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Rating: 
Summary: IDEA CENTRAL
Review: Being a new homeowner with a house that needs alot of decorating, I was looking for a book to just give me ideas - lots of ideas. I wanted a book full of pictures. While there are books out there that delve into just kithens and baths, or family rooms or bedrooms, this book hits on everything. I think this book is good for someone just starting out - trying to find their style, tastes, likes and dislikes.
Rating:
Summary: I've learned a lot from this book
Review: Gee, Amy Hilliard was way too critical.
I think it's all in what you're wanting to get out of the book. This is a wonderful book if you're wanting to learn what makes a nicely decorated home. Elements such as color, patterns, scale, lighting, furniture, window treatment, etc. all play a role, and it explains how you can use each to your advantage. Then it also goes into each room of the house and talks more specifically about what's more important for that room. One thing I love about this book is that it's filled with pictures, that, as with all books, keeps me captivated. So the "smart approach" here is to learn what things your need to focus on in decorating your home and how to manipulate those elements so that it fits your own home and your own style.
I've yet seen another decorating book that is this thorough and concise.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Technical Foundation
Review: I am in the process of buying my first home (a condo) and have no clue about decorating so I randomly checked a bunch of books out of the library, including this one. At first I did not like it and found it boring and elitist. The decorating pictured was exponentially more expensive than anything I will ever be able to afford and way too fussy for my taste, and she constantly talks about using little nooks that you just happen to find in your enormous mansion (e.g., putting a desk on the stair landing...um, my bedroom is about the size of that landing!). There are no unused nooks in my 1100 sq ft condo, I assure you!However, as I read through the whole book I realized that I was getting a very thorough education in the basics of home decorating--an education I didn't even know I needed. The book covers everything from very basic details such as what height bar stools to get depending on your counter height, to a comprehensive description of the types window treatments, to more technical information on the five different types of lighting, and onto esoteric remodeling considerations. When I reached the end I realized that it was the most informative resource I have looked at (and I've looked at a LOT of decorating publications at this point), and I ended up buying a copy. This book's strength is *not* loads of pretty pictures with decorating ideas you can steal. I actually liked very few of the decorating ideas and can afford none of them. BUT, if you want to feel more confident implementing your own decorating ideas with an educated and technically-sound approach, I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Good Technical Foundation
Review: I am in the process of buying my first home (a condo) and have no clue about decorating so I randomly checked a bunch of books out of the library, including this one. At first I did not like it and found it boring and elitist. The decorating pictured was exponentially more expensive than anything I will ever be able to afford and way too fussy for my taste, and she constantly talks about using little nooks that you just happen to find in your enormous mansion (e.g., putting a desk on the stair landing...um, my bedroom is about the size of that landing!). There are no unused nooks in my 1100 sq ft condo, I assure you! However, as I read through the whole book I realized that I was getting a very thorough education in the basics of home decorating--an education I didn't even know I needed. The book covers everything from very basic details such as what height bar stools to get depending on your counter height, to a comprehensive description of the types window treatments, to more technical information on the five different types of lighting, and onto esoteric remodeling considerations. When I reached the end I realized that it was the most informative resource I have looked at (and I've looked at a LOT of decorating publications at this point), and I ended up buying a copy. This book's strength is *not* loads of pretty pictures with decorating ideas you can steal. I actually liked very few of the decorating ideas and can afford none of them. BUT, if you want to feel more confident implementing your own decorating ideas with an educated and technically-sound approach, I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: I've learned a lot from this book
Review: This book was produced to appeal to the broadest spectrum of people. It neither has one coherent style throughout the book, nor does it give accurate representation to all styles available. It tries to represent many different styles, but in the most generic way possible. There is the occasional nice picture, but not enough of them to justify buying the book. Most of the furniture is overstuffed and there are lots of florals. Now I like florals and include them in my decorating schemes. However, there is a point at which you just have to say no. The cover does give some indication of what you will find in the book, so if you like that maybe you will like the rest of the book. However, I would not recommend it.
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