Interior Design

By Gayle A. Williamson, Fashion Inst. of Design & Merchandising, Los Angeles -- Library Journal, 5/15/2006

Callery, Emma. 1001 Ideas for Color & Paint. Creative Homeowner. 2006. c.240p. illus. index. ISBN 1-58011-288-9. pap. $24.95. INTERIOR DESIGN

The multitude of color schemes shown here will give the novice plenty of ideas for enlivening a home's décor. The majority of the book contains color schemes arranged according to a desired effect, e.g., the illusion of space or a period feel. For each scheme, swatches of color combinations appear with numerous photos of how the colors are used in actual rooms, a feature lacking in Anna Starmer's The Color Scheme Bible: Inspirational Palettes for Designing Home Interiors. Especially helpful are the sections featuring a photo of a room followed by color illustrations that show no fewer than eight variations vividly depicting how color can affect the look of each room. The book concludes with a gallery of paint techniques accompanied by brief instructions. With its abundance of color choices, this book is recommended for public libraries.

As usual, Creative Homeowner provides a well-illustrated, practical guide to transforming a home. Connelly (New Smart Approach to Kids' Rooms) examines all aspects of the front of a house. Topics include paint and color, pathways and windows, driveways and garages, porches, landscaping, and lighting. Each section contains numerous color photos of various residential styles, with the captions describing the success of each decorating detail. Included are maintenance tips and advice on how and when to hire a professional. Although some topics are covered briefly, e.g., gardening, this overview of front-yard design is comprehensive overall. Recommended for public libraries of all sizes.

Interior designer Hayes, the first African American to make Architectural Digest's "Top 100" list of designers and architects, shares her step-by-step process for creating a pleasing home décor. After beginning with a careful evaluation of a room's use and a discussion of creating personal style, she then moves on to space planning, considering color, pattern, texture, and accessories. For each step, Hayes illustrates her advice with photos of designs (many of them her own) and concludes with a review of important points. Although never advocating a particular style, Hayes tends to compose modern and contemporary décor with ethnic accents. Recommended where there is continued interest.

Lamenting that the book he would give his clients-John Milnes Baker's How To Build a House with an Architect-is out of print, Morosco, founder of a preservation-based architectural firm in Pittsburgh, has written a guide to explain the value of working with an architect. First he discusses what an architect can do for a client, matters of education and licensing, the difference between an architect and other design professionals, and the advantages of working with an architect. He then delineates how a client and an architect should work together, explaining what to expect from the relationship and the architect's duties each step of the way. The text is illustrated mostly with color photos and design plans of Morosco's work. This guide for both amateurs and professionals is recommended for collections large and small.

Peterson (founder, Motif Designs) showcases 13 houses whose renovations have taken as little as six months and as many as approximately three decades to complete. The length of the project, a list of what was done, and challenges the homeowners encountered are provided for each house, with most houses including before-and-after photographs and floor plans. Peterson guides readers through the process of determining desired features that require planning and discusses choices available for rooms that are most commonly renovated (e.g., kitchens) and most commonly expanded (e.g., family rooms). Especially helpful is the list of the order of tasks in a renovation. With its real-life approach and examination of every room of the house, this book is recommended for public libraries.

Interior designer and IKEA spokesperson Quinn details a simple, inexpensive approach to home decorating. She describes more than 20 rooms, all of which she redecorated, reviewing design problems, before-and-after photos, her design strategy, and budget details. She provides simple instructions for the easy-to-make, distinctive accessories, e.g., a canopy created from a pot rack. A nice touch is that for many of the rooms, she names specific paint colors and mentions where to purchase the furnishings shown. Recommended for public libraries.

Robinson, an expert on the British country house, chronicles the stylistic evolution of the Regency period's English country manor-"the centre of a self-contained estate and the setting of house parties"-with regard not only to its architecture and decoration but also to the social and political climate during its development. As with previous books from this series, the black-and-white and color photos from the picture archives of Country Life magazine vividly depict the details of this domestic architectural style, with examples of every kind located throughout Great Britain. Recommended for large collections and those focusing on Regency design.