No comments about Alberto Pinto Bedrooms.

No comments about Holiday Decorating for Dummies.

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

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



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



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



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



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

2 comments about The House Always Wins: America’s Most Trusted Home Columnist’s Guide to Creating Your (Almost) Perfect Dream House.

1. What a wonderful, witty, informative and engaging book. There is something for everyone within the covers of this book. It takes you from the very earliest stages of decorating your home to the completed look without the expense of a decorator, all done with a wonderful sense of humor describing the perils we have all experienced. If you have ever had to deal with contractors, painters, no-shows, budgets and calamaties here is the help we all need to prevent those costly mistakes. I loved the feeling of familiarity with the experiences of the author and had many a laugh along the way. I can think of no better way to chart a course to a warm, personal touch in my home than to use this book as my decorating bible.



2. This is the book you will wish you had written. Haven't we all felt like we were in the Tom Hanks movie 'The Money Pit' a time or two when trying to dress our nest?
   
   Marni Jameson takes you through her journey of learning how to find your true style, develop a workable (and affordable) plan of action, and, most importantly, how to both learn from AND laugh at your mistakes.
   You'll cry from laughing and commiserating with her over things that you may have experienced in your quests...but you'll also gain the confidence to get going again.
   
   From yard sale finds to antique stores, close-outs, cast-offs, and special orders...won't it feel good to do it right next time? Or at least be able to have a glass of wine and laugh over your follies? The best part is that Marni infuses the laughs with specific help to make your next attempt a success.
   
   You'll learn why "it never looks as good as in the magazine" but why that is actually A-OK! You'll learn that everyone makes the "cheapskate" mistakes and has contractor "issues" now and then. You'll get some great ideas from Marni...to help you find your OWN ideas. Brilliant concept!
   
   You will enjoy this book and I predict you will see yourself and others in it. In fact, I predict, like me, you'll order a few more copies for those buddettes of yours. Go ahead...make their day!

2 comments about Bathrooms: Just Add Water.

1. I would give this book 10 stars if I could. We're in the process of building our home, and trying to complete 3 stylish, functional bathrooms on a very tight budget. This book arrived just in time for us. "Just Add Water" is jam-packed with practical ideas that cover a wide range of styles, bathroom sizes and budgets. It's important, however, to read the text in this book and not just look at the beautiful coffee table-worthy photographs - otherwise, you may come away with the impression that the bathrooms shown in the book are only for those with very deep pockets. With a little imagination, it's possible to translate the practical ideas in this book to solutions that work in your own home.



2. This magnificent book will help you formulate what you want, from a personal style perspective. Truly brilliant and at the very top of the design world - typical of Terence Conran!

5 comments about Caribbean Style.

1. I live in St.Thomas, USVI and wanted to build a doll house for my 3 yr old to have as a rememberance of living on a tropical island. Since St. Thomas is a US Territory it is more Americanized, so I purchased Caribbean Style for a better refference. It is now my doll house bible. Now my daughter will have a authentic reproduction Caribbean house!



2. this book was not what i had anticipated.
   it might be great for tourists who want to see the true island living,or doll house makers, however,
   as an architecture student and a caribbean native i was not impressed by the literature, or lack thereof.
   excellent photography.



3. My favorite of the Style books. I purchased this when it came out and glad I did. I still enjoy the beautiful pictures that really bring you back to the islands. To me this is the best of all the style books--with other titles English Style, French Style, Spanish Style. Caribbean Style has remained in print and stood the test of time. Also an excellent reference for interior designers for island style.



4. I purchased this book based on the reviews other people had left here, and greatly anticipated it's arrival. When It got here today, I couldn't wait to look through it. As I turned the pages, I wondered if the other reviewers had been looking at the same book! I was hughly disappointed. The only thing I found worthwhile was about the last 35 pages, which showed architectural details in the form of drawn elevations. It showed the different style of homes most commonly found on each island. This must be what the reviewer who said it was a great reference for an interior designer meant. I am an interior designer and other than those few pages, I would never find this book useful as a reference tool. The majority of homes and landscapes were of the locals and had no "style" whatsoever. Many of the photographs were so small you couldn't see any detail. There was very little text, so I am at a loss as to what all these other people are even talking about.
   If you are interested in what the islands look like once you get beyond the hotels and resorts or what the people native to the islands live like, you might find this book interesting, but if you're hoping to see lush tropical gardens and stylish homes with a tropical design theme, this isn't the book you want. Even if you are looking for some historical aspects of design in the islands I much prefer "Caribbean Elegance" by Michael Conners. If I had been in a bookstore and flipped through the pages of this book I would never have purchased it.



5. This is a colorful escape book with beautiful pictures of Carribean architecture. The photos are interesting and well-taken. A great addition to any coffee table. Sometimes when I feel down, all I need to do is jump into these pages and my spirit is refreshed.

No comments about Influential Country Styles: From Traditional American to Rustic French and Modern Scandinavian-the Complete Guide.

No comments about Living Retro.

3 comments about Tropical Colors: The Art of Living with Tropical Flowers.

1. This book is a feast for the eyes. I stumbled on this book in a bookstore and was just mesmerized by the pictures. Beautiful exotic flowers in vivrant colors are arranged artfully in creative settings. Photography is brilliant.



2. I own hundreds of books on all types of design. This book on design with tropical flowers is the absolute most beautiful I have. The ideas depicted in this book are very simple for the most part and easy to do. And yet, the designs create a spectacular effect.



3. I bought this book off of the two other ladies reviews. I was looking for a book that someone like me-buys a handful of flowers then doesn't know how to arrange them-would use. If your creative this book will definitely get you salivating to try and recreate some of these arrangements. The arrangements are for the most part very simple and quietly appealing. If you are not fond of contemporary or modern this book probably isn't for you. The book is a different perspective to just a handful of flowers in a vase, it uses a variety of glass, metal and other containers all with tropical flowers. I'm going to go thumb through it again!

1 comments about Fantastic Floorcloths You Can Paint in a Day.

1. I bought this book and another book because I wanted to paint a floor cloth rather than pay $1000 for one from a gallery.
   Instuctions were great...told me the correct materials to buy and I painted a beautiful floor cloth...that I designed
   I would have given it five stars but I don't think one can paint a quality floor cloth in a day and why would you want to.