Interior Design Books

The softcover I own fell apart the first time I opened it.

This is the only book I've seen that realistically portrays typical Japanese apartments. I didn't live in the city, I was an inaka boy, but a small 6-tatami mat apartment is the same whether it be in the city or country! This book really brought back memories.... I got my copy of this book in Japan, and it was about 12,000 yen. I have no idea if this edition is the same size, etc., as mine but it has lots of great glossy pictures and some humorous commentary from the author as well. If you've got the cash to burn, I highly recommend it!

As a San Franciscan currently residing in Tokyo, I too am faced with cramp living conditions, liked that clearly depicted in "Tokyo Style". The book truely shows how domestic lifestyle is in this big city (I only wish they put my apartment in the book...hah, hah). A RECOMMENDED buy for those who want to take a glimpse of real Tokyo living.

(To those pondering over the $150 price tag, don't worry, it's about the same price here)

I'm a New Yorker, but I live in Tokyo now, and I'm very taken with the way that my native friends live: their apartments are creatively crowded, cozy and hip, with lots of monomania that communicates volumes about their personalities. "Tokyo Style" is the first such book I've seen, and I thoroughly enjoyed the photos, and especially the witty comments by the author. I only wish it wasn't so expensive: I had to borrow mine!

This book revolts against the typical "Style" books which monotonously focus on the "showcase clean," hyper-neat and otherworldy designs of the well-to-do. Tokyo Style reveals the idiosyncratic, cramped and tiny--but strangely attractive--nature of modern Japanese domestic life. Because of this real-world focus, the author has produced a work much more flavorful and enlightening than many of its sterile shelfmates.

I could not have decorated my recently renovated 100 year old Victorian home without this book. Friends and family think I have great potential as a decorator, little do they know.

I found this book at a local library, I have went threw several books to get ideas on styles and of the victorian era. I found this one to be one of the best. It has wonderful, all color photographs, has a dictionary of old words and is wonderful for discribing details. I am going to purchase it for my own collection.

I bought this book about a year ago and I still refer back to it often. The photos are so gorgeous, they give me goosebumps. They transport me into a place I'd like to live, a fantasy of design and genteel composure. The text is informative and the quality of photos is top notch. I highly recommend this book to folks who like Victorian design, both contemporary and traditional. You will feel the money was well spent!

This book is loaded with color photographs! I went through this book several times before putting it back down. It's a must have if you are trying to get decorating ideas for a victorian room.

This is a beautiful book to dream by. I bought one because we are building a Victorian home, but this would be enjoyed by anyone who loves Victorian style and design. Lovely!

Ralph Kylloe did a excellent job of describing the Adirondack region and its homes. The photos are an inspiration, especially to someone owning an Adirondack home.

This is a must read for any who are interested in the Adirondack style, or in Camp Topridge, the great camp which once belonged to Marjorie Meriweather Post.
Outstanding!

"In time the Adirondacks became synonymous with rugged living, fishing and hunting, other outdoor activities and all sorts of rest and relaxation. It was because of the great camps and rustic furniture that Adirondack became a style until its own." ~Ralph Kylloe

After a brief history with pictures, Ralph Kylloe delves into the beauty of Adirondack design. There are magical items in this book you may never see anywhere else like the rustic and romantic bridge design, complete with trolls.

The magical computer desk and chair look like something out of a fairy tale. Contemporary boats rest in luxurious boathouses and small guest houses are nestled beneath the trees. Many lodges and camps are featured and show the ingenuity of design. Chairs made with boat paddles and artistic waterways flowing through wood decks make this a very intriguing read. What is most interesting is how the exterior is brought inside and how artist envision one-of-a-kind pieces of furniture.

This book would be an inspiration to artists, architects and designers interested in this classic style.

~The Rebecca Review

imagining yourself in the homes pictured in this magnificent book. Again, Kylloe has outdone himself capuring the pure essence of what a true home in the Adirondacks is all about. No author has a better technique on showing the reader all the rustic beauty thats out there far beyond our imaginations, by taking us on his personal home tours into some of the most gorgous beautiful Adirondack homes, most on lakes. He includes Adirondack history and again shows us in many of the homes the rustic furniture and decorating styles that depicks the true meaning of what life must be like for some to own these truely magnificent homes.

This book was recommended to me by an architecture student. While not an architect, I must say that this book is one of the most valuable architecture resources in my library. As someone who has always had an interest, this almanac has really allowed me to explore and enjoy my interest in architecture. This book has a lot of information that will be of interest to professional architects, but it goes well beyond that and has something for everyone. There is a lot here that you won't find anywhere else, and its as up-to-date as it gets. I will be adding a copy to my library every year. Highly recommended.

An annual compendium of architecture and design information, articles, and facts, James Cramer's Almanac Of Architecture & Design 2001 offers rankings of the top Architecture and Design colleges; state-by-state registration laws; ratings and rankings of the leading firms; the Pritzker Prize and other major award speeches; the latest state and city "Salary and Compensation" survey results for designers; a comprehensive design competition calendar; the latest records, rankings, and achievement sin design; "need to know" facts on architecture and historic preservation; exhibition schedules for top museums of design; a locator for architecture bookshops; comprehensive and updated award histories, deadlines, and winners; recent obituaries of design leaders; student leaders on education and the profession's future; and an exclusive ranking of the "most visited" historic house museums. Almanac Of Architecture & Design 2001 is a core reference title for personal, professional, and academic reference collections.

A good resource, for a number of reasons. The variety of information the editors provide, from hard building cost data to locations of architectural bookstores, makes this guide useful in many ways. Although the book bogs down in spots with lists that I will probably never use, most of the material is stuff I just KNOW I'll need to look up at some point (such as average architectural salaries, by level and state; that "some point" is when I change jobs again). In fact, I've already referred to it a couple times already, and the year 2000 is still young. Plus, the book enlightened me to the fact that Walter Gropius shares my birthday (how do you compile that knd of stuff? call his house?). Anyway, I can't possibly enmerate all the ways this book is useful. I can say its a pretty good one to have on the shelf.

I bought this book and have not been able to put it down. It has more information packed into it than I had originally thought. The best sections I think are on liscensing laws in landscape architectue, architecture, and the 250 leading design firms in the U.S. I will make my own recommendations to the editors but this is one of the most informative sites that I have visited. The section on journals and magazines is especially helpful. I recommend regional magazines be included such as Architectue Minnesota and Texas Architect. Quality of the paper and print is outstanding. Thanks for this breakthrough book on architecture lists and rankings.

I had the wonderful experience of apprenticing for Peter and finished soon after we did the photoshoot for the book. I have to say, Peter and his brother John both went through great lengths to make sure the book would have as much practical information in it as possible. The only thing better than the book is one of Peter's workshops. But with the book, all of the information that Peter gives is easy to look over time and time again. The pictures are great! As soon as you start making and install a floor, sink, fireplace and so on I'm sure that you'll be hooked. You'll realize that it is possible to do on your own or with a friend. You'll also see and understand how much farther you can push clay than you had ever expected. Plus, above all, it's alot of fun!

The pictures are fantastic! For those of you who are tired of tiny pots, this is the book.

I'm a student and as such I'm very new to the game. This book gave me not only inspiration but enough detailed information to allow me to plan my bathroom sink. The plans include the sink, tile, and following the example in the book, the plans for the forms I need to make so that the pieces will be shaped correctly. I hope to create and fire the pieces early next year.

For those of you who have been searching for a book on the contemporary art of handmade ceramic tile, your search is over. Peter King has twenty five years of experience in architectural ceramics. His attention to detail and design help new and experienced ceramists alike in producing their final product. He even discusses designs for inexpensive tools that can be made by the artist. I have seen the author's proof of this book and it is nothing short of spectacular. If you are interested in this medium, no other book will give you this wealth of information. I highly recommend this book and the workshops Peter gives several times a year. He is clearly a pioneer in his field.

I usually do small works; handbuilt and wheelthrown pieces and tiles. It was quite eye-opening to read this book on large scale projects. It is written in a very clear manner, with wonderful pictures.

I only fault him on his tile making techniques, which could be better, but hey, who cares? His expertise lies elsewhere. He has obviously worked out the best techniques for large ceramic projects.

I like the way the book is organized. The chapters are very sequentially logical (to me).
Chapter 1: Tools and Equipment
Chapter 2: Building and Decorating Techniques
Chapter 3: Sectioning, Drying, Glazing and Firing
Chapter 4: Installation
Chapter 5: The Projects
Chapter 6: Gallery

The Projects chapter reiterates some of the information in previous chapters, but this time applied to a particular project. This is fine with me, since reiteration is a good teaching technique. The Gallery chapter is quite inspirational! There are lots of pictures of installations done not only by Peter, but also other artists.

Makes me want to try some architectural ceramics!

I love "India Style". This book is really a fantastic book about incorporating Indian design into almost every home. I found a lot of inspiration here. It is currently the best book on Indian decorating that I own. The photographs are beautiful and colorful, and the text is informative and engaging. I especially liked the fact that homes from all walks of Indian life were featured, not just palaces and luxury hotels. There are also photos of non-Indian homes where the owners have been influenced by Indian design and really allowed their imagination to run wild.

The only drawback to buying this book I've found is that I now have the irresistable urge to paint my house in bright colors and hop a plane to India to go on a shopping spree. Consider yourself warned!

I'll just make this short and sweet for this short and sweet book. I only wish it had more pages! Inspirational style... if you like bohemian luxury, Indian decor is for you. Get this book to get your ideas rolling with colors, textures, textiles, furniture. Eye candy!

This book is excellent for those seeking to add a little Indian Influence into the room. Most pictures focus on living room or bedroom areas. However, there are ideas for almost every area. One thing I admired about this book was the use of various color schemes. They show ideas for bold colors like blues and purples and other room designs for quiter elegance such as cremes and beiges. There is something for everyone with a little fondness of Indian Style!

This book has beautiful photographs of both interiors and exteriors. Most elements of this style, as shown in this book, can be translated by people wanting to incorporate India style into their home. The book tells you which design elements in each photo represent India Style. This book brings India style into the present while still paying homage to the past.

Like other books in the Architectual & Design Library series, this book is great for people who are just starting to explore a style and/or people who want to add a book representative of a style to their collection.

I recommend this book to everyone.

In addition to the beautifully photographed work, a very enjoyable glimse in Miss Campbells own home and world filled with The Beautiful People.

I have the English edition of this book (called Nina Campbell on Decorating), same number of pages, same copyright date, identical book size, inside look at how she worked with ten clients, so I believe it is the same book with a different title and cover picture (stuff that is typically altered when a book crosses the Atlantic).
The photographs are lovely, showed to their full advantage in this oversized book, accompanied by easy-to-read text that brought me into the dilemmas and solution process for each of the ten houses. Sometimes I disagreed with the results because decorating is a subjective art, but I loved discovering Nina's decorating philosophy. For example, on page 79 she says "Undoubtedly, my client will add paintings as he finds them. A house that is complete from the minute the owner walks in is not an ideal home. In the early stages a room needs to be 'en route,' as it were. You should be able to invite your friends to a party without being embarrassed that it's 'not quite finished."
Of course, Nina's comments also give us insight into how a designer works with a client, including some funny episodes such as the time she was confused about which way a painting a client owned should be hung - she thought vertical, and it turned out horizontal was the artist's intention!
Nina's style tends toward the formal and elegant, but anyone could learn from her approach to decorating. An enjoyable book to read, I'm looking forward to sharing it with some friends of mine who are designing a home - who could resist a wall of books in the study that is really a door? And her decorating tricks, such as lowering a high ceiling by painting it with a mottled texture, can be used by anyone.

If you love the Colefax and Fowler decorating style, you will love this book. Ms. Campbell gives practical advice on how to make your rooms look elegant but comfortable, and she has a warm style that makes the book a pleasure to read. The color photos are excellent. I already stole an idea: wallpapering a multi-paneled screen to hide a radiator.

Equally at home on a living room coffee table or by a bedside, this book offers a welcomed escape for anyone who appreciates english style. It seems that the middle ground between the whimsical cottage style and the grand baronial castle look is often ignored. While I admit that Ms. Campbell definitely illustrates the latter, she also depicts several chapters which this jersey girl has the chance to emulate, i.e. small but stylish, elegance in the miniature. Her text is very informative; however, it is the well over one hundred photographs that will be of great help and inspiration. Reading this book is like commisioning "one of the best" at a true bargain price. A super addition to a collection or a defining starting point, get this book.

I received this book for my birthday recently, and I loved reading it. After I was done, I totally wanted to take a warm, relaxing bath! I love the recipes, both for bath indulgences and also for drinks to sip. I can't wait to try making them. I loved the lavender tub wreath idea. This book would be great for displaying in a bathroom. I'd recommend reading it for anyone who loves taking baths!

This book is like an encyclopedia about bathing. It describes bathing across time and cultures. It also includes recipes for drinks and bathing luxuries.

her book teaches how to relax in the bath and it also has some great recipes.

Many pictures...almost every other page portrays inticing photography that makes you dream about your next visit to the spa. A great coffee-table book, especially in the waiting room of a spa! This book could be useful in decorating as well. The writing covers some history on bathing in different cultures...very interesting!

This book is a true classic and a MUST for anyone interested in antiques or interior design. We were very fortunate to first be introduced to Vervoordt at the 1984 Paris Biennale des Antiquaires where his booth, displaying Ming porcelain lost in 1645 in the South China Sea and recently recovered, was the sensation of the Salon. All of that massed blue-and-white in a large booth at the center of the Grand Palais drew lots of attention to the 37-year old Vervoordt and his subsequent success allowed him to restore a magnificent Belgian chateau over the next four years for use as both home and gallery. Much of this book is photographed in his home/gallery chateau.

This book provides a superb overview of his aesthetic, one which can incorporate a huge Anish Kapoor sculpture (perhaps circa 1995) with ancient stone Thai carvings, gorgeous Renaissance bronzes and wonderful European furniture. Think Rose Tarlow on steroids. The photography is excellent, almost all color, many full-page, and the scale of the book is appropriately large.

If the eclecticism of a Cy Twombly (a contemporary abstract painter) displayed in a warm wood interior appropriate for 17th C. Amsterdam sounds intriguing, he may be on your wave length. The array of tasteful objects beautifully presented is a key feature of the book. His collection (all of which is always for sale) will no doubt include some superb items which you have really never looked at before; when you read about the object, you may reconsider. His enthusiasm is contagious.

Those primarily interested in interior design may find his new book "Axel Vervoordt: Timeless Interiors" more interesting because it shows some twenty homes he has done for clients. But if you only want one book on Vervoordt and if you can afford this out-of-print text, I'd go with the Meredith Etherington-Smith volume.

Five stars are not enough! I have savored every word of this gorgeous book. The philosophy of this remarkable man is truly inspiring--his work is very personal, and seeing it and reading about it are a privilege. Anyone interested in interior design, antiques, or art would benefit from owning a copy of this outstanding, intelligent work.

Every once in a great while a person enters this world who truly makes a difference. Axel is such a person - generous, brilliant, cultured and admired. He works very hard and has endless passion for life and for the joys of his life. This book is a glimpse into what Axel does, into what he lives for. As you read this book and marvel at what heights of artistry, inspiration, then continue on to Axel's web site, at axel-vervoordt.com. You might even be moved to travel to s'Gravenwezel, northeast of Antwerpen, and visit the world he is building there since the mid 60's. It's a wonderful book about a wonderful person.

Axel Vervoordt is an artist in his own right. A designer and collector of art from all periods of history, he presents here the work of his life's vision - creating spaces where all of the arts from all cultures and timeframes meld into subtle, elegant, harmonious and extraordinarily beautiful spaces.

Vervoordt's keen eye for excellence demonstrates how architectural features of a building/living space are enhanced by a combination of art objects, drawings, paintings, murals, artifacts and bits of nature. The results are page after stunning page of thoughtful, quiet splendor. Mixed with commentary from Vervoordt (with written statements by Meredith Etherington-Smith) and exceptional photography by Laziz Hamani this book goes far beyond the borders of volumes about design. This is a bold and inspiring homage to Style. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, December 05

Everywhere you look, you see bamboo -- advertising, catalogue goods, book lists. If you have noticed and are intrigued, if you have EVER considered bamboo, then you want Bamboo Style on your bookshelf and in your hands. The author is a well-traveled architect and her skills and experience are reflected in her offering. The publisher is well-known for beautiful "style" books, among others, but it is the author who determined the scope of this publication: Why Choose Bamboo, The Ways of Bamboo, Bamboo Inside, Bamboo Outside, On Your Own, and Afterword: Bamboo and Beyond. There are many ways to read this book and benefit -- hit only the photos and captions, read the chapter you already know you'll love, try the "how-to" projects or use the resource lists at the end. Any single approach would be sufficient to warrant the purchase of this book, but do yourself a favor, and go through the entire book! There is a wealth of information here. Enjoy every bit of it and welcome to BAMBOO.

It's true, bamboo is the future. With all the many ways bamboo can be used it will continure to grow in popularity. This book does a great job educating the reader about this unique plant. The photographs of the many ways bamboo is utilized in the home and garden are beautiful. This book makes a great gift for the plant lover.

Bamboo is appealing because of its beauty and because it's a renewable resource. While it takes 25 years to grow an "old timber" forest before it can be harvested, it's only a few years before bamboo shoots grow into usable, er, timber.

This book provides a great overview of how you can decorate a home with bamboo, inside and out. You'll find plenty of beautiful pictures with everything from Balniese homes to all-bamboo living rooms, to furniture, flooring and fencing.

However, if you're looking for a how-to book, you may be disappointed. Bamboo Style's emphasis is definitely on _style_ rather than construction. It devotes quite a bit of (well written) text to the reasons to choose bamboo, and those many photographs do an excellent job of demonstrating the breadth of what the material is capable of, both physically and in a decorating sense (i.e. it can fit into a modern decor or an Arts & Crafts scheme). Plus, the book has an extensive resource section, in case you want to explore more.

There are indeed a few hands-on projects, but they're more illustrative of what you can accomplish than anything else. If you want to start building with bamboo, you should definitely get this book -- it's quite inspiring! -- but you'll want another book for the how-to.

Bamboo Style by architect Gale Beth Goldberg is an amazing and superbly presented guide to crafting works of beauty and wonder from bamboo for the purpose of adding either a functional or an elegant touch to home decoration and interior design. Enhanced with lavish color photographs throughout, Bamboo Style offers an informed and informative history of bamboo uses the world over, as well as offering simple projects that anyone can create, this unique reference and truly beautiful book is enthusiastically recommended for the professional as well as do-it-yourself interior decorator wanting to try something fresh and vibrant.