Rooms : Creating Luxurious, Livable Spaces

Rating:
Summary: Gorgeous!
Review: Although I live in an apartment and have NO decorating budget, I love to dream. When I got a gift certificate to Amazon, I went browsing through the decorating books. And I'm thrilled that I got this one! I love the author's taste -- as she describes herself, she's "somewhere in the middle, not toally traditional and not quite contemporary." Which makes her suggestions very practical. Every page has beautiful photos and though I don't own a house or apartment nearly as lavish as the ones in the book, I've still picked up a lot of ideas and inspiration for my own modest dwelling -- and for the lavish home I'll eventually have.

Rating:
Summary: maybe this is a regional or city thing?
Review: As a designer myself (in metro LA), I bought this book as I buy many decorating books to share with my clients. I look at the books with some of my clients as a way of learning their likes and dislikes. It's interesting for me to observe that the people I've been working with almost immediately set this book aside after they begin to go through it and they grab for other books that may fit their likes more closely. Maybe the feel of the rooms in this book reflect a regional or city preference. I cannot help but agree with my customers who think these rooms aren't relaxed enough for modern life.

Rating:
Summary: Rooms: Creating Luxurious Livable Spaces
Review: As I thumbed through nine years of back issues of 'Architectural Digest this year, I was re captivated by the photos of particular homes. They were always interiors designed by Mariette Himes Gomez. I ordered 'Rooms' by Gomez and am thrilled with the book! I by no means have a pocket book like Mariette Himes Gomez or her clients, but can put many of her interior design methods to use now, thanks to her book. I love how she transforms a room into an atmosphere that is an art in itself. She shares her incredible talent in a book that is a pleasure to read. Since reading 'Rooms', I've rearranged furniture, paired art and accessorized table tops without struggling anymore. Her discussion on lighting helped my husband and I make the move to track lights that don't detract from the light fixtures we enjoy for their craftsmanship. 'Rooms' is a book I'll refer to as I tackle future interior design improvement projects in our home. Thank you, Mariette Himes Gomez for a luxurious book with practical design concepts.

Rating:
Summary: Not real homes
Review: During the past few months, I've checked out twenty recently published decorating books from the public library, and Rooms by Mariette Gomez is my favorite. First, the style is updated traditional, and some of the rooms are among the most beautiful I've seen. Second the author reveals her design principals (no harsh contrasts, keep darker colors at the bottom, lightening things toward the top) which helped me greatly as I redid my own house on a do-it-yourself budget. If you're satisfied with the generic Pottery Barn style, don't waste your time with this book. But if you'd like to pick the brain of a talented designer to learn to create an elegant, though inviting look, "Rooms" might become your favorite design book, too.

Rating:
Summary: My Favorite Design Book -- Not for the Pottery Barn Crowd
Review: During the past few months, I've checked out twenty recently published decorating books from the public library, and Rooms by Mariette Gomez is my favorite. First, the style is updated traditional, and some of the rooms are among the most beautiful I've seen. Second the author reveals her design principals (no harsh contrasts, keep darker colors at the bottom, lightening things toward the top) which helped me greatly as I redid my own house on a do-it-yourself budget. If you're satisfied with the generic Pottery Barn style, don't waste your time with this book. But if you'd like to pick the brain of a talented designer to learn to create an elegant, though inviting look, "Rooms" might become your favorite design book, too.

Rating:
Summary: We laughed over this one
Review: Every month my "girl" friends get together on Saturday afternoon. We usually set one topic for discussion over wine and snacks (men, fashion, movies, books, and stuff like that). This time, we decided to talk about decorating, so we brought in magazines and books. One neighbor brought this book and passed it around and that's when the chuckles began. It started with the funny cover of the "luxurious" room with the one round seat in it. From there, we laughed over a lot of the rooms that are so uncomfortable or "stiff" looking . We decided to rename this book "Funeral Parlor Design" or "Decorating for the Old Folks Home." It definitely isn't about the comfort my friends and I crave.

Rating:
Summary: Solid, entertaining read from Mrs. Himes Gomez
Review: Hines is clearly a master of furniture placement and--it is rumored--an excellent antiques shopper. Her rooms are refined, warm, uptown and expensive; they are not young, they are not hip. She is traditional, but nothing here is ever stolid or dull.

Though soft monochromatic rooms often photograph as a wash, in person they are a different animal altogether, often rich and highly textural. The same problem plagues pictures in the books of Jeffrey Bihuber and Vicente Wolf: you can never capture what those rooms feel like in person (and I've been in them).

Hines is a good place to start if dallying in design. Her text is clear and makes for a nice read. She plays by the rules. Nothing here is earth-shattering, but it is all close to perfection. (not all clients want earth-shattering, and you probably don't either). If you think one of these types of rooms is easy to pull together, then--believe me--you probably have never tried it.



Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Book!
Review: I am a design "junkie" -- having worked at a major auction house in New York for many years and reading countless magazines and design books. My husband and I recently purchased our first apartment and I found this book to be a fantastic guide to decorating and purchasing. The rooms are elegant and comfortable without being sloppy. I found the "traditional yet pared down" approach inspiring. Most traditional rooms seem cluttered and frumpy to me, but I am not a modern minimalist, so the airiness of these "traditional" rooms impressed me (and working with less happily fits into our budget constraints).
I am not sure why readers left negative reviews -- the comment about the single ottoman actually made me laugh out loud... this book is about an approach rather than a step-by-step guide. I found the book very helpful, the decorating very refined, and I recommend it highly. Thanks!

Rating:
Summary: Not worth the money
Review: I grabbed this book based on the title even though I knew that I didn't like the picture on the cover. I am sorry I bought this. The cover photo says a lot about the book. I mean, a room with one ottoman in it? That is livable? That is luxury? This is some decorator's idea of how people should live and how they should define livability. In other words, this is superficial and shows rooms that seem to be created for show instead of for living in. In this day and age, I'm offended by that.

Rating:
Summary: Best of the best!
Review: I have a large collection of books on interior design. This one is the best of the best. Mariette is most generous in sharing her talented insight. She tells the reader as well as shows the reader what makes a beautiful room (too many books on design are just advertisements for the designer without sharing any insight). I learned more from this book on design than from any other that I own. My favorite principles learned had to do with maintaining a certain honesty and integrity in the designing process--in being true to the house and to the space. I also learned a great deal on balance and on using color with subtlety. I highly recommend this book!