Customer Reviews

Collector's Style (Better Homes & Gardens)

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...I love this book. I just bought it, but I have to say that the cover looks different than the one amazon is showing. Better. This is a great book for anyone who loves to decorate with collections. The book shows great houses of REAL people who obviously are into their "stuff" and know how to decorate with it. It's really great that the book shows lots of different decorating styles and different collectibles. Everything from fine antiques to Deco, Mid-Century, Fifties Funk. It's fun to look at, fun to read, has tips on specific collectibles, and LOTS of information on decorating with all that stuff you can't help but buy. The homes are realistic but unusual, so the book shows some surprises as you flip through it. If you love flea markets and garage sales and antique stores and ebay (et cetera, et cetera) chances are you will love this book. I find it inspiring and refreshing because it also gets away from the predictable, picture-perfect kinds of homes that are so been-there-done-that. This would be a good gift for people who are into collecting and decorating.

This is a very cool book for people who love their stuff. The homes are in lots of different styles. What I really like is the attitude of the book which is a bit about breaking the rules instead of having boring, picture-perfect rooms. A very refreshing take on design today.

if you are a collector, you will love this book as much as we do. It is intriguing to see how other people decorate with their collections. The book features styles that go from modern to traditional. I've shared this book with my design clients to show them that they can edit and organize their favorite collectibles to create well-designed rooms. Lots of good design information here plus tips on specific hot collectibles. This book is a real find.

If you've ever wondered where all those items from flea markets end up, take a look at this book and you'll question no more. Offering a sneak peak into some serious collectors' homes, you'll see how much stuff a person can actually fit onto a shelf and still have it look organized and interesting, and you'll see what varied interests all different types of collectors have... you'll see that each collector actually has a collection of collections, and lives with these things, not just as museum displays but as objects for daily enjoyment and decor. I have to wonder what the editors' requirement included as the minimum number of objects in the homes featured... the book is a lesson in maximalism! It's obvious that the collectors featured here have passionate interest in not only the objects, but the stories behind each object's creation and how they found it for their collection. But more than a piled-up mishmash of stuff, the book explains how each collection is displayed... groupings by color, manufacturer, era of design, types of shelving, etc. It's like taking a home tour of collections without actually barging into to someone's private space. Terrific photograhy and color and high quality glossy paper, but with over-the-top graphic layouts and a nearly-impossible sylized font, it's a difficult and dizzying read. Experienced writers and collectors/dealers will note some glaring editorial errors, as is the case, so this isn't really a concise read or useful as a reference book for the collections shown, but better as a curious read and a book of ideas for how to display the whozits and whatnots you just "had to have" from the flea market or auction. And some of the collections are of amazing, expensive and very hard to find, very impressive items (check out that Italian art glass and modern furniture collection!!!!!!!) In spite of some criticism I say this book is definitely worth checking out (and yes, the cover shown on Amazon's site is not the actual photo used).

Why doesn't amazon[.com] show the book's actual cover? It's different and better than the one amazon[.com] pictures. This is a great book. It's filled with fabulous design tips on arranging collectibles and working them into a cohesive design scheme. It's fun to flip through because there are lots of "tours" of real homes, so you get to see how people really live with their collections. there is such variety in the book, which includes modern and 50s furniture, modern art, and fine antiques. A broad range that includes some very high-end items as well as funky flea market finds. Great mix. Great style. I love it. Refreshing to see rooms that aren't cold and stark. A lot of the magazines I get have settled on the same interiors month after month, which are spare and bare and lack personality. nice to see real people who obviously are passionate about what they collect and who aren't afraid to put their stuff on display.

I love this book, I love several of the collections (my favorite has to be the robots), and I just wish BH&G would publish a sequel. These aren't sterile environments and stuffy collections, instead there are bright, unusual, and FUN arrangements.

...I love this book. I just bought it, but I have to say that the cover looks different than the one amazon is showing. Better. This is a great book for anyone who loves to decorate with collections. The book shows great houses of REAL people who obviously are into their "stuff" and know how to decorate with it. It's really great that the book shows lots of different decorating styles and different collectibles. Everything from fine antiques to Deco, Mid-Century, Fifties Funk. It's fun to look at, fun to read, has tips on specific collectibles, and LOTS of information on decorating with all that stuff you can't help but buy. The homes are realistic but unusual, so the book shows some surprises as you flip through it. If you love flea markets and garage sales and antique stores and ebay (et cetera, et cetera) chances are you will love this book. I find it inspiring and refreshing because it also gets away from the predictable, picture-perfect kinds of homes that are so been-there-done-that. This would be a good gift for people who are into collecting and decorating.

When my mother suggested that I pick up a copy of a book put out by Better Homes and Gardens I thought it might be time to start looking into nursing homes. Me, the queen of kitsch, the woman with a 3 foot tall panda head in her living room and a naked picture of Burt Reynolds over her living room fire place why would I want a book by Better Homes and Gardens? Talk about judging a book by its cover. Collectors Style has turned out to be one of my favorite home decorating books of all time and has inspired countless home decorating epiphanies.

Stating with the cover I now collect vintage Chinese Checker Boards. The spread for Indulgence in Deco is awe inspiring with the gorgeous furniture and glimpse of an impressive Enid Collins purse collection. I am drawn to the mid century modern Color by Design spread. I basically designed the game room in my house after studying these pictures. The Heywood Wakefield furniture is enough to make you drool. The eclectic style of the Big, Bold and Bright spread is probably the most close to my own decorating taste and the one I relate with the most. Great juxtapositions of kitschy collectibles become unlikely bedfellows.

I listen to my mother anytime she recommends home decorating books now. I should have never doubted her in the first place.

This is a great book about breaking all the so-called decorating rules. This book shows one do-your-own-thing home after another, each filled with its own unique collectibles. There's everything from fine (and pricey) Italian glassware to mid-century modern and tramp art and colonial treasures. And more. There is a lot in the book on how to decorate with and display collections. An interesting book packed with great photos and information.

Full of surprises, this is a book I bought as a gift for someone, and then I liked thumbing through it so much that I bought myself a copy too. The book lets you "tour" real homes around the country, but it also provides lots of decorating advice and in-depth info on the collectibles shown in the homes. The book has everything from Fifties kitsch to fine antiques and shows everything from modern style to traditional. It's all about collecting and then decorating with what you love (versus decorating to fit someone else's idea of what's hot at the moment). A fun and funky book for anyone who loves their "stuff."