Customer Reviews

Big Ideas For Small Spaces: Featuring JoJo's Notebook from JoAnn Liebeler

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There are numerous photos of a wide array of possibilities for a small living space. The overall aesthetic is comfortable, practical and charming--NOT over the top, expensive and/or absurd like some interior design books. I found several ideas for my own home in this book and am happy I purchased it!
One thing you might want to know is that the majority of ideas are better suited for home owners, rather then renters.

There were some okay ideas & pictures, but the small rooms were not that small, or if they were small, they did not have any limiting factors (doors, windows, closets). So not a good match for me, because I live in a gerbil-warren of a house. But the pix were pretty.

5 stars - 2stars = 3 stars.
* +5stars: the designs are beautiful, creative; lot of nice pictures and some explainations to give reader a better understanding to thing such as why there should be 4 chairs with 2 different colors, or how a typical lay-out will create certain impression
* -1 stars: i like the ideas this book presents throughout; but in order for one to get those unique looks, big money is a must. The ideas in this book don't consider of small or medium budgets; though they look easy to do; if you really want to follow the idea, many must be custom made or special orders, not the typical types one can find in any store. Plus, if you looking for the tradition elegant looks, don't look in this book because they are not there
* -1 stars: the title of this book is about "small spaces", but a better one should be "small odd spaces." There are others nice pictures for typical spaces, of course. But many of the pictures are for odd to very odd ones that can't be used for the regular rooms.

The book summary describes views of small homes and simple design principles. This is definitely not what this book is about.

Many of the homes (most certainly NOT small!) have rooms which would require the combined (high quality) services of an architect, builder and interior designer not to mention a hefty bank balance.

With the exception of the brilliant cover illustration, much of the content of this book is impractical, far too expensive and too complex for those on a modest or very limited budget and without professional expertise.

The cover illustration shows a small living room with excellent use of space, colour coordination, superb use of light and safe, comfortable furniture which could be either new or second hand. Assuming the wood flooring was in place and the door already removed, then anyone could copy the basic design and colour content. Any painting could be undertaken by the complete novice.

In contrast the content of the book contains many illustrations of rooms with complex designs (often modern or futuristic) which would require a great deal of expensive, professional work. Many of the fittings seemed to be bespoke and it would be difficult to find some of the unusual items of furniture. I was also left with the feeling that the rooms chosen might well appeal to the architectural community but not the general public.

I was very much concerned about the general lack of safety considerations in this book. Far too many items of furniture and fittings had sharp corners which could be dangerous for the elderly, small children and those with disabilities. If only the same consideration was implemented as in the cover photo - soft edges to the seats, a fabric covered coffee table, a round occasional table and clear space in which to move.

I was really surprised by the huge contrast between the cover illustration and the overall contents of this book. I do not consider that it offers sufficient help to the average home owner on a limited budget and without experience in home design.

This book has been very useful to me so far. It has an easy design style moving from kitchen to living room to bathroom to bedroom with lovely pitures and tips on how to use the space you have available. A number of the pictures were for areas which did not fit my description of small but they did provide ideas that I was able to use for my place. This was a good buy for me.

The taste level in this book is questionable. There's nothing really in here for small rooms. There's some resources in the book for any furniture you find interesting but out of the many glossy photos all I really liked were 2 or 3 rooms. Definitely go with another book. I got this for my apartment and I couldn't use any of it for 875 sq ft.

I liked this book. There were many well designed spaces. Many of the photos were contemporary/modern which was something I could really appreciate. I was able to glean a lot of ideas and I don't really even have any small spaces. So, I can understand what some of the other reviewers are saying. The spaces may not be as small as your small space. It was short on innovative storage ideas which I would consider critical for small spaces.

Great pictures really geared to fresh comtemporary small spaces. I have bookmarked many ideas...

Granted, small is relative. But most of the homes featured in this book are really quite large. If you think 1,500 sq. ft. is a small one-bedroom apartment, this book may be for you. Also, the space-saving ideas are for homeowners and/or the uber-wealthy and consist largely of custom built-ins, modified walls and structures, and very high-end custom furniture. The homes look very staged and not lived in. Think: vacation homes for the wealthy. If money is no issue when designing your "small" home, this could be your book. If you're on a budget or looking for more creative (DIY) ways to maximize space, look elsewhere.

I bought this book because I fell in love with the inspiring pictures. A great way to get motivated to tackle a space, is by looking at what others have done with their space. It does have many innovative ideas on how to redesign 'traditional' furniture and make use of existing space as much as you can. But if you're looking for a detailed 'How to' of putting this colour with that shade then this may not be the book for you. All in all it is a very good reference book especially if your aim is to make custom furniture for your small space.