Furniture Books

This book is amazing!!! I can't believe how easy it is to use. This book is written in step by step instructions that anyone could follow. Who knew that so many repairs could be done with many of the everyday materials found in our own homes. Repairs can be done quickly and easy on the wallet. This book is a definite must for anyone who owns furniture.

This book is a great guide to home furniture repairs. It is easy to read, and easy to reference... with many helpful tips. The book is a must have for both professionals and first time repairers. The repairs are simple, and easy to do with household items... all with professional results. There is no other more inclusive book of furniture repairs available. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in doing minor, or major repairs to their furniture.

I think a reader is better served by Brian Hingley's "Furniture Repair and Refinishing" q.v.

This book covers a lot of material but lacks in the quality. There are a few small black and white photos and line drawings. Consequently, many of the repair techniques are described in text only. Some topics are glossed over (burn ins covered in 2.5 pages of text) and others in great detail (55 pages of wicker, woven seats and bamboo furniture).

On the positive side, there are a great number of techniques that are hard to find elsewhere, such as repairs to bamboo, metal, outdoor and rustic furniture.

My impression of this book is that it's meant for quick fixes for someone who is either turning over used furniture inventory or needs a quick repair around the house.

This book is aptly named and is loaded with "Kids' Stuff". Projects include a cradle, toy chest, a block wagon, and a 1/16" scale model of the New Yankee Workshop, and more! I just got this book yesterday and will be getting started this weekend on the marble roll which I know my 2 year old will just Love! If you have a child or know one you want to make really happy get this book and get to work!

I received this as a gift, and I'm simply not equipped to produce any of the six pieces included. I don't have the tools, or the time, and the previous reviewer is correct that - if I *did* have the tools and time - I'd probably want to buy the plans for the projects.

That said, if *you* have the tools and time, and particularly if you're crafty and know what you're doing with wood and tools, there are six fantastic projects here that would suit a wide range of ages, something to keep you (and, then, your child) busy through various stages of their development.

This book presents a very nice collection of Norm Abram's kid-related projects, and the text and photos are a great help to actually building any of the projects. Having built the cradle project, though, I'd certainly recommend purchasing the set of plans that goes with each project . The plans are indespensible.

Beth Fox gave a fabulous and serious review above, and I'll add to it just to say that almost all of the photos in this book were taken from one photographer, so it's really just one person's limited view of the fashion from that era.

But it's very, very entertaining nonetheless.

For a short time the bureaucrats who ran East Germany decided to bring some style into their lives, hiring professional photographers and models to represent fashion and socialist achievements. OFF THE WALL: FASHION FROM EAST GERMANY 1964 TO 1980 documents these daring images, adding a set of intriguing color photos rarely seen in the West to the chronicles of world fashion history. Some of the Republik's most daring fashion experiments come to life under the hand of photographer Gunter Rubitzsch, who hired local models and chose socialist-inspiring backgrounds to display fashion.

"East German Fashion"? Get your migraine pills and get ready to stare open-mouthed at some of the most blinding creations of the "Workers' and Peasants' State."

My interest in East German fashion was piqued by reading sociological surveys of East Germany and watching the movie "Heisser Sommer," where you can see some of that fashion at its not-quite-worst. East Germany differed a bit from other Warsaw Pact states in that the rulers attempted to provide their subjects with more consumer goods than found elsewhere. Whether this stemmed from the rulers' professed belief that socialism should improve the lives of ordinary people, or their fear that the knowledge of West German standards of living would make the populace restless, is not important. What is germane is that East Germany had more consumer products than other eastern-European countries (although this is damning with faint praise) and the rulers paid some attention to providing "fashionable" clothing.

The question, of course, is: what is "fashionable"? The clothing in this book was clearly an attempt to ape the wilder western fashions of the late 60s and early 70s. However, the clothing is much more cheaply made, and it shows: patterns do not match at the seam line, the colors are garish, and the execution of design is poor. Luckily (for the citizens of East Germany) this was considered to be cutting-edge fashion, and not day-to-day wear. This stuff is far worse than what you would see in a Sears catalog of the same era.

But this is really not a book for the tiny niche who are interested in the fashions of East Germany. If you really care, see "Fashioning Socialism: Clothing, Politics and Consumer Culture in East Germany," by Judd Stitziel. This book is a side-splitting look at the worst of the worst of 1960s and 1970s Communist fashion, with more orange than any one person can stand. I was rolling on the floor laughing my a** off. For $10, you can too.

I like this book and give the authors high marks for their thorough explanation at the beginning of supplies and their uses/applications. The projects are very lively and fun. Lots of color and dots. Most use the stencils also designed by the authors but one can duplicate them free hand or pick similar themes at a craftstore. Most of the projects I would do but the last few that had to do with modifying terra cotta plant pots into functional art I could do without. Overall its a good book.

I love, love, love the ideas in this book - all of the projects are very lighthearted and fun. I only wish they had given the measurements of the wood pieces they painted on - there are no specifics for the painted trays, etc. Also, many of the projects need additional purchases such as stencils, which are pretty expensive on the website info they furnish. But, the projects are cheerful and bright - and really cute. They give very detailed directions for painting on metal, wood, clay pots, etc. You'll be motivated..........

It was exactly what I was looking for. I had seen some of it on Carol Duvall Show so I know what I was getting.

Great book the first and second book! Gives ya chills and spooky enough to wanna leave the light on at night! I highly recommend.

I highly recommend this book! I love antiques and have always believed that previous owners leave an imprint on their beloved possessions. Ed is an expert storyteller and this book weaves its spell around you and makes you not put it down until you have read it cover to cover. Sometimes you laugh sometimes you get the chills from the stories within this book. For those of you who just might have a possessed possession of your own this book confirms what you have known all along...

What more possessed possessions? and more promised? What fun. Is there a spirit world haunting us, teasing us and guiding us? This book could make you believe. I've read the first and now the second and found it fun reading, but not necessarily something you want to read before you go antique shopping. A Maine reader

this book is a good reference for furniture finishing and restoration. Solid information about how to identify antique furniture and it's finishes and then how to repair it. it has information about staining, french polishing, and gilding among others. A straight forward, interesting book that will help me in many furture projects.

This book is an excellent value. It is packed with useful techniques for restoring just about any kind of furniture. The entire book is in full-color. Each project and technique includes a material and equipment list as well as clear step-by-step instructions accompanied by small photos.

The book starts out with tips on where to purchase furniture and what to look for when you do. Then it gives you the basics of getting started including tools, finishing, cleaning, stripping, and treating infestation or wood rot. It also has a wonderful section on understanding wood with a nice chart on 15 wood types, their use, advantages and disadvantages.

Consolidation of furniture including deciding what parts to keep, dismantling a piece or simply making the furniture joints stronger follows. Consolidation sections specific to chairs, tables, and a chest of drawers provide useful details. They teach things like replacing a broken chair stretcher bar, evening chair legs, mending major cracks, replacing a table chassis, carving a new leg for a tripod table or repairing worn drawer slides. There are two additional sections on metal fittings and upholstery. Molding a backplate, antiquing new metal fittings and replacing a double stuffed seat are just a few of the techniques taught here.

The next section focuses on repairing and beautifying surfaces. This includes a great guide to solving common problems like white water marks, dents and scorch marks. Veneer repairs such fixing blisters and removing an old veneer and reusing it as are also covered. It then goes on to demonstrate several surface effects including French polishing, working with gesso, gilding, aging paint, staining, graining, marbling and waxing.

The last section includes 12 projects that use the techniques previously covered. In one project, clients need a sixth chair. They find one with a matching back but must replace the entire seating structure and reupholster it. In another project an empire-style night table needs its brass fitting replaced and its tambour door dismantled and refitted. It also needs new stain, French polish and wax.

The information here will enable you to take on some tough challenges with satisfying professional results as you restore or enhance fine furniture. To help with any project there is a nice list of suppliers in the back.

Having read both the book and the other review of it here, I'm in wholehearted agreement. But I did encounter one small downside. James Bain recommends only one source for upholstery material -- and that turns out to be a wholesaler to the trade only. I haven't checked the other recommdnations, but you should be aware that there's a possible problem here, however minor.

This book is well written, concise, and easy to follow. It is especially good for first-timers as the authors take you through many steps most beginners do not consider.

This book is excellent! The author shows you step by step what you need to do to reupholster your piece of furniture. I used this book and was able to quickly learn what I needed to do to reupholster an old chair I own and looked like I bought a new chair from the store when I was finished. Since then, I have had family and friends asking me where I bought the "new chair!" I recommend this book to anyone wishing to do the same.

Although a book could never substitute seeing first hand, how upholstery is done, this book provides very detailed information. The photos are dated, but the process of the work is not and very clearly explained. Definitely a good reference book to have for anyone learning upholstery who might need additional information.

Some of the furniture in this book is pretty amazing, but I was disappointed in the end, and unfortunately, I bought three of his books so it was compounded. Much of the furniture is rustic casework, decorated fabulously with twigs and bark, but still casework as best I can tell. If you're looking for artistic inspiration, you're not going to get a hint of construction details! Many of the chairs and beds are also pretty "straight"--lots of hickory stick furniture.

The antler work is nifty. The staircases are amazing. The photography is good. There're just too many right angles for my taste in "rustic."

Very well composed and illustrated rustic furniture examples on large high quality pages. Great examples from the best in the business, most being aquaintances and friends. My wife and I also live and work in the Adirondacks, build furniture and have an art studio, but not yet to the standards of these "guys".

Mike and Marion Kratky
Northville, NY

This coffee table book is a magnificent visual tribute to the rustic artists who dedicate themselves to creating "exquisitely handcrafted home furnishings and decor straight from nature". The photographs by the author are stunning and provide a rare visit to some multi-million-dollar homes. This is a wonderful book to display and to share with family and friends. As with all of Ralph Kylloe's books, the production is top-notch, the text is informative and thought-provoking, and the photography is awe-inspiring!

I am the illustrator of this book. It was selected for inclusion in Bank Street College Children's Books of the Year, 1997, and also Pick of the Lists (1996) American Bookseller Magazine. It is very popular with visitors to my studio. If you are visiting Mill Valley, California, please visit Susan Cummins Gallery to see more of my work. Thank You Amazon for making it possible to search for books by the illustrator's name. It has not possible to do this at my local bookstores.

I disagree strongly with the Booklist reviewer's opinion of Renee Flower's illustrations. The illustrations are indeed bright, but they are fun, unique and a refreshing departure from the usual fine art style, museum-quality paintings (read: dull) that grace the pages of one too many children's books. Rather than detracting from the poems, they enhance the quality of the book by capturing the mood and spirit of each poem. All too often, children's books are serious, stodgy things. Flower's illustrations are extraordinarily fun, and so is this book.

So glad I discovered this book for my 3rd graders... great for the first week of school. We found all the describing words and one student noticed the "Picasso" illustrations! Lots of similes -- which of course we found as well. Really a DARLING book...

Seasonal Home teaches the reader to bring the outside in season by season. I agree with a previous reviewer about the lack of hows and whys, but the images certainly make up for it. A great part of the Essential Style Guides series. A+

For quick "visual" ideas, this book offers creative ideas for the home. With its "seasonal" format, it takes you through the four seasons with imaginative ideas for each phase of the year. What was lacking, in my personal and professional opinion, was detailed accompanying text to describe the how's, and how-to's, of the photos shown.

"The Seasonal Home" by Kristin Perers is a refreshing approach to creating an environment in a home that is strictly confined to the God-given natural gifts that everyone receives whether rich or poor. Leaves, shells, plants wood products, or cast-off furniture seem to come together to enhance the rooms with a simplicity that is quite moving. I say hooray for the publishing of this lovely little book with such reverence for the basics without frills. Young people whether married or single will love it.