Customer Reviews

The Big-Ass Book of Home Decor: More Than 100 Inventive Projects for Cool Homes Like Yours

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Length:: 3:21 Mins

I really hate it when I don't like a book. Decor books are so subjective to taste and individual style. So, please take a moment to watch the video review I did of this book. I took the time to highlight several of the projects. Just remember, what I might not like, someone else will love. This book received lots of praise from industry professionals - which I am not.

The book is divided into over 14 chapters and includes more than 100 projects laid out into 272 pages (400 color photographs).

The color photographs are both pretty and helpful. Each craft has a "you'll need list", a comprehensive "here's how" and step-by-step photos - very well written and easy to follow. Basic sewing techniques are needed for some of the projects.

~XOXO~

Once you 'look inside' the Big Ass Book of Home Decor and you already own the 'Big Ass Book of Crafts' you might think its not much different. You would be completely wrong! There are a few new takes on crafts formerly introduced in the Big Ass Book of Crafts but the new techniques are inspiring! You can apply these projects in so many different ways it also acts as a resource book! More than anything Mark has some amazing new ideas and crafts that will have you thinking 'why didn't I think of that?' and 'I have all the stuff to do this right now!' He also ups the ante on the difficulty for those who think some of the previous projects weren't challenging enough. Again, with projects from beginnger, intermediate to professional there are projects for everyone! Step-by-step instructions with easy to find (and affordable) supplies make this and BABOC a crafters MUST HAVE. I highly recommend this book for all crafters or as a gift for a crafty friend! Brava Mark!

The Big Ass Book of Home Decor is finally out and I now know what I will be doing the next few weeks in my spare time. I am redoing our basement and I am going to "borrow" many of the ideas that the Big Ass Book has thrown out for me. In addition to refreshing my old lamps I am also tackling some old tables as well as some second hand plates that will most likely adorn the wall above the bar. The best thing about this book is that when people see the things I've made I literally have to pull the book out and show them that I did in fact make it myself. Super cool book, super cool ideas.

Using inexpensive (critical to most artists), everyday items, Montano teaches readers to transform the ordinary into the ordinary. What one might see in avante garde boutiques for thousands of dollars, Montano teaches even the most novice crafter to do the same for the price of a fast food meal. This is one of the few craft books that comes out of the Amazon box to my passenger seat for a drive to my nearest hobby or home improvement store...or even the dollar store! There are projects in the book that can be completed with hands on material, too. Regardless, unlike many home art books, Montano's is relevent! I love my well-worn "The Big Ass Book of Crafts" but "The Big Ass Book of Home Decor" is as AT LEAST as amazing. Love the book. Buying his "pre-Bigg Ass" books right now. :)

I found the projects to be very imaginative and creative. Instructions and photos were good, too. I rated it only 3 stars because almost all of it wasn't so not my style. I do think that I can adapt some of the ideas to better suit my tastes, but not enough of them to consider this a purchase I'm happy with. I'd advise you to check this out at the library before you buy it.

Ok, I have always loved crafts, from scrapbooking to crochet to painting (or attempting to), but no book EVER that I have purchased for ideas or inspiration has EVER had the kind of projects that to me were not only totally FABULOUS in their look but also, and most importantly to me, actually "do-able" for the average person. I mean there are tons of "How to" books out there but you seriously need an art degree or a friend who is a carpenter to figure out how to actually make something, well anything that you would show to your friends!

Mark makes sense out of things that most people would overlook in their everyday lives. I have always envied that in people and am SO HAPPY someone finally has all the ideas in a book so all I have to do is copy! Copy and improvise because this book makes my creative juices start to flow just looking through it. I started wondering what other things that I normally overlook could become something useful or fun in my home. Mark is the magician, this is just his book of magic tricks and the secrets behind them. FABULOUS!

If you love to create unique, gorgeous things (with some fun, silly things thrown in) for your home, not to mention just reading the book is fun because of Mark's great sense of humor which had me laughing way more than once, you have to get this and ALL of Mark's books. He is the best that I have seen so far, and I have been looking a long time! Happy crafting!

I'm glad I checked this out at the library before purchasing it. The book itself is well done with nice pictures, easy to understand instructions and plenty of projects. However, I found most of the projects rather garish. There were just a handful that I thought I'd consider. It just wasn't my style, and it may or may not be yours, so I'd recommend getting it from the library to skimming it in a bookstore first.

I love this book. It is a fountain of hours of release and imagination for me.

Especially now. In the last two months I have moved twice, gotten two cars repossessed, bills galore but I am happy that I did budget and purchase this book. It (as the other Big-Ass Book) have been my "go to" place in this time of difficulty. And, believe me I do not have money to go anyplace else. I love them.

AAAANNNNNDDDD, I might add, I have actually been able to create things from this book.

It is also a big resource for me for Xmas gifts (other occasions too). Look, some things may seem gaudy to some...like that glittery chandelier, but, everything (mostly!!! seriously!!!) is very nice and fashionably respectable. The cut paper and (for me, now) "tape" covered chandelier add beauty and joy to an environment that needs to be a safe haven. Besides, I personally LOVE gaudy. What I also love is that everything is accessible...except for one die-cut item but he does offer an alternative plus it is a product that many have now-a-days...soooo, fine, whatever....it does not fit into the total practically 99 cent store, hardware store, garage sale, etc. offerings of resources but since he is practically sin-free with all other crafts....which is totally BIG-ASS...then he can be forgiven this one transgression.

I love this book and if you want to make your home unique and beautiful on a budget, or give gifts that are personal, stylish and doesn't break your pocket-book then this is the book for you. Use it as a dream book, a forget your problems book, an idea book but definitely a guide book. If you are any type of crafter then this is jammed packed with so many methods of creating. Beginners will love this because the instructions and pics are so easy (and complete - you know how sometimes craft instructions act like they are going to tell you how to create a project but then really don't - well, not this one or other one for that matter) plus he even lists what items, specially he uses and possible locations to buy or where he bought - love it!

If you buy this book and regret it I would be completely shocked! ENJOY!!! I HAVE!!!!

This book is completely awesome. I have read many of the "bad" reviews and most of them are dependent on Mark Montano's "style" (but still get 3 stars for the most part!). I say, make of it what you will!! I don't have to use the butterflies on the dishes, or the same color blue on the chair, but it definitely gives me a starting point for an awesome craft. I am all about creating my OWN style with a help from other sources and this book will definitely help me do that.

Aside from the his style, the book is set up to be extremely user friendly. It has beautiful full color pictures, a list of items you will need and very details instructions and even a short narrative about the project straight from Mark. My FAVORITE part of the book...the templates! I have passed up many books because they tell you what to draw or what type of shape to use, but they don't provide templates! I can't wait to get started on a Mummy Chair for my son!! I love Mark's style and think this book is great and can't wait to buy his Big Ass Book of Crafts book!

There are plenty of home decor books with perfectly perfect ideas offered on perfectly designed pages with perfectly polite instructions and quite frankly, I find them perfectly boring. If you want perfectly perfect, buy your decor at Pottery Barn. Creativity isn't about perfection. Creativity is about the willingness to roll up your sleeves and make glorious messes. TV Host and author Mark Montano gets that. How could you not love someone who fully embraces the beauty of imperfection and encourages you to design without a net? How could you not love someone who names his book The Big Ass Book of Home Decor? Mark Montano's fantabulous new book is a crafty revelation!

This irreverent tome is simply bursting at the seams with fresh approaches to traditional techniques with a generous dollop of totally new concepts that will leave your brain spinning. Mark throws so much stuff at you on every page you're going to need a thermos of espresso, a sketch book and an oxygen canister at the ready. He fully exemplifies the mantra 'It ain't what you do, it's the way that you do it' and Mark does it with such flair and panache it's positively mind blowing. You may have decoupaged or texture painted or used plaster of Paris before, but I can guarantee you that you've never done it the way Mark does. If you love to dance on the edge of good taste, if you love a heaping helping of kitsch in your decor, if you are a frugalista who needs solutions to help you take your el cheapo finds and make them el fabuloso, this is your book.

What impressed and intrigued me the most was the abundant array of aesthetics Mr. Montano explored on every page. Nothing was the same old, same old and everything had it's own unique design appeal. Whether you're a mid century maven, a shabby chic sophisticate, a Deco doyenne, a graffiti guru or a Belle Epoque believer...Mark gives you a plethora of fun techniques and concepts and shows you how you can tailor them to suit your personal sense of style. There are over 100 projects in this book to explore using affordable and easily accessible materials, which means there literally is something for everyone. If you can't find something to love here, might I suggest one of the aforementioned perfectly perfect home decor titles. Snore.

Some of my personal favorite projects include: Garden Side Table, Mirrored Glass Candle Holders, Tramp Art Cardboard Frame, Silhouette Wall Treatment, Modern Office Flower Art, Circus Tables...and the list goes on and on and on. So many of these ideas make you smack your forehead and say, "Why didn't I think of that?!" For those of us who've grown weary of cookie cutter furniture with names like Flargensnorp and Gertlesnark, Mark works his design magic on those Ikea staples along with charmingly imperfect and dated flea market and thrift store finds. The projects are straightforward and easy to recreate, but rife with potential for further embellishment and personalization. You can take them as far as you like, mix and match ideas to make them your own. Mark makes even the entirely technically challenged feel empowered.

I'm simply mad for Mark Montano and I'm quite sure after reading The Big Ass Book of Home Decor, you will be too. Perfect, schmerfect. Take a walk on the wild side, you'll be so very glad that you did.

Margot Potter
Author, Designer, TV Personality
The Impatient Beader Series, Beyond the Bead and Bead Chic