decor accents are all globally purchased...has to be since I only see them in the exotic countries I travel to. I am impressed that he decorated a gorgeous Spanish Mansion & wish I could afford to hire him for my plantation.
   
   Happy Reading & Be Inspired!



3. Another wonderful book by Charles his taste is a inspiration to home owners. I was very pleased to see that he kept the wonderful Tole Figures in his own home, that he purchased from me. Ted



4. I have been a Charles Faudree fan for years and eagerly awaited the publication of his first book, then second and now third. Every time I go to Tulsa, I make it a point to go to his shop and try to absorb some of the class and style that is such an inherent part of his design philosophy...and I have managed to purchase a bauble or two to add to my own decor. This trip we were fortunate enough to meet Toni Garner at her shop. She's friendly, helpful and her shop smelled like heaven. She was in the midst of a move to a new location and was obviously trying to get a very large order out the door, but she graciously took time to chat about the book with us.
   
   The interiors shown in this book probably don't show us much new about French Country design, but the main theme of this book isn't necessarily the interior design, but it serves as a showcase in the use of incredibly beautiful flowers to enhance the overall beauty of these rooms. If a book makes me yearn to step through the pages and take up residence in the houses it chronicles, then it's a winner for me.



5. I bought this book expecting so much more and I was very disappointed. The pictures are lovely but I've seen them before and the text is nothing new. This is a book formed out of all the stuff that was on the cuttingroom floor from the last books. Save your money and buy gas for your car.

5 comments about Inspirations from France & Italy.

1. This is the best book yet in a very interesting series. The illustrations, easy to understand and helpful captions and the historically interesting and practical text combine to make this a welcome guide and reference. Best of all, it describes the kind of home and furnishings most men should love. It is not foo-foo French. It is fun French, with a little Italian flavor thrown in for excitement. Every man should buy this book for his wife or equivalent in the hopes that some day he might enjoy living in such an enjoyable setting.



2. As an interior designer I have collected, and review often, all of Ms.Phillips' previous books.
   For me, INSPIRATIONS FROM FRANCE AND ITALY is the most spectacular of them all.
   It is an irresistable voyage through beautiful gardens and interiors.
   A feast for the eyes.
   The dazzling photographs bring to life interiors and exteriors that are both inspiring and transporting.
   I am anxiously awaiting Betty Lou's next fabulous complilation of beauty, style and inspiration.
   Taylor Lee
   San Francisco CA



3. I love Betty Lou Phillips' books...I have every one...but this one is just okay. Normally she has some of the most clever "out of the box" styling ideas I have ever seen, but that is not what I saw in this book. However, if you want some great design books collect all her others...you won't be disappointed.



4. Betty Lou Phillips has done it again. This a a lovely book, rich with photographs of the most stunning homes. What I took away was the feeling of light. The windows in most of the rooms were huge, and they gave every room a sense of the outdoors, of light and air and space. Very charming. What added to the impression of relaxation, light and air, was that the colors in the room were so often pale. There were no pieces of furniture that screamed, only soothing colors and comfortable spaces.
   
   I have no idea who invented small, stubby windows, but every tract home in American has plenty of them--and it's too bad.



5. This book gave me great ideas for decorating my home. I look through it periodically just to see if I've missed something, and I always pick up something. I recommend it if your into decorating French or Italian style.

5 comments about Decorating Idea Book (Idea Books).

1. My Decorating Idea Book has given me many ideas and good tips. It's on loan right now to a friend who just bought a house and is moving in! I will hopefully build later in the year, but I want to know what I want before I begin. This book has the information and pictures I need to help me make decisions! I like it!



2. There are so many ideas in this book that I've dogeared nearly every page, and my friends and coworkers will have to buy their own copies because I'm tired of lending it out!



3. This book is an excellent resource, filled with creative and beautiful ideas for improving your home interior's appearance. Helps the reader see interesting ways they can apply her ideas to refresh the visual design of their rooms. Very creative and inspiring, but useful and do-able ideas. Good job, Heather!



4. This book is a visual feast for the eyes. The pictures are warm and inviting. The author really knows how to put rooms together and gives you wonderful examples to follow. A good book for anyone interested in interior decorating/design. Plus, it's a lovely enough book to use as a coffee table book.



5. It's great that it has a lot of picture, and just enough texts to explain. But I wish the designs are more modern and elegant rather than old fashioned and busy.

5 comments about Apartment Therapy: The Eight-Step Home Cure.

1. I first started with this book in December of 2007 and have revisited it more times than I can count. I got it from the library and am finally purchasing my own copy because they kept making me bring it back (imagine that!).
   
   While I can understand the other reviewers frustration with its lack of visuals to back up its content, I actually find that refreshing. Instead of showing you other people's spaces, styles and solutions, it walks you through the process of analyzing your own space, defining your own style, and addressing the direct and indirect lifestyle issues that affect how your home actually functions.
   
   Once I was able to recognize and rectify the issues this book helped me identify, it was amazing how things began to come together. It has been a phenomenal springboard for our home in terms of both healthy functioning, and creating a decorative scheme that actually works with who we are.



2. I am extremely pleased with this book. I didn't expect so many checklists, diagrams, illustrations, different ways to analyze and consider your need and style and preferences-- this little book is just PACKED full of good stuff and it's FUN to read-- go figure! The underlying ideas are very reminiscent of old Feng Shui ideas-- that your living space affects your mood and thus your life-- except more practical and without the superstition. I loved the explanation of flow through the apartment, and the easy, step-by-step weekly plans-- because otherwise it would all be too overwhelming. But it's not overwhelming because the author really holds your hand and walks you through the whole process and it's quite enjoyable! Whew, what a relief!



3. The book is both informative and entertaining...
   It is a good read ... Easy to absorb ...
   Definitely suggest one take the time to plan
   ahead before starting to remodel ... even if
   it is on a small scale ... Vince - Wellington, Ks



4. This book is a great way to discover where you are and how our homes refelct it. It all works together - find out how and how to change that. Great "therapy" for you and your home!



5. I have been struggling with my 350 sq. ft. studio and this book has been an incredible help. It gives you a plan to follow which helps you maintain your focus and provide some pacing. Trying to come up with a plan on my own had me frazzled since I was trying to do a million things at once and actually accomplishing very little.
   
   It also provides a lot of valuable tips on how make decisions and behind the scenes tips on how to organize cords, create wall displays and set up lighting.
   
   So, buy it already.

5 comments about Inside the Not So Big House: Discovering the Details that Bring a Home to Life (Susanka).

1. I am hooked on Susanka's books describing how to give our homes more of the character found in 50+ and older homes. I'm hoping to build using some of the detailing she explains, instead of having to buy an old house and renovate, in order to get a cozy, unique and homey dwelling.



2. I bought and then gutted a 1960s, three-story, 3,700 SF office building. Serving as my own architect and general contractor, I completed the two lower floors as offices for my professional engineering firm. I then turned my attention to converting the third floor into a luxury two-bedroom apartment.
   
   Although my original intent was to make the apartment a rental space, family circumstances of a regrettable but common kind will soon require me to make the apartment my own residence. With the floor plans nearly completed, I realized that the "oh my God" reaction from first-time visitors that I was seeking required great attention to detail.
   
   During the design of the office portions, I had studied about a dozen design books from Amazon and now wanted resources for the architectural details of the apartment. (Architectural details include windows and doors, floor, ceiling, and wall finishes, cabinetry, molding and other millwork.) With architectural details well done, the apartment or home looks inviting and interesting even before furnishings and decorator items are added.
   
   This book was the third to arrive of the ten I ordered so far. The first two were entirely forgettable, but this one yielded a dozen good ideas.
   
   The 210-page book has a chapter for each of twenty-three projects, each by a different architect. Most projects were renovations of a home of 1,200 - 2,100 SF. Architectural interior detail styles range from craftsman and usonian, to contemporary and gentle modern. Each project is notable more for the interior design details than for the building exterior or site.
   
   My favorite, but not my only source of ideas, was a Block Island cottage by the Newport architect, James Estes. My apartment, located at a charming 1900-vintage village center of a NYC suburb is 15 miles from the nearest salt water, but the quiet serenity and color palettes of an ocean-front cottage had been in my mind as an organizing concept for some time. No matter that the large band of windows on the east end overlook a parking lot instead of beach and ocean.
   
   The Amazon listing shows the cover photo, a project not to my liking. You can page through the other pages available on Amazon for other samples. Note the excellent color photography and the expert and well written commentary of Sarah Susanka, the principal author of the many volumes of the Not So Big House series. Co-author Marc Vassallo is an architect, and he now writes fulltime, including fiction.



3. Absoultely amazing insight ....worth every penny; the quality of the photos alone will justify the purchase....it will be the single best expenditure that you can make in building a new home or remodeling an existing area. Makes things so clear that everyone will get it. They say "You don't know what you don't know"....after reading this book and her others in a series....you will know what you did not know that you did not know...Just buy the book and you will understand what I am saying



4. This is one of my favorite books. I love Susanka's style - modern, but also friendly and warm. The layout of the book is excellent too, lots of photos with helpful annotations.



5. I bought this book because I am looking to renovate my house and I found it very useful. There are plenty of photos of the various details in the houses and a great explanation of how to achieve a similar look. It is an excellent source of ideas if you're looking to transform your home.

5 comments about Atomic Ranch.

1. I love this book!! I live in an "Atomic Ranch" and this book covers the subject very well. Not only are the pictures great, the text is informative. I also subscribe to Atomic Ranch Magazine published by the same authors. If you are a fan of this genre, both are highly recommended!



2. I love this book! The author's magazine (of the same name) is awesome and this book covers homes from the early issues which are no longer available (issues, not homes). I love seeing the beautiful interiors and exteriors of modest size homes which most people consider beneath their notice because they aren't historically "old enough" or architecturally significant.
   
   I have learned a lot about mid-century modern homes from reading this book. The photos are great and the book is very informative.
   
   If you live in a plain ranch home, and enjoy a streamlined style of living, then I highly suggest you get this book. It is full of practical tips and resources.



3. Very nice book with lots of great photos they are mostly a collection from the magazine but worth having if you are into MCM.



4. God Bless the folks at Atomic Ranch! I have been a subscriber to the Magazine for over 2 years now and have been dying to get the book. Finally, after a couple of strong hints, my wife got it for me for my birthday.
   This book is chock full of beautiful photographs of incredible mid-century masterpieces. Some are preserved, some restored, and some modernized.
   If this is your thing, (and I doubt you'd be reading these reviews if it wasn't)then this is the book you want. I've gambled on a few other books covering ranch homes, and none of them come close to this book. BUY IT!



5. Good book with lots of interior and exterior pictures of houses. Only improvement would be more mod accessories shown, but overall I would recommend.