New Spaces, Old World Charm (Elements of Living) (ISBN 0071439293)

Not What It Appears:
There are some beautiful pictures and wonderful ideas in this book. However, it is not what it appears. It "features" the work of several designers, and purports to provide "resources" which are actually thinly disguised advertisements for the listed vendors. I would not have spent $34.95 for this book had I known what it really was. I have no theoretical objection to such a book, but I'd like to know what I'm getting before buying. This was a disappointment.

Dissappointed:
I have to concur with S. McCoy who dissed the purple house, I mean blue house. Yes, it was not purple but the color was in overkill. Remember Barney, the purple dinosaur? Well this is the Barney of houses. On the show Top Designer which airs on Bravo TV, interior design hopefuls are presented with various design challenges. One show asks contestants to pick a color and their challenge was to design around that color. If memory serves me correctly, every student literally designed spaces much like the Barney in this book. Most of the judges harshly critiqued the contestants for literally taking the color challenge and overdoing it. This book is so so. If you ocassionally pick up a copy of some of the high end mags like Architectural Digest, Traditional Homes, etc., most have resource guides in the back that you could access. This is nothing new. Also, the designers in New Spaces seem to have conflicting design philosophies. To wallpaper or not, that is the question. To have clean spaces or bric-a-brac. To have the lived in look or a showcase home. I think the best advice for me came from Ann Leconey, on page 131. Under the header "Use Architectural Shells," she basically set the stage for a well designed room by first, as she puts it," designing the interior architectural shell." According to Leconey you start by choosing the wall finishes, followed by the window treatment, and finish with the flooring. According to her, you are then ready to move forward with your color scheme, fabric, etc. At least she gave me something that I could work with.

enjoyable and useful, an exceptional book:
I'm enjoying New Spaces, Old World Charm very much. I like how the design work in it is of high-end homes (with the exception of the Gissler-designed house) but the author presents what the designers did in the spaces by technique (as well as listing sources) so that no matter what your budget, you can duplicate what is seen in the book. I also like how she presents a variety of design styles, demonstrating 12 individual designer's approaches to transforming new spaces into ones with richness and character. As I pinpoint the style I like best for my own home, I need a book that gives a good overview of different ways to achieve the look. And although this book is about recreating antique and vintage styles, the design pictured in the book is fashionable and eclectic. The spaces don't look like exact duplications of an antique styles. I also like the resource section, which goes into detail about why the sources are valued by top designers. Even though the book was published in 2004, the sources are still timely. People hire designers to learn the secrets the author gives in the book. I also like that author obviously went out of her way to list trade only and retail sources in each resource chapter to help the readers. She wants the book to appeal to those who can afford trade only and hire interior designers and those who want to spend less and buy on their own or do a combination of the two.

An Inspirational Guide...:
I purchased this book in the hopes that it would assist in my transforming a newly-contructed house into a charming, old-style home. Without a doubt, it did! Sample's guide offers a variety of styles, all of which are inspiring. I particularly enjoy the featured designers sources listed after each home (especially my favorite, Elissa Cullman's Revival Chic) and the trade tips that accompany each chapter. I find Sample's book to be inspirational yet practical, user-friendly and concise, and beautifully photographed. It has a permanent home on my coffee table.

Beautifully Done and Very Useful:
Too much space is not a problem for me but maintaining a classic style for my home is, or was before I found this book. Ms. Sample's book didn't overwhelm me as many of the other design books I looked at did with impractical ideas. While it is beautiful enough to suffice as a coffee table book, my original copy is dog-eared and highlighted throughout with ideas and suggestions I was able to use and customize for my own needs. Highly recommended for anyone with classic, old world style!