Decorate

by Holly Becker & Joanna Copestick

Chronicle Books 2011

ISBN: 978-0-8118-7789-3

*this book was given to me by the publisher*

My Review:

From the Publisher:

In Decorate, the world's top designers and leading décor experts—including Kelly Wearstler, Amy Butler, Jonathan Adler, and many others—come together to share over 1,000 professional tips, ideas, and solutions for every room and every budget. Written and compiled by Holly Becker, founder of the hugely popular design blog Decor8, and Joanna Copestick, acclaimed lifestyle writer, this intensive home décor program combines beautiful inspiration with nuts-and-bolts how-to—for stunning results. More than 500 gorgeous color photographs provide motivation while line illustrations, checklists, shortcuts, and floor plans make it easy to get started. For those looking to make the most of their home and create stylish interiors, Decorate is the start-to-finish resource to keep on the bookshelf for years to come.

Holly Becker is the founder and editor of Decor8blog.com and columnist for RealSimple.com. She lives in Hannover, Germany.

Joanna Copestick is the author of over ten lifestyle and décor books. She lives in London.

Debi Treloar has photographed for Elle Décor, the Sunday Times, and over thirty books. She lives in London.
Decorate: 1,000 Professional Design Ideas for Every Room in Your Home

You will love this book!!
-XOXO

My Favorite Book ~ Design Idea Book ~

Design Idea Book, Learning from Designer Showhouses

by Karen Templer

Sunset Books, pages 252

ISBN: 978-0-8487-3196-0

Out of all the Design/Home Decor books on the market, my favorite is this book.  I find myself going back to this book, time after time. It seems like I find something new every time I open it up.  Design Idea Book was published in 2007, it is going to start showing it's age.  Even so, the inspirations are timeless.  I believe I purchased the book on one of those bargain tables at Books-a-Million but you can get it here ($8.78).

How about a glimpse inside the book?

All photos are property of Sunset Publishing

Now go out and buy this book and then you can thank me when you receive it!
~XOXO~

Design Idea Book: Learning from Designer Showhouses

Home from the Hardware Store - You will love it!

Home from the Hardware Store

by Stephen Antonson and Kathleen Hackett
photos by Lesley Unruh
Rodale Books 2010
ISBN: 978-1-60529-572-5
*I bought this book from Lowe's*

My Review:

From the Publisher:

In Home from the Hardware Store, artist and designer Stephen Antonson and his wife, Kathleen Hackett ply the aisles of the home improvement center and emerge with a host of ideas for clever, original decorative objects any interior designer would love. Antonson and Hackett cast their eyes on pedestrian materials—drain covers, cork matting, plumbing parts, light sockets, brass nails—and see lamps, wallpaper, table runners, side tables, even cuff links. Organized by decorating challenge, chapters include ideas for lighting, windows and walls, furniture, tabletop, and storage. Beautiful full-color photos, including how-to pictures along with clear, concise, yet friendly instructions, accompany every project. Sidebars and quick tips are scattered throughout, providing DIYers with gentle reminders and instructions for basic tool and equipment use. Design lovers, crafters, and penny pinchers alike will find much to inspire in Home from the Hardware Store.

Inside the book (you will have to purchase to get the tutorials!):

XOXO-

Lotta Jansdotter Handmade Living

Lotta Jansdotter Handmade Living
Chronicle Books
ISBN: 978-0-8118-6547-0
*Thanks Alyson for the opportunity to review*

My Review:

From the Publisher:

Beloved designer Lotta Jansdotter's smart, organic design has earned her international acclaim. Now she shares her recipe for a stylish home: take a whole lot of Scandinavian influence, mix in a dash of flea-market finds, and then top it all off with expressive handmade touches. The result? An entirely fresh approach to home décor and contemporary living. In this lavishly illustrated book, Lotta shares her decorating secrets, design resources, entertaining tips, and family traditions. Tucked away at the back she’s included stencil pages and perforated recipe cards featuring classic Swedish dishes. Equal parts inspiration and how-to, this charming book shows readers how to create a warm home with elements of simple Scandinavian-influenced style.

Lotta Jansdotter is a self-taught designer who sells her products and designs across the globe. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Photographer Jenny Hallengren lives and works as a freelance photographer in Stockholm, Sweden.

~XOXO~

Other Resources:

Lotta Jansdotter

The Storque: Open Studio Tour

Facebook

Flickr

Twitter

Jonathan Adler's Book Signing and Book Review *H*A*P*P*Y*

The one thing I LOVE about doing book reviews, is that sometimes you get to meet the book authors!  A couple of weeks ago I attended a book signing at Kuhl-Linscomb in Houston with Jonathan Adler.  He is so dreamy, nice, funny and larger than life!

Here is some of his pottery...

After shopping some of his beautiful creations, I lined up to meet the legend. He was so personable!

And let's not forget the real reason for my visit...

Jonathan Adler on Happy Chic Colors
Jonathan Adler on Happy Chic Accessories
ISBN: 978-1-4027-7431-7
ISBN: 978-1-4027-7430-0
Sterling Publishing Co.
*Thank you Anwesha for the opportunity to review*

My Review:

From the Publisher:
No one has a happier sense of hue and pattern than Jonathan Adler! Inspiring readers to be fearless in their decorating choices, Adler guides us through color-drenched rooms, from True Blue and Going Rouge to Champagne Sparkle. Every chapter is devoted to his thoughts on one color scheme, and he reveals his go-to paint chips, favorite fabrics, and personal color muses, like Diana Vreeland and Grace Jones.

Chic with humor and style—that’s Jonathan Adler’s way, and here he reveals the secrets of achieving his unique look. Crafting sentences as dexterously as he does ceramic vases, Adler takes us on a whirlwind tour through gorgeously styled interior. Organized by type of furniture (bed, bookshelf, dining table, dresser, table), Adler divulges all the tricks and tips needed to artfully arrange anything in one’s home.

XOXO-

Resources:
Shop Jonathan Adler

At Home with Town and Country

At Home with Town & Country
by the Editors of Town & Country
Hearst Books / Sterling Publishing
September 2010
ISBN: 978-1-58816-697-5

*Thank you Caroline for the opportunity to review*

My Review:

From the Publisher:

At Home with Town & Country, the first-ever home book from the magazine that is the last word in defining the affluent lifestyle, opens the doors to 30 distinctive dwellings, providing rare glimpses of lives being lived in sleek urban showplaces and luxurious rural retreats alike-and offering advice and inspiration for creating stylish, soul-sustaining spaces of your own.

These remarkable homes, lavishly photographed to the publication's singular standard, reflect the latest developments in residential architecture and design, including the “Invisible House,” Tadao Ando's avant-garde dwelling for the Benetton family in northern Italy and Antoine Predock's art-filled Dallas retreat for Deedie and Rusty Rose. But classic design also plays a part: here, too, are Chatsworth, the 400-year-old ancestral seat of the Dukes of Devonshire; Ralph and Ricky Lauren's 1920's-era family estate in Bedford, New York; and Spike and Tonya Lee's historic Manhattan town house. Each of the chapters concludes with a practical guide to a universal aspect of design, from planning the perfect cook's kitchen to building a second home.

This sumptuous book is sure to grace the coffee tables of the most fashionable homes.

Inside the Book:

Photo by William Abranowicz, Courtesy of Hearst Books

Photo by Lauren Resen, Courtesy of Hearst Books

Photo by Jim Wright, Courtesy of Hearst Books

Photo by Maura McEvoy, Courtesy of Hearst Books

Photo by Fernando Bengoechea, Courtesy of Hearst Books

Photo by Oberto Gili, Courtesy of Hearst Books

Photo by Oberto Gili, Courtesy of Hearst Books

~XOXO~

Design 100 The Last Word on Modern Interiors (a Review)

Metropolitan Home Design 100 The Last Word on Modern Interiors

by Michael Lassell

Published by Hachette Filipacchi

October 2010

ISBN 13: 978-1-933231-99-0

*Thank you Robyn Liverant, Robyn Liverant Public Relations, for the opportunity to review*

My Review (5 stars):

From the Publisher:

From its earliest days Metropolitan Home magazine grew into the standard bearer for contemporary home design in the US and became an active participant in reshaping the way Americans live, always on the forefront of new trends, yet never elevating fashion over substantive style.

A favorite annual issue known as the Design 100 honored superlative invention and creativity in international design. Metropolitan Home Design 100 focuses on the best homes and the best rooms ever to have appeared in Met Home —as well as scores of new locations and never-before-published photographs. Each of the 100 houses, apartments, lofts, rooms, or design details included in the book is the greatest of something, and each has been created by one of the top designers or architects of our time. The 100 taken as a whole have been curated in the spirit of Met Home: lively, beautiful, accessible, aspirational, real.

Metropolitan Home: Design 100 is a celebration, a valediction, and a gift to anyone who loves modern design.

Inside the Book:

Buy it!

~XOXO~

Eye Candy brought to you by...1000 Ideas for Home Design and Decoration

1000 Ideas for Home Design & Decoration 
by Mariana R. Equares Etchetto
Rizzoli May 2010
ISBN: 978-0789320711

This is a stunning book with over 400 pages of architecture, interior spaces and object design. Any reader, be it the novice homeowner or a more seasoned design professional will thoroughly enjoy the uses of creativity in space, lighting, color & furniture.  The book also goes in depth on flooring, wall coverings, window treatments and color schemes, and covers all areas of your home and spaces.

I am always on the lookout for innovative design and pictures of "new" ideas. This book delivers. Will I implement some of these ideas verbatim? Probably not. However, I will use the ideas presented by the author to help develop my room designs.  I love the use of innovative products, textures and color that the author displays throughout this book. This is a grownup's design book. This is art.

The many full color photographs reflect modern, current, fresh design. Some of these interiors are in commercial settings and offer a real treat to all taste and design jobs. There is really something here for everyone. This book belongs in everyone's design arsenal of "go to" books for inspiration.

Think Architectural Digest meets Elle Decor meets Dwell.

5 stars.

**This is the first ebook I have reviewed. At first I thought it would be cumbersome to flip through the pages and get a "real" feel for the book on my computer (I am still "old-school" and like to hold real paper) but then I decided to download this book on my new Ipad. Whoa sister, having this book portable opens up a brand new world of shopping, exploring and communicating EXACTLY what you mean when trying to get your ideas & points across.**

Now for the eye candy...these are just a few of the gorgeous pictures in this book. 

Trust me, you will want to see more. Buy the book.

1. Photographs © Rizzoli Publishing

2. Photographs © Rizzoli Publishing



3. Photographs © Rizzoli Publishing



4. Photographs © Rizzoli Publishing



5. Photographs © Rizzoli Publishing



6. Photographs © Rizzoli Publishing



7. Photographs © Rizzoli Publishing



8. Photographs © Rizzoli Publishing



9. Photographs © Rizzoli Publishing



10. Photographs © Rizzoli Publishing

Which of the above photos appeal to you? Look at these in the abstract and not necessarily what you would implement in your own home. Does one of these "speak" to you?

~XOXO~

*Thank you Rizzoli for the opportunity to review*