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Living in Style Without Losing Your Mind

Living in Style Without Losing Your Mind

List Price: $30.00
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Common Sense
Review: One of the few decorating books you will read cover to cover -- instead of just looking at the photos. This book attempts to open your mind to the possibilities of decorating your space in your own personal way, and proceeds in a simple, humorous, conversational style. While I wish it offered even more in terms of practical suggestions (although the section on how to buy a sofa is great) it makes its case without the usual, overwhelmingly lavish and overstyled photographs of unattainable splendor that fill most decorating books. It poses a philosophy of decorating and offers some interesting and useful ideas -- as well as a few pithy design rules that are worth taking to heart.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: How to think about decorating
Review: One of the few decorating books you will read cover to cover -- instead of just looking at the photos. This book attempts to open your mind to the possibilities of decorating your space in your own personal way, and proceeds in a simple, humorous, conversational style. While I wish it offered even more in terms of practical suggestions (although the section on how to buy a sofa is great) it makes its case without the usual, overwhelmingly lavish and overstyled photographs of unattainable splendor that fill most decorating books. It poses a philosophy of decorating and offers some interesting and useful ideas -- as well as a few pithy design rules that are worth taking to heart.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: should be required reading for anyone interested in design
Review: Read this before you buy all the other interior design books - this may well be the only book you need! The basics are explained without being techincal or boring, and you will feel much more confident about taking on the decoration of your home in your own personal style (rather than simply copying whatever the current trends are). A brilliant, interesting, well-written book!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Delightful
Review: Small and easy to read,this little book offers a refreshing perspective on decorating. What he says may not be new, but the way he says it is. He addresses common problems and offers direct advice while also making us laugh at ourselves. An earlier reviewer missed the point when he/she said the book seemed "aimed at people who live in ideal houses with some old style charm or super modern chic." Wrong! I already have gotten so many ideas for my suburban home and for my sister's ordinary townhouse. The author helps you put YOURSELF in the rooms, and that, not the architecture, is what will give your rooms real style.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: great design!
Review: the book is great! and the design of the book is even better. a fine way to marry content and stunning design. thank you mr. pasanella and your book design team!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Common Sense
Review: This book gives you confidence to follow your own style and common sense.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Living in Style Without Losing your Mind
Review: This book simplifies stylish interior designing with the reader's needs in mind. This is not your usual coffee table book on interior decoration. High on content and low on flashy (and usually inapplicable to real-life decorating) photos, it is the kind of reading material that you can grab when you need to get quick and useful ideas on elements of interior design such as space, lighting, furniture arrangement, and the like. The author's witty and straightforward writing style makes it a pleasure to read. Finally, the book does not impose its style on you - rather, it uncovers basic principles behind the various elements of interior decoration for you to actually apply depending on your needs, budget, and style.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Fun but more like an article than a book
Review: This is a fun little book, but it's more like a magazine article than a book. You can read it in an hour or two. Don't buy it -- just get it from the library or read it at the bookstore instead.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Living in Style without Losing Your Mind
Review: This is the first decorating/design book I've ever read that made me laugh out loud. It's snappy and opinionated (in a good way--it has a clear point of view and a fresh, friendly voice), and it's fun to read. AND it offers good, practical decorating advice. It makes me want to take vacation time to re-do my apartment!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A classic...
Review: Well, there really is a spate of decorating books out there that run the range from Martha Stewart to the idiot's guide to Feng Shui. This book charts a different course: Pasanella is irreverent, funny and pushes the reader to stop looking for solutions by decorators and think for him/herself.

That's right, Pasanella certainly won't get any kudos from "professionals" since his message is pretty simple: reduce your stuff down to the essentials and concentrate on making sure your space is about YOU. He does borrow ideas that are similar to what many Zen and Feng Shui decorators espouse but he also presents a very wide range of general ideas for the reader to try.

I have really enjoyed reading this simply for his often rather humourous comments, some of which are likely to upset many trying to convince clients they are incapable of decorating without the assistance of a professional. Important points are already underlined in red and the layout of the book, in my opinion, is quite fresh and interesting. The photos accompanying the text are interesting and new; I haven't seen them in any magazines so they are not just "stock" from some photo warehouse.

I suspect this will become a classic in short order, get one while it is cheap and in hardcover!


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