Furniture Books

I did see quite a few of the pictures before, in other books. So all in all this book is OK, but not very original.

This book packs in a lot of innovative, pictured ideas. However, it does not spend enough time on the detailed how-to instructions that I was looking to find.

Full of wonderful ideas but they give sparse directions on how-to's or they say "available comercially". You just have to guess the rest? I love the ideas but instructions and product resources are sorely lacking.

I notice that the reviews for Southern Living's book THE COMPLETE HOME ORGANIZER and Sunsets book of the same title are identical. The editorial review for SL's book even refers to it as a Sunset book. How odd.

The storage how-to info covers from wine racks to storing recyclables to luggage and all the troublesome belongings that overwhelm the average American home.
Everyone can find some new idea here to use forgotten space. I like the idea of cutting into the space under the stairs for drawers. In the garage it shows innovative sloping wall cabinets to use the over-the-car space. Instead of an expensive bike rack, get 2 closet rod brackets or build crossbars down from ceiling beams.
Have you thought of wire screen shelves in the mud-room for mittens and boots to air and dry? There are ideas for kitchens, workshops, children's rooms, etc. Ample color illustrations and some photos show the options & get the reader thinking.
Great ideas for overloaded homes.

5 STARS...Custom Gunstock Carving!!! Fast delivery and in a condition better than expected. This is a great book for the novice carver. Easy to follow instructions with plenty of pictures and page after page of illustrations and patterns to copy. I am a novice carver, and so far this is the most informative, instructive, and easiest to follow book in my growing library. This is the book I've been searching for!

This is a must book for beginning carvers. Mr. Eck's very detailed instructions, practice exercises and techniques are great in the hands on practice and development of new carvers. The patterns in the book are the best.

This is a great publication, however it is outdated by todays standards, of using air drills for gun stock carvings. The patterns are a great asset.

I realize that I made assumptions, based on other reviews, that this publication might run me through the process of carving a stock from a block of wood, and in particular, checkering - it doesn't. The writer assumes that you have a gunstock that you'd like to carve Deer or Elephants into with an Exacto blade, and only mentions checkering as an aside, as in (not a quote!), your stock may or may not have checkering on it - I wanted to throw it against the wall. The patterns may be useful to those interested in carving them, and the carving exercises could prove helpful to anyone new to working a blade on wood. Live and learn

I recently attended an NRA sponsored class in woodcarving and checkering. This book goes beyond what I learned, which is exactly what I was looking for. If you are interested in carving gunstocks, this is a must have book.

The book includes quite a variety of projects, though some require quite a bit of handyman skills. She throws in a few easy ones like putting tea lights into vintage glassware found at yard sales.
I really liked some of the projects, like making a felted patchwork throw from old sweaters. Another project involves painting a metal table base, then gluing tiles to form a mosaic top for it.
This isn't just dressing up a lawn chair bought at the flea market. It re-purposes objects like old wooden shutters (attached together to form a screen, then painted and stenciled).
At the back of the book are basic techniques such as cleaning wicker, removing rust from iron or steel, and getting stains out of marble.

Nothing out of the ordinary...sorry! Might be OK for someone with very little imagination, but for the artistic, or creative at heart, nope.

The condition of the book exceeded my expectations and I received it promptly as indicated. I will most definitely look to order from you again. Thanks

Each of the pages of this book contains detailed instructions for creating something new and fresh-looking from a flea market or yard sale find. With few exceptions, I found the finished look of the projects to be very feminine--polka-dot painted glasses and trays, pastel painted wood and metal furniture, floral decoupage, gilded metal, tile mosaics, fleur-de-lis stenciled screens, etc. Gone was the chippy paint, rust and old wood that I cherish. The thrift-store metal tray project which gave directions for applying spray paint over beautiful, aged silver-plated trays broke my heart! The end result was summer-colored polka dots that you would find in most dollar stores. The best thing about the book is the detail of the instructions for cleaning, restoring and refinishing. One could easily follow these instructions using the materials of their choice. I would have preferred to see the metal-and-mosaic table made from broken bits of old china vs. new tiles or the porch swing distressed in a soft white instead of being painted with sea blue and green stripes. I did really like the antique wooden trellis (probably because the wood was left in it's aged state) and the rustic hanging planter made from a corn-seed planter (again, left in it's state of demise). I think this book is worth adding to your home library if you can find it at a bargain price as I did. I would check it out of the library before I paid full price.

This book is wonderful. I have used several ideas and have others in the works. The directions are easy to follow. The items shown are not difficulty to come across in small town tag sales or flea markets.

It appears that this book is compiled of a number of projects that Joe and Ed did on their TV Show. But I think there are better resources out there. If I were them, I think I'd look for a new editor & publisher for their next work.

The Pros:
* Interesting side bars on specific topics (assuming you can find them when you need them) including materials, art history, etc.
* Covers both wood and upholstery work
* Covers a variety of techniques

The Cons:
* Aside from the few pages in the middle of full color sheets, all the diagrams are about 1" x 1.5" b&w photos or line drawings. It is very difficult to see what's going on with them. There is profuse text, but give me a few more pictures and a few thousand words less.

* There is clowning around and running gags throughout the book. I'm a light hearted guy, but think this is a little overdone. Maybe it works on their TV show.

* There are some technical errors and omissions. For example, Pure Turpentine is not a petrochemical. I caught a few places where you were instructed to make a stain or something without any idea of quantities or colors.

I think you would be better served to read any of the following books on wood finishing and repair:

* Great Wood Finishes: A Step-By-Step Guide to Consistent and Beautiful Results by Jeff Jewitt

* Understanding Wood Finishing: How to Select and Apply the Right Finish by Bob Flexner

* Perfect Wood Finishing Made Easy by Sue Noble

* Furniture Repair & Refinishing by Brian D. Hingley

Sorry, but I don't have a good upholstery recommendation at this time.

As a long time fan of the Furniture Guys, the book was a must for me. Just like their TV shows, the book is very informative & funny at the same time. An excellent book for those who want to take on home furniture repair themselves.

Being a huge fan of the furniture guys, I knew my husband would enjoy this as a birthday present. I just didn't know how much! He reads it over and over and even takes it back and forth from work! He loves the humor as well as all of the great suggestions and ideas.

The book is very much like the TV show with jokes and easy to read instructions. I only gave it four stars because I would have liked more pictures. Each project has one color picture in a center section. There are also TINY thumbnail photos in the instruction section showing you how to do something. I wanted a magnifying glass. The good thing was the instructions were well written enough that you didn't always need the pictures.

JOSE, CAN YOU SEE?

The humor is there, as is the really helpful information and professional tips on how to get the results the pros do. BUT, the publisher should have sprung for how-to photos that can be seen without a microscope! Come on, guys, I'll pay a buck or two more for pictures I can see.

Although beautifully presented I found this book one dimensional. In particular it seemed that the author's Interior work dominated.

Hawai'i: A Sense of Place, by Mary Philpotts McGrath, is a book written with intelligence, immense respect for its subject, and a true artist's eye. I read the entire book--something I don't often do when the photos are so satisfying--and I was very impressed with McGrath's high level of professionalism and gracious, articulate style. Not only is she at the top of her game but she's heads above all others. McGrath is an artist who `paints' with the landscape, furniture and elements at hand: she integrates the environmental and architectural influences with her clients needs. The photos illustrate the copy perfectly so you can actually learn something while enjoying this book! Another thing she has done is juxtapose charming sepia colored photos of buildings and furniture from Hawai'i in the 1930s 40s and 50s with appropriate full color photos of homes she's been commissioned to redesign. You can compare the old influence on the new. She has elevated what was once considered `kitsch' with an inspired respect for the deeper meaning and grace of Island style. She enhances everything she touches with a gentle knowing hand and it's gorgeous! The book is masterfully designed and plump with tons of photographs. Anyone interested in the beauty of the Islands and how to integrate that love into your home need look no further than Hawai'i: A Sense of Place. It's a useful jewel of a book no matter where you live.

This book is a treasure trove of design ideas. Perfect for the Aloha decorator. The book is of high quality and the pictures are very professional.

This is a slick coffee table type book with lots of great pictures. And, as a coffee table book it works really well. It shows many really nice homes, rooms and grounds in Hawaii. In general, though, it's not as much a survey of Island Interior design as it is a showcase for the work of Designer Mary Philpotts McGrath and the artists and artisans she has worked with. All of these homes appear to be owned by the very rich, who have the means to have a professional designer work with them and near unlimited budget. That said, my wife and I were able to get a lot of design ideas from the details of the scenes presented and were able to get a sense for this designer's vision of Hawaiian decorating.

I read about this book in Sunset magazine. I love Lanais. I want one at my house! It has so many photos of traditional Hawaiian decor and great info about the lifestyle. It's a great coffee table book because of its size and photo content.

Great tips throughout the 160 pages. More black and white than color
photos due to historical photo examples and workshop illustrations
more than drawings. Somewhat more stylish and art intensive than
everyday use cover suggests.

I've been doing regular woodworking and decoy carving for decades. Since I've gotten this book, I've made two rustic tables. I'm looking forward to trying some other projects soon.

Mack is passionate about this form, and I've also gotten his other book: The Art of Rustic Furniture. If you're at all interested in doing this type of work, each these books are a must-have.

If by chance one of those strange looking pieces of "stick furniture" has ever caught your eye and the price seemed high for your budget than consider making your own. This book is full of useful information. Besides the more elborate high end pieces, that are closer to a work of art , there are many examples of simple pieces. The good news is that YOU can make a piece or even a set of rustic furniture. Although it looks complicated, the twisted wood all connected for a functional piece of furniture is relatively easy to make. I've had this book for years and have used it to make several projects for the backyard. You can begin easy with say, a bird house, trellis or a small stool or table. With more experience and confidence the book will provide you with suggestions and inspiration for more dificult projects to tackle. Essentially once you learn and practice some of the basic techniques you are ready to let your imagination go. If you can visualize it YOU can make it. One of the good things about this type of furniture is that if something goes "wrong" this can actually be "corrected" and may lead to an even more interesting effect. Also the piece does not have to have all one type of wood, you can use the burls and roots for interesting effects and even other non-wood objects can be incorporated . Apparently willow is one of the best woods to use but just about any wood will work to create a piece of furniture; it just may not have the intricate and flexibile weavings of willow. You can use whatever is readily avilable in your area. There are examples of various woods including hickory, driftwood, juniper, cedar and maple. While doing a major spring yard cleaning, in summer, I used California Pepper tree limbs and branches to make a large settee for the backyard. Most anyone can do this, even young people without woodworking experience; children can even participate. I incorporated the help of my 15 year old son to complete this project . He had many good ideas and once he got the hang of it was working on sections without me! It made for a good father and son project.The point here being anyone can make something, including YOU. This book will help you learn the basics and than you can move on with the suggested detailed techniques and projects. Besides the tecnical help the book provides, the outstanding varied examples of rustic furniture with different types of wood, the book also has a section on sources for books , rustic furniture dealers, places to buy old and new tools and many of the furniture makers featured in the book addresses and phone numbers for contacts. Once you get this book you will never look at the old wood pile or take a walk in the woods in the same manner. This is an excellent sourcebook with informative and creative inspiration just waiting to help you get started on your first project. Happy rustic furniture making!

If you love rustic funiture you need this book. I have several books on the subject and this is by far my favorite. It has lots of great photos of both contemporary and traditional rustic pieces, and many helpful tips and how-tos. I made a willow chair and found the instructions easy to follow, with good descriptions and step-by-step photos. It was a fun project. Daniel Mack makes beautiful furniture and does a great job of sharing his knowledge.

Misled by its title, I was expecting that this book was about making rustic furniture.
However only the last third of the book is about this.
Two thirds of the books (100 p.) consists in a gallery of pictures (with some comments), mostly chairs. Their style is not modern, but not traditional either. I find most to be weird or snob. Actually many look postmodern to me (they may not all be from the author, but from his friends -many being also from New York City like him). These may be a source of inspiration for some, but definitely not what I am looking for.

And that last third of the book, about making things is also quite a deception in itself. It is a collection of shallow articles by other authors, who show projects they make, with a very vague and general talk about the technique they use. One uses tenons and mortises (anyone knowing a bit about conventional woodworking will not learn anything here), and worse, others use nails and even bolts (the last one). I really learned nothing from this. In addition, this is all about dry wood.

I recommend instead Les Smith's Build your own Log Furniture (only a little bit of technique, for dry softwood, but at least something...), and much more a book where you really can learn many things: Drew Langsner's Green Woodworking.

This book is a must have on any boaters book shelf. It has a good balance of theory and pratical instruction on refeer repair. Nigal always writes a good instruction manual on just about any boat system and this is no exception.

Excellent in all aspects, I got tired of waiting for tecnicians that never arrived. One day after 4 years I decided to get my sailboat's refrigeration back and running, Purchased the book, instruments, and all paraphernalia associated with it, including a Ritchie Vacuum pump from EBay as well as an electronic gas snifer or leak detector. We bought all this among 4 sailboat owners and never again had to call on service. The book is invaluable. And think of the bundle saved plus we don't depend on anyone to resolve our problems.

Hillar

Not very good for practical applications. If you like plenty of theory and equations its great, if you are trying to use it so you could repair and maintain your system it is weak and of not much value.

This book is technical, and without any previous HVAC knowledge, it'll take some review work to put the pieces together. That being said, it will get you from total ignorance to ability to design, order parts for, and build your own onboard refrigiration unit or freezer. This does need revision, as R12 refrigerant has gone by the wayside, and newer products are now used. The components and design elements however, remain unchanged.

If you want to design and build the perfect onboard unit, I'd say you have to have this book.

This book is a little on the technical side and is overdue for a revision, plus a good bit of the material covered is also covered in Mr. Calder's Mechanical & Electrical Manual, but not all of it. We get more detail here. If you want to become one with your refrigeration unit, this is the book for you. It'll help keep you in ice cubes no matter how hot the clime.

The book clearly states that it is a 'Backyard Idea' book, not a how to or a design book. So for the 2 star review before, it is just plain silly. However, this is a great book if you like to sit back and dream ideas for your backyard. It has some ideas that may be out of reach financially for some, but it also has some budget tight ideas as well. And you can create a combo of both if you'd like! I love designing my own backyard landscapes and this book certainly adds to even more ideas. Recommended for those who sit in their yards dreaming what they can do to make them fun and relaxing.

This book has excellent photo's of backyard ideas. It is a great book if you are just looking for ideas. I had expected a book with a little "how-to" mixed in.

I haven't finished reading it yet but so far love it. It has many photos along with a paragraph about why/how this works - the type of landscape and things to make sure you do/don't do. I am buying a copy for my sister for xmas.

This is a wonderful book with beautiful photos and great ideas. It is not a how to book, but it does inspire!

I'm satisfied. More than enough pictures with detailed analysis for each. There is nothing missing.

The images are very nice and well photographed, however as a work of scholarship it is flawed. There are a large number of datelines that are so clearly wrong as to question the authors expertise. I won't bore you with a image by image critique but suffice to say that there are better books on the market such as Friends of the House or Kai Yin Lo's book on Vernacular furniture all of which are real works of quality. As for the price guides included in the book, how helpful is it to give a ...[broad] price range... for a piece of furniture without explaining why one will be the lower price the other the more expensive.

In Chinese Country Antiques: Vernacular Furniture And Accessories, c. 1780-1920, Andrea and Lynde McCormick successfully collaborate to offer a comprehensive, authoritative, reader friendly survey of antiquarian Chinese furniture. Profusely illustrated with hundreds of full color photographs, there are chapters devoted to provenance, finishes, fakes, cabinets, chairs and stools, tables, and accessories. Of special note are the chapters on fakes, and accessories. A highly recommended and beautifully presented introduction to Chinese antiques for the novice collector or student, Chinese Country Antiques is further enhanced with an informative appendix on "Woods" and a brief bibliography for further, more specialized or detailed study.

With all the fuss about Ming and early Ching Dynasty antiques, I am glad that someone has finally written a book about furniture from the late Ching Dynasty. At face value, it is a very attractive book indeed, with colourful pictures of antique Chinese furniture and accessories. However, those hoping to learn more about antiques from this book will be sorely disappointed. Not much was written about the history behind the antiques, such as the difference in styles during different times in China's history or even differences in styles between regional furniture. This book was written by people who own an antique business, so what you read is rather like what you would hear should you walk into an antique shop and speak to the shopkeepers. The literature covers only the first 29 pages of the book, and save for the last 2 pages where there is a short discussion on the various kinds of wood, the rest of the 176 page book contains page after page of photographs of furniture and accessories, with no further explainatory notes.

With regard to furniture, the McCormick's state: "China gets under your skin." How true that is. Their book provides a wonderful coffee table reference for the collector or designer. The selection of pieces photographed is a fantastic representation of the vernacular furniture and accessories China has to offer. Their book also provides interesting information about the amazing background of these pieces since the Qing period.

This book creates appreciation for the type of Chinese furniture and accessories that are both within financial reach and that work with today's lifestyles. The author has revealed a well kept secret. It's beautiful. It's informative. It's a must read for anyone interested in history and/or the decorative arts. One of the best books of its kind.

I love color, and I own about twenty books on painting. I have used this book dozens of times in the past few years--more than I've used any other painting book--and I have found it easy to recreate even the toughest designs. I've used my own paint colors or colors similar to these suggestions, all to stunning results. I think I've even covered a chair and made curtains based on something I saw in this book! I return to it over and over again.

[...]

Carter's book gives a wide-ranging look at many aspects of decorative painting. He starts with a brief introduction, followed by a gallery covering just about every room in the house in his bold, dramatic painted treatments - the cover give just of his interior examples. Take that as an inspriation or warning, as you see fit.

Next, he gives brief descriptions of many basic techniques, including multilayered washes of color, spattering, dragging, marbling, woodgrain finishes and others. This could have been a great resource, but lacks the detail and clarity needed for a do-it-yourselfer to have much chance of success. The project section includes two samples of furniture decoration, but the large majority describe room decorations. Again, I found the directions improvable, especially because I already had reservations about the wisdom or practicality of a beginner tackling such large projects with unfamiliar materials and techniques. I really had to wonder, too, about whether I'd like to live in a room decorated in faux leopard fur by means of stamps cut from potatos.

The last sections present primers on paints, solvents, media, and surface preparation (primers included, if you'll pardon the pun). This is epsecially helpful for special problems, including metallic and masonry surfaces. In most other ways, though, other books are better for the fussy bits of technique, materials, and suggestions for approachable projects.

//wiredweird, reviewing the 1996 edition

I have been a professional faux painter for over 5 years. This is the book I turn to when a client is looking for something unusual. The photos provide endless, timeless finishes and designs. I have spent countless hours poured over Mr. Carter's book and I always find a little something in the pictures that I can turn into a 'new' look. The current 'in-style' colors may change, but that is the beauty of paint! Change the colors and you have a new look. As I always say, the best ideas usually begin as someone else's!

I have been a professional faux painter for over 5 years. This is the book I turn to when a client is looking for something unusual. The photos provide endless, timeless finishes and designs. I have spent countless hours poured over Mr. Carter's book and I always find a little something in the pictures that I can turn into a 'new' look. The current 'in-style' colors may change, but that is the beauty of paint! Change the colors and you have a new look. As I always say, the best ideas usually begin as someone else's!

I checked this book out of the library to determine if it was one I would like to add to my collection.

The first half of the book "Inspirations" showed different rooms with various faux finishes and paint, none of which were detailed. The second half of the book was divided into "Technique and Effects", "Projects" and "Directory of paints and surfaces".

"Technique and Effects" addresses the various techniques, i.e. sponging, splattering, combing, strie and others. Generally there were 1-2 small (about 2" x 4-5") close-up photos of the specific technique. The instructions for the technique followed with a few illustrations, not photographs. Some sections did not have illustrations, just text instruction of the technique (antiquing, aging wood and trompe l'oeil).

"Projects" included things like:
- Crackle-glazed headboard (basic and brief)
- Opulent hallway (some weird star-like spots that seemed more appropriate for a child's room or maybe a celestial theme)
- Faux Fur Interior (walls painted in a leopard-print using potatos)
- Theatrical Drawing Room (very amateurish looking).

There WERE several nice projects such as the:
- Empire Style Salon which used Trompe l'oeil panels (no detailed instructions)
- Townhouse Suite with Blue and white striped walls (again just brief steps)
- Silhouetted Salon - very unusual technique and kind of a stylized art painting of a figure done in a navy color
- Stone Blocked Bathroom - brief instructions but think I could follow this one without too much trouble

"Directory" discusses different type of finishes and how they are used; exterior and how to paint various objects (gutters, brick, doors); tiles/ceramic/glass and plastic. I found this section very informative, even though it did not go into a great amount of detail on each component but it was helpful information.

This book may be great for someone who already does faux-finishing, but I felt it lacked details for the beginner. I do think there are much better books out there for learning paint techniques which go into more detail. You might want to try Fresh Paint by Glenwood Sherry, Walls that Wow from Country Sampler Decorating Ideas (even though many of their techniques are not country) and Great Paint Finishes for a Gorgeous Home by Gary Lord