Beautiful Interiors: An Expert's Guide to Creating a More Liveable Home [Hardcover]

Chris Little (Author), Charles Gandy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2005

The work of Chris Little, an Atlanta-based photographer specializes in corporate and residential interiors with many award-winning designers is shown throughout the book.
Award-winning designer Charles Gandy creates an amazingly informative guide to the ABCs of interior decorating. Through beautifully photographed homes in a variety of styles, this very basic reference presents the fundamentals of design, such as line, rhythm, scale, shape, form, pattern, and proportion. There's advice on setting the stage and establishing an overall mood through light and color, as well as floor, wall, ceiling, door, and window choices. Fabric, furniture, and other embellishments receive their own special section, and a room-by-room tour covers everything from entry halls to home libraries. For a final touch, Gandy discusses the WOW factor: the elusive quality that makes a space extra-special. A Selection of the Homestyle Book Club.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Homeowners need not copy ideas from magazines or follow current trends to achieve a look that they love, says interior decorator Gandy. Instead, they need only understand the basic principles of good design so that they can better recognize and communicate their own ideas to professionals. In this accessible guide, Gandy defines design terms such as rhythm, form, scale and closure and explains how to use these elements to achieve a desired effect. For example, Gandy explains that regular rhythm, like equally spaced candles, "adds order and can have a calming affect" while irregular rhythm, like photographs in different sized frames, "creates movement." Little's color photographs of successful designs offer stunning visual examples of each concept. Gandy also includes helpful hints for creating what he calls "The Wow Factor," which can be achieved by paying close attention to detail when using artwork or natural objects like plants and bouquets. Organized with easy-to-follow subheadings, bulleted lists and numerous pictures, this coffee-table book is designed as elegantly as the rooms it displays and should be a valuable resource for amateur decorators and do-it-yourselfers.
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Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Sterling/Chapelle (March 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402716079
• ISBN-13: 978-1402716072
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 10.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,662,439 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Beginner Book, August 2, 2006

By 

J. Zenz "Bookwoman" (Chicago) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Beautiful Interiors: An Expert's Guide to Creating a More Liveable Home (Hardcover)

The book is a very good book for someone who is just starting out with their first home. It give some good advice and is a step above the popular Pottery Barn look.

I have worked in the field of design and I'm sure this book will help the beginner. If you have done some design work on your home and are looking for more advanced advice I would move on to a book that is less general.

Julie

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Foundational Material, June 14, 2007

By 

Retro Artist, Tina Schmidt - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Beautiful Interiors: An Expert's Guide to Creating a More Liveable Home (Hardcover)

This book is both educational and beautiful. It explains the theories behind good design and provides a knowledge base of tools for creating interior settings that work well. I thought the photos were beautiful with enough variation in the styles and rhythm of the different designs. Rich in flavor and color with different temperatures and goals in mind for the viewer, this book is full of eye candy and inspiration. The content of photos are variable and sweep across a large range of styles and textures, very nice for the beginner and perhaps even the more advanced decorator.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW -- this is masterful!, May 28, 2007

By 

Ginny Johansmeier (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beautiful Interiors: An Expert's Guide to Creating a More Liveable Home (Hardcover)

This is without a doubt the best book I have ever read on interior design. The author "cuts to the chase" and demystifies how to put a room together. Where was this book when I decorated my first home and the second and the third? All the basic principles are right here with beautiful photos to illustrate. I loved the book so much that now all of my best friends have one as well!