Sensible Chic

Rating:
Summary: Has it's good points and (mostly) bad points
Review: Overall, I found the book to be inspirational at times, but not very practical.

Random Notes (Pros and Cons):

1) The Makeover Rooms ALWAYS look better than the original, expensive Inspirational Rooms. It also seems like they buy the most expensive pieces of furniture they can find, so that when they do the Makeover Rooms, it looks like they saved a lot of money. For example, on pages 22-23, the Inspiration Room ("Old World Style" Dining Room) cost $57,091 and the makeover room cost $2,290 (and yes, the makeover room still looked better). I think it would be better if they just showed a plain room and decorated it on a budget, instead of all the pretense. Also, the Inspirational Room photos always look grainy, while the Makeover Room pics are perfect.

2) Everything in the book was taken from episodes. You can learn a lot more from recording the show, then from reading this book.

3) Where did they find a cast iron canopy bed for $235?? Finding a deal like that is either pure luck or like finding a needle in a haystack.

4) This is a beautiful book as far as the layout and photos. Although, there is so much packed into one page, that it's overwhelming at times, making it difficult to read.

5) When giving design lessons, the lessons are always based on one of their Inspirational/Makeover rooms. This would be okay if you were going to copy the room's design. Otherwise, not very helpful. I would have liked it to be more generalized, so that the design tips could be applied to all rooms.

6) The green side bars/boxes and other "side" tips that appear on most pages can be very helpful since they are more generalized. There are some good ideas, but some are the same old tips you read everywhere else (i.e buy slipcovers for furniture).

7) Some of the sections I like are (page 11): Starting with a plain room with few furnishings and gradually adding and rearranging pieces to get the look you want. (Page 17): Easy word art project. (Sensible Shopping section): I found some good advice here.

8) The sewing projects: Forget it, unless you're a seamstress.

9) The Style Quiz. The quiz is cute and fun, but it isn't going to help you find your personal style. First of all, it's based on only 5 styles: Traditional, Contemporary, Exotic/Ethnic, Country/Cottage, and Chic. Boxing yourself into a category is not personal style! Besides, most of us already know whether we lean toward a modern, exotic, country, or traditional look. Second, the quiz is just silly, like something you'd find in Cosmopolitan magazine. Can you really find your own decorating style by answering questions like: Your signature scent is: Ralph Lauren Polo Sport, CK Obsession, Opium, Ralph Lauren Romance, or Chanel No. 5?

If you really want to find your personal style, start cutting photos and articles from magazines and catalogs. Pick up fabric, carpet, and paint samples. Tack them to a bulletin board or arrange them in a photo album. Then look over them and you will get a good idea of what your real style is.

I gave this book a rating of 2 simply because they placed more importance on style over substance. There are better decorating/design inspirational and instructional books out there. This isn't a book that I will refer to often and I only bookmarked 3 ideas in it. I think they could have done better.

Rating:
Summary: Worth Every Penny !!
Review: This is put together so well !! I love home decorating shows, on TLC and HGTV, and as a result I own a lot of their books . Most are full of lovely photos , but few real ideas , that real people can use . Sensible Chic , is full of helpful information,creative ideas , and references to stores found in every city . I love Sensible Chic ( the book and the show), because of the way they can take inspiration from an expensive designer room , and create the same look for less . This beautiful book , puts all of the other *home decorating* books to shame !! Buy a copy, you will not be sorry !!