This is THE worst decorating book I have ever read:
If you love clutter, ill conceived floor plans, bad scale and poor color choices; this is the book for you. Jo needs to go back and rediscover the harmony of scale and color. Even the jacket picture she selected of herself and her family is unflattering. I like the fact that she truly is trying to come up with ideas and ways to cut costs but it looks half done or over done with just too many things going on to take away from the total design. This is the first negative review I have ever written. I purchased this book for some creative ideas but I ended up recycling the book in my mixed paper bin because it really is "that bad".
Glad I Didn't Pay Full Price for Decorate Rich:
Scan the pages of Decorating Rich for some beautiful photography and interesting ideas. Skip the narrative, as it is labored and dull. It is a good coffee table book that won't make any demand on your brain power, even if you read the text.
sadly disappointed:
Based on its cover, which let's face it, is how we buy decorating books, this one looked really interesting and quite sumptuous. Unfortunately, the contents did not live up to the cover and featured rooms and ideas that are already beginning to look "dated". There were no ideas for creating a rich or monied decorating style and the text was rather "homespun". Having bought it on sale, I was very glad I hadn't paid full price; I would have been most disappointed.
cover deceiving...inside looks something from 70's and 80's:
I was very disapointed with this book. For a book that was published in 2001 all but a few of the photo's look dated. Way overdone, dark and heavy for today's style. Even the photography has a dated grainy look. Jo credits her parents as the ones who encouraged her to accomplish her dreams by learning. Well Jo, as an interior designer myself with 20+ years under my belt...you need to go back to square one and learn some new material.
Full of great ideas, but not all of them practical.:
Jo Packham proves that you can have a beautiful home without spending a fortune. Success depends on buying only what you love and arranging it well, not on how much you spend. Jo starts with a terrific section on creative wall treatments and then continues with various ways to accessorize the home. Many of her ideas are excellent, such as using inexpensive fabrics in luxurious ways. Others sound like she is giving how-to's on creating a window-display, not a home. How does someone use towels that are tied together with beaded tassels, or put wet soap back in the seashell soap dish without getting water drops on the fan underneath? Tucking fancy dishtowels over cupboard doors may look pretty, but they have to be re-arranged each time the door is opened. All in all, a good book for those who want ideas on creative ways to decorate with what they love without spending a great deal of money.
| Author: | Jo Packham | | Binding: | Hardcover | | Dewey Decimal Number: | 747 | | EAN: | 9780806962672 | | ISBN: | 0806962674 | | Number Of Pages: | 160 | | Publication Date: | 2001-06-30 |
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