Rating: 
Summary: a relaxed sweetness
Review: the book possesses a relaxed sweetness that pulls out the decorater in all of us. being a designer i selected the book for inspiration. the pictures are huge and the brilliance of the book lingers in the shape of roses and cream.
Rating: 
Summary: Fun and elegant sans the snobiness
Review: The thing I love about Rachel Ashwell is the fact she is so NOT Better Homes and Garden which is boring and so middle class. What Rachel Ashwell does is bring class and elgance sans the stuffiness into our lives. And her ideas work whether you are doing a small college abode, your first home or a home you have lived in for decades.Like most of her books she understands that (this may sound snobby..sorry) some of us have traveled well, and have evolved and simply want the elegance meshed with a less hootie tootie mode. The kind of home where we can walk in and see order but not the boring or sterile style that tract homes often denote. She has a way of showing how to make a home out of a house. How to make the tract house look like a one of a kind mega bucks decorated home, and all on less money. She has obviously not forgotten her original intent, which was to decorate without breaking ones saving account or going into debt. It is also nice to see a book that understands the piece meal ideal. That one does not have to redo the whole room in a week, but that using ones trek to the flea market, taking your time to redo a piece of furniture, and doing it right is what counts. Along with doing what YOU want and what makes YOU happy and not doing the cookie cutter decorating thing that sadly, most Americans do.
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous decorating book!
Review: This is a wonderful book for those who are tired of living in a boring space. The photography is inspirational and amazing. I don't usually buy home decorating books because I hate rules being dictated to me. Rachel offers helpful hints, but emphasizes the importance of personalization. She also recognizes that decorating is about creating a lovely yet livable environment. I highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous decorating book!
Review: This is a wonderful book for those who are tired of living in a boring space. The photography is inspirational and amazing. I don't usually buy home decorating books because I hate rules being dictated to me. Rachel offers helpful hints, but emphasizes the importance of personalization. She also recognizes that decorating is about creating a lovely yet livable environment. I highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Another lovely volume for "Shabby Chic" fans!
Review: Whenever I read a new "Shabby Chic" book, I want to stop everything and head to the flea market. This one is no exception. And the photographs are indeed some of the prettiest yet. I could spend hours gazing at Rachel's inspiration boards or piles of floppy slipcovers. So soft, sweet and soothing. And I have a suggestion, if anyone (including Ms. Ashwell) cares: she needs to next devote entire books to (in this order) Shabby Chic Entertaining and The Shabby Chic Wardrobe. (I am a lifestyle editor, and I think readers would go mad for these titles.)
| 
