Dwellings: Living with Great Style

Rating:
Summary: Dwellings: Living with Great Style
Review: Very disappointing. Tiny, unnspiring pictures. Trite narrative. It reminded me that it's nearly impossible to buy a book of this kind online. You really must be able to hold the book in your hands and look at the pictures and text in order to make a good purchasing decision.

Rating:
Summary: Dwellings: Living with Great Style
Review: Very disappointing. Tiny, unnspiring pictures. Trite narrative. It reminded me that it's nearly impossible to buy a book of this kind online. You really must be able to hold the book in your hands and look at the pictures and text in order to make a good purchasing decision.

Rating:
Summary: The Deans of Design Reveal Some of Their Magic
Review: Yes, the photos are all too small, and some of the advice seems surprisingly basic. But these two top designers, who were recently included in Architectural Digest's list of the Thirty American Deans of Design, do reveal some of their magic in this little gem of a book.

I'm a serious, but self-taught amateur decorator, and I've found that books by the truly top designers are worth studying because they present a photographic record of all the work by one designer (or in this case two designers).

As I've studied the photos in these kinds of books, I've learned to identify the common themes that emerge in one particular designer's style. I've also learn which themes run across the work of many top designers. This knowledge, which you just don't get from a magazine, has made the interiors I design for myself far more sophisticated and professional.

I've had this book for about a month and have paged through it almost a dozen times. Last week while I was gazing at a photo of one particularly striking room, I figured out the perfect display of objects for my coffee table, a solution that had eluded me for a year.

The objects I selected were very different from the ones in the photo, but I never would have thought of them had I not been looking at this book. Surprisingly, getting the coffee table right has made the entire room, which had always seemed to lack someting, come alive. The best part is I didn't spend a penny because I already owned every object I used.

My hunch is that if Huniford and Sills had been in the room with me, they would have suggested the very same items. I'm certain they would approve of what I did because I feel like I've "picked their brains." If you'd like to pick the brains of two of the country's leading designers, you'll find this book to be well worth its modest price.