Reviews (1)

the cabin book is just super!
I just received this book in the mail from Amazon.It is wonderful, it is art. It is everything and much, much more.If you want to get design ideas for a crafted cabin of quality, THIS IS THE BOOK! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. General    3. History - Specific Styles    4. Log cabins    5. Pictorial works    6. United States    7. Architecture / General    8. Architecture / Interior Design    9. Houses, apartments, flats, etc    10. Interior design    11. USA   

Reviews (15)

Should add to title "And Owners who did a lot of work themselves"
Lovely book, love the idea, got some great ideas for my remodel. However, the author makes clear that one of the most cost-savings measures the owners took, house after house, was to do the work, or some of it, themselves. That's great, if you already work with concrete or metal or can use autoCAD, but for the rest of us, it makes some of the ideas as expensive as before. In addition, the author relied on pictures in the book, which is always great, but the text didn't really cover all of the cost-savings ideas seen in the pictures. Going through the book, I kept wanting more and more detail.
ideas for the house
The book has some very good, inexpensive ways to update your home.definately worth the price !

Disappointing
Most of the book dealt with improving existing construction, not building new .... & most of it was very modern & brightly coloured. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Decorating - General    2. Design and construction    3. Do-It-Yourself    4. Dwellings    5. General    6. Home Improvement / Construction    7. House & Home    8. Interior Design - General    9. Residential Construction    10. Home furnishing & decoration    11. House & Home / General   

Reviews (46)

We laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed
This book was hilarious, almost without letup.I don't know if you had to be there -- in those houses, in the '70's, when we kids _knew_ something wasn't adding up -- but James Lileks just hits the nail on the head.We laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed.This is his funniest book.

What were we thinking??
This book is one of those cases where I may have seen a similar bedroom layout in a magazine thirty or so years ago and thought it was cool or got decorating ideas from it.Thirty years later? Whooo, that's awful, what was I thinking?For as loud as the colors were, I remember them as seeming grayed-out or browned-out, as if the dyes and the synthetic fibers of the day hated each other.I really liked that shag carpet in my room that looked like somebody puked up a bunch of Skittles? Yes.. yes I did. What was I thinking??
That's Shag baby, Yeah!!
Do you actuallylike to have big helpful arrows pointing you to your bed, A wallpaper print of giant logs in the living room? 3 foot deep shag rug(orange, of corse) in the bathroom? If so, you won't like this book! If not, you'll laugh and wonder along with the author "What were they thinking??" when you read this book, concerning the.. shall we say, quirkier interior design ideas from the 70's. I particlaurly liked the Peter Max decal that dominated all the things in the closet. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Aesthetics, American    3. General    4. History    5. Humor    6. Interior Design - General    7. Interior decoration    8. Nineteen seventies    9. United States    10. Humor / General   

Reviews (13)

Great reference book
Although I have a much smaller home, I am using much of the design elements by Ms. Phillips in the renovation of my home.

A Decorator's Dream
So many lovely pictures!I am using many of the design ideas in decorating my new kitchen and breakfast room in the Country French style.I would recommend this book to everyone who is a visual learner.

Not bad, but pretty much the same look throughout
This decorating book has plenty of pictures, but I was a little disappointed that the only color scheme included was monochromatic.This is a very soothing look, but after a while the pictures start to look the same. I was hoping for some different ideas, but this book showed pretty much one idea throughout.
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Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. France    3. Influence    4. Interior Design - General    5. Interior Design - Style Books    6. Interior decoration    7. Italy    8. United States    9. House & Home / Decorating    10. Interior design   

Reviews (10)

Fantastic, Helpful, Informative Book about using Stone in your Home
We are considering having our kitchen remodeled and definitely want to replace the current Corian with some type of stone. This book covers stone used in kitchens and baths. Besides the gorgeous photographs, the book includes lots of helpful tips in helping you chose the right stone for your project. Each photo is described with caption of what the stone is, including the pattern or color. The chapters include the stone kitchen, bath, floor and architectural stone. What is really nice is that it addresses various possible focal points, such as the stone vent hood in the kitchen or a beautiful stone fireplace.
I love this book!!
This book describes the nature of various types of stones and the recommended usage inside and outside the home.I've used this book as a guide to show my local stone dealer what type of stones I'm looking for.And also used it to illustrate the concept of my dream home to my Interior Designer, she understood immediately without us having to go through many rounds of interview to get it right.As a result, my dream home is now almost complete with stones from all over the world, marbles from Spain, Italy, Iran.... granite from Norway and Indonesia... coral stones, tumblestones, slates, and many more....Wonderful pictures and illustrations, I'd recommend this book to anyone!Suitable for modern Asian homes too!

Excellent Stone Resource & Nice Pictures
I work for a natural stone retailer in Texas, and this book gives me ideas for customers.Many of my store's clients want to take this book home or buy it.I don't let them take it home of course; I suggest that they buy one on Amazon.com.
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Subjects:  1. Decorating    2. Decorating - General    3. Home Improvement / Construction    4. House & Home    5. Interior Design - General    6. Remodeling & Renovation - Bathrooms    7. Remodeling & Renovation - General    8. Remodeling & Renovation - Kitchens    9. Stone in interior decoration    10. Architecture / Interior Design    11. Home furnishing & decoration    12. Interior design   

Reviews (29)

Floorplans and great photos
I really like it that the floorplan for each place is included.
Does anyone LIVE like this?
Seriously, the book is beautifully photographed and the rooms are very well designed if you like rooms where no one actually has to LIVE...
My bad?
Perhaps it's my misunderstanding of the purpose of this book. or the implication of the title. In sum, it's stuffed with pretty pictures of overdecorated spaces - and nothing, & I mean N-O-T-H-I-N-G remotely useful for utilizing small spaces.
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Subjects:  1. Apartments    2. Architecture    3. Decorating    4. Decorating - General    5. House & Home    6. Interior Design - Style Books    7. Interior decoration    8. Interior design    9. Personal space    10. House & Home / Decorating   

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Decorating    3. Decorating - General    4. House & Home    5. Interior Design - Professional Reference    6. Home furnishing & decoration    7. House & Home / Decorating   

Reviews (5)

MSUT HAVE FOR DESIGNERS!
I got this book for my Sr. Design class where we are designing a retail store.This book is a MUST HAVE for an interior designer... students especially....
great reference book
book is packed with useful diagrams and illustrations.A highly recommended alternative to better known expensive standards books.It is a very handy desktop reference!

Poor substitute for "Time Saver Standards"
I bought this book as an inexpensive alternative to "TIME SAVER STANDARDS FOR INTERIOR DESIGN AND SPACE PLANNING" by Joseph Dechiara and found it to be a poor substitute.While this book has useful information on human dimensions it falls short when portraying ergonomic information.OK for an introductory book on the subject but "TIME SAVER STANDARDS..." is a far superior reference. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Anthropometry    2. Architecture    3. Decorating    4. Human factors    5. Interior Design - General    6. Interior decoration    7. Tables    8. Interior design   

Reviews (2)

Balinese houses - paradise.
This is a genuinely fine book. The photographs are spectacular, with fine color and resolution.
bali houses
Good overall but not as informative as Bali Modern another book by same author. PHotography excellent. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Architecture, Domestic    3. Bali Island    4. Domestic    5. Indonesia    6. Interior Design - General    7. Interior Design - Style Books    8. Interior architecture    9. Interior decoration    10. International Architecture - Asian    11. Architectural structure & design    12. Bali    13. Interior design    14. Residential buildings, domestic buildings   

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Architecture    3. Architecture, Modern    4. Criticism    5. Esthetics    6. Individual Architect    7. Influence    8. Modern movement (Architecture)    9. Philosophy Of Architecture    10. Smithson, Alison Margaret    11. Smithson, Peter    12. Themes, motives    13. Architecture / Interior Design    14. Theory of architecture   

Reviews (21)

Not a bad read!
I have a hard time actually judging if these books are good or bad, being that I don't really have much of a Feng Shui background.
One of the best Feng Shui books I've found so far
Easy to read and has nice examples that help a lot in understanding the concepts

I neednew copy because a friend swiped mine
I found this book very helpful.It was originally reviewed by a student of mine for a college class which led me to buy Collins' other book "Feng Shui Room by Room".I like the other book even better (I would give it 5 stars).These books bring the concepts into focus for use in a western setting.I transformed two major parts of my house within the first week and it was life changing.In fact I was able to make some powerful changes the first night.Also I didn't spend a lot of money but rather used things I already owned and loved that were either in storage or in the wrong place.I found myself loving my house for the first time in many years instead of constantly thinking about moving. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Architecture, Domestic    3. Feng Shui    4. Home Improvement / Construction    5. Interior Design    6. Interior Design - General    7. Fortune-telling & divination    8. Office & workplace   

Reviews (17)

Great Idea Book for Window Treatments
This fifth edition has all the sketches in color.Just to give you an idea of how comprehensive this is, there are 19 pages showing valances, with five per page.I love this book, as it really opened our minds to the variety of styles available for windows.No more boring windows.
Picture guide--okay but not complete
This is a book of window treatment sketches.Unfortunately, it is far from complete and lacks many styles. We do use this book in the trade, but I wish it were more complete--I find it lacking with many new styles.It also lacks many of the current styles being offered by the professional pattern companies.

Encyclopedia of Window Fashions
This book has great ideas and beautiful pictures and drawings.It is, however a little outdated in my opinion.Would like to see a revised edition by this author with more up to date styles. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Decorating - Windows    3. Decoration & Ornament    4. Do-It-Yourself    5. Draperies in interior decoration    6. House & Home    7. Interior Design - Professional Reference    8. Remodeling & Renovation - General    9. Window shades    10. Home furnishing & decoration    11. Reference   

Reviews (11)

My dreams come true
I have had great difficulty in finding good information about Japanese soaking tubs of the kind that I saw in Japan. This book, written for the U.S. market, not only contains a plethora of wonderful pictures and ideas for the tub I was planning for my bathroom, it included suppliers and other resources that have proven invaluable.

This has changed my bathing habits forever...
I love the concepts in this book, so much so that I long to have a house with two bathrooms, one with toilet, one without, with a separate bath and shower area, and if I can't have a view with a nice garden, I could at least have a great overhead skylight. Now, doesn't that sound like heaven?!
Loved this little book Japanese Baths
Loved this little book. Great pictures. Very interesting reading detailing the whys and hows of the traditional Japanese style of bathing. Was originally looking for information and ideas on building my own ofuro and Japanese bath. Gained a lot of info from this book to come up with my own ideas and plans..... If you are trying to de-stress your life and live more peaceful and zen like, you will like this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Bathing customs    3. Baths    4. Beauty & Grooming - General    5. Customs & Traditions    6. Decorating    7. Fashion & Grooming    8. Interior Design - General    9. Japan    10. Remodeling & Renovation - Bathrooms    11. Home furnishing & decoration    12. House & Home / General   

Reviews (8)

Like being in the garden.
The beautiful photographs in this book will take you away.This book is all about the pictures.The text is limited.I liked that.The book is a nice size.Easy to pick up and look through.Recommend it.

Amazing Mexican Book
I love this book a LOT! It contains lots of Colored Photographs. I am planning on fixing our house which has been left unfinished for the past 13 years and will get Ideas from this book.

Perfect Book For My Choice
I actually ordered this for a friend of mine who needed some ideas on decorating her house. So when I recieved it in the mail, I fipped through it and was really, really happy with my choice. The pictures are colorful, and there are so many pictures to give ideas to anyone wanting to decorate their home mexican style.My friend loved the book as well, she kept thanking me for the next two weeks. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Domestic    3. Garden Design    4. Gardening / Horticulture    5. Gardens    6. General    7. Interior Design - General    8. Mexico    9. Outdoor & Recreational Areas - General    10. Outdoor living spaces    11. Patios    12. Pictorial works    13. Subjects & Themes - General    14. Gardening / Garden Design    15. Landscape art & architecture   

Reviews (5)

INSPIRING!
Wow, what a gorgeous book.We look at it again and again for indoor and outdoor inspiration.You will be completely delighted by this book which captures golden light!

BEAUTIFUL PHOTOS....
Pure and simple, for most of us PROVEN�AL HOUSE is a coffee table book filled with exquisite detail found in several dozen homes in the south of France. Author, Joanna Thornycroft, has classified the structures Andreas Von Einsiedel photographed into `Town', `Manor' or `Country' houses. Short on text and long on photos, the premise of this publication seems to be a picure is worth a thousand words.Beginning with houses in the French Rivera and ending with Le Murier in hameau das Auvis, the author takes you on a trip through the land painted by Van Gogh and Pagnol.
great inspirational book
I can be critical of design and house books after seeing so many, so it's a relief to finally be able to give a book five stars. The photographs are authentic and detail everything from interior to exterior, including gardens. The essence of French provincal style is captured and distilled here. The writing is clever and concise, although you'll hardly notice it because the pictures are so brilliant. This is an essential book if you're trying to capture the French provencal look in house design or interior design. This book gives you an authentic source reference. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Architecture, Domestic    3. Domestic    4. Dwellings    5. France    6. General    7. Interior Design - Style Books    8. Interior decoration    9. International Architecture - European    10. Pictorial works    11. Provence    12. Provence (France)    13. Reference    14. Social life and customs    15. Architecture / General   

Reviews (1)

Elegant, exhaustive and authoritative
Oh, this is an elegant book, with highly detailed drawings of every molding, mantels, doors, room designs, etc. that you can imagine, all in the beautiful American Federal Style.In this book, you can 'invade' historic homes and 'walk out' with measured detailed drawings of all of the best features -- without anyone catching you in the act. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 18th century    2. 19th century    3. Architecture    4. Decoration and ornament    5. Federal style    6. Historic Preservation    7. History    8. Interior Design - General    9. Interior architecture    10. New England    11. United States    12. Architecture / Historic Preservation    13. USA   

Reviews (3)

NEVER RECEIVED IT-WHERE IS IT?
I AM EXTREMLY UPSET.... I ORDERED THIS ITEM BACK IN JANUARY & NEVER RECEIVED IT!WHY WAS IT ON BACK ORDER FOR SOOOOO LONG, AND WAS I EVER CHARGED FOR IT??????

Highly recommend.......
this book is terrific!I thought i was just nosey when I read it front to back..........and then i realized everyone who comes to my home picks it up and can't put it down too!The pictures are terrific......the articles about the stars are well written and it would make a wonderful gift too.
Amazing Collection Of Pictures!
This is a terrific book! It's a large coffee table book with rare photos of Jayne Mansfield, Jean Harlow, Judy Garland, Carole Lombard, and Marilyn Monroe in their homes. You get to see Jayne in her heart shaped bathtub, Jean looking at her autograph collection, and Judy singing in her bedroom. There are also some wonderful articles written by David Stenn, Gerald Clarke, and others. The book has some current actors in it too (John Travolta, Diane Keaton). It would make a wonderful gift for a classic film fan. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Celebrities    3. Domestic    4. Homes and haunts    5. Interior Design - General    6. Interior decoration    7. Residential Buildings Architecture    8. Residential Interior Design    9. U.S. Architecture - General    10. Architecture / General    11. Home furnishing & decoration    12. Interior design    13. USA   

Subjects:  1. Architectural design    2. Architecture    3. Interior Design - General    4. Architecture / Interior Design   

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Architecture, Domestic    3. Arts And Crafts    4. Arts and crafts movement    5. Design & Drafting    6. Design - Furniture    7. Designs and plans    8. Government - Legislative Branch    9. House Plans    10. Individual Architect    11. Residential Interior Design    12. United States    13. Architecture / Individual Architect    14. Individual architects    15. Residential buildings, domestic buildings   

Reviews (5)

a MUST in ANY LIBRARY!
A book of grace and perfect taste. A good book to come back to when you need another idea... end tables, curtains, carpets, furniture placement...... lovely ideas...ideas that can work in a small apartment, modest colonial or grand house..... it's the 1 book in my collection of 50 or more interior design books that I would NOT sell...it is my favorite....

Beyond CLASSIC
A must have reference for any professional or amature decorator. But be warned, if this is your first book by Lady Henrietta you will be hooked and will soon order her entire body of work.

Classic English Interiors
If you love English country house style, this book epitomizes"classic."Whether the schemes are soft and pastel or bright andbold, the classic fabrics, patterns, and antiques pull it all together. There are plenty of gorgeously formal stately home rooms, but the author isan interior designer who also designs for more modest homes, and they allhave inspiring ideas that can be translated to an average person's designschemes in terms of how to use color and pattern.Beautiful, crispphotography showcases the rooms to perfection. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Architecture    2. Blenheim Palace (England)    3. Decorating    4. Domestic    5. England    6. Interior Design - Style Books    7. Interior decoration    8. Manors    9. Oxfordshire    10. Residential Interior Design    11. Architecture / Interior Design