Interior Design Books

The sculptures from the National Museum of Ethnology, Leiden, The Netherlands, described are from the Pala-Sena periods of Indian art, circa 8th - 12th century A.D. Ellen Raven

Beautiful photography! Going to Indonesia or even if you have been there, this book captures Indonesia like no other book I pick up since I was there in January of 1998.

For anyone who is intrigued with the marriage of art and architecture in the design of living spaces, you should surely enjoy the works of this Indonesian design firm. They have impressed me with a creative sensitivity that is not normally considered nor enacted in the business of design and beyond all they show a very real design trademark that can be seen in all of their works. The book is very well written, giving the reader a educational tour supplemented with a good variety of well composed and detailed photographs. I really like the fact that the photographs are not the oft-expected tourist-like shots or the professional studio-like shots so prevalent in books of art and architecture. It appears to me that a lot of time and effort was put into this book. I am aware of the fact that the author is in fact an architect and for that reason he has a specific photographic sensitivity that makes his book even more interesting. I have learned more about Indonesian art and architecture, including a very informative section on building materials than I would have ever expected. This book is by far one of the best productions about the works of a design firm, anywhere on this planet.

This book is filled with great ideas for people looking for "contemporary" interiors. Some stunning homes, complete with interesting & unusual furnishings. I've been looking at a lot of Interior Design books lately (just bought a new house) and this is the best so far.

This lovely book and its companion, "Inside Rome," are a terrific resource if you're a designer looking for inspiration. They are a sampler of unusual interiors from many different periods and styles, well photographed and nicely reproduced. The most interesting are those to which there is no public access - government buildings etc.

After falling in love with Paris, I took my mother there for her 60th birthday. So, when her 61st birthday rolled around, I bought her this book as a reminder of those wonderful days. Trouble is, I didn't want to part with it so I had to buy my own copy. It's filled with gorgeous photos of the interiors of some of Paris's most-loved buildings and several lesser-known but just as beautiful. A great gift for the Paris lover or any lover of architecture, history, and beautiful spaces.

Dr. Currie worked at the Victoria & Albert museum in London for several years in the Furniture, Textile and Fashion department. She now lives in Florence and has combined her experience and education to present this study of the 'lifestyle of the rich and famous' during the Italian Renaissance.

The book is lavisly illustrated with photographs of artwork, furniture, tableware, and room fixtures of the time. It presents a view of how life in the period was lived. It is done in the form of first a description of the Renaissance home, then a room by room view.

Along with a descrition of the room itself, there is also a description of life in that room at that time. For instance in the chapter entitled 'The Bedroom,' there is what might be called a sub-title: 'Marriages, Births and Everyday Life.'

Dr. Currie has done an excellent job of pulling these pictures together.

There are, of course, no bath rooms, and in spite of the decorations and elegance, I can't help but wonder what the place smelled like.

This is a book for the serious historian of design or architecture -- while the many photographs are all oustanding, and, in particular, the photos from Country Life are truly some of the most extraordinary interior photos of the 20th century [notwithstanding the complaints of the prior reviewer] --- this is not in the least a coffee table book and those seeking such should look elsewhere. Rather, this superlative volume is a landmark in the intellectual history of Anglo-American design aesthetics and will likely not be equalled in the future. Of course, it's not at all surprising that the book is OOP --- the sophisticated audience for this subject is quite distinct from the acquisition-minded, typical subscriber to Architectural Digest.

A great no-sew decorating book! Lots of quick and easy ideas which won't break the bank.

"Instant Impact" is definitely the best of the Trading Spaces books! They have a great ideas and wonderful photos from the shows. Another great book is Martha Stewart's "Decorating with Color." Sadly, I was disappointed by HGTV's "Before and After."