The Art of Decoration [Hardcover]

Nina Campbell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 17, 1996

Nina Campbell introduces her decorating philosophy and suggests ways to implement its basic principles then shares ten decorating challenges she has faced, including redoing a full-blown barional castle. With its lovely full-color photographs and spirited text, The Art of Decoration is sure to become an essential reference for all who are interested in the increasingly popular traditional style. 185 color photos.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Interior designer Campbell shares her secrets for producing traditional and modern stylistic blends: secrets which have successfully promoted her as one of England's top designers. Ten homes are used as design examples and excellent tips given on their redecoration and strategies for design. The result is a practical guide as well as a catalog of Campbell's makeovers. -- Midwest Book Review

From the Inside Flap

Nina Campbell introduces her decorating philosophy and suggests ways to implement its basic principles then shares ten decorating challenges she has faced, including redoing a full-blown barional castle. With its lovely full-color photographs and spirited text, The Art of Decoration is sure to become an essential reference for all who are interested in the increasingly popular traditional style. 185 color photos.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Clarkson Potter (September 17, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517704668
• ISBN-13: 978-0517704660
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 9.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #216,928 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #94 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Interior Design > Decoration & Ornament

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous photographs of elegant homes, January 26, 2002

By 

Suzanne P. Thomas (Colorado, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Art of Decoration (Hardcover)

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.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars inspired reader who wants to "spread the word", April 3, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Art of Decoration (Hardcover)

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.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely book on design in the Colefax and Fowler tradition, February 27, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Art of Decoration (Hardcover)

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.