Customer Reviews

Decorative Style: The Most Original and Comprehensive Sourcebook of Styles, Treatments, Techniques

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Having purchased two of McClouds previous books, "Lighting Style" and "Complete Book of Paint and Decorative Techniques", I thought the man could do no wrong. They were excellent choices. In this book, however, McCloud departs from his complex, professional approach, and provides "vignettes" that read like "Grrr-animals" theme rooms. From a "Carribbean Kitchen" to a "Biedermeier Bathroom", the rooms end up looking like movie sets for a college theater production. Pasting xeroxed corinthian columns on a wall does not a Greek Revival villa make. If you have no imagination and are not able to put ideas together yourself, buy this book. If you want something more substantial, buy the other two books I mentioned. Mr. McCloud is truly a talented man. I personally feel that his other books are better showcases for his talent.

As a professional faux finisher without a college-based decorating background, I never formally learned of all the different decorating periods with their styles, colors, textures and accessories. "Decorative Style" surely is a grand book to comfortably and interestingly guide me through assisting my client with appropriate color choices to match their present accessories or to start anew. Unique faux finishing techniques with great illustrations and instructions are displayed in the scenerios. A great book! Sits proud on my shelf.

For the serious decorative painter, Kevin McCloud's book is not only inspirational, but complete in details of "how-tos". The format is two-fold: each "vynette" (small room view) gives a finished project, with alternate color options, plus a basic "recipe" of technique to achieve the same breathtaking results. A great sourcebook to inspire you, your decorator/designer clientelle or to give the "big picture" to a potential client who has difficulty envisioning the finished project. A wonderful find, several years ago when I was looking for "professional" help and wanted to go beyond the basic start I had with the Jacosta Innes' "Paint Magic" books. A good investment for your reference library, as a decorative painter or designer.

I've been painting for the past twelve years in all mediums and genre but have never had a book go more in depth on arriving at a complete creation. Kevin McCloud's explanation and visual examples make even the most difficult techniques fall into a mere series of steps. From recipes for mixing paints to accesories for the finished room, Mr. McCloud has covered it all.

As a painter/designer looking for new ways to enliven home and commercial spaces, this book hit the spot. For me, while McCloud's "scenes" didn't strike a chord, many, many "pieces" of the scenes resonated with me.

Unlike the plethora of cutesy decorating books with "canned soup formulas", McCloud's book is fresh and innovative, and the author, "project patient". The author seems to have experimented over the years with loads of techniques...some that worked, and others that crashed and burned! And WE get to benefit from his laborious, creative risk taking and personal discoveries.

McCloud presents many "looks", and tools/supplies lists, without presenting exact formulas. His work is labor intensive. For these reasons, this book may drive some individuals mad! Yet, as a teachable, yet often driven, independent artist, I relate to this way of working, as it points me in a general direction, and in my not copying an exact formula or "scene", keeps each project fresh. While I "recycle" far too many books of this genre, this unique sourcebook of Mr. McCloud's is destined to spend its days on my reference shelf of favorites! Thank you, Kevin!

This is one of the only "inspirational" decorative books that I have kept for years. Why? Because in addition in inspriring, it tells me what I need to do it. And it lets me feel that these finishes are within my grasp. Now all I really need is a house with rooms big enough to do much of this!

This was a beautifully photographed book. I'm just not sure why I didn't like it very well. Maybe it was because I did not find much that was useful in a room that I decorate in my home.

The book was somewhat helpful in demonstrating some of the techniques used to get the wall treatment, but maybe I am a simpleton and needed more steps. The rooms also did not have a very realistic look. I did like the wall treatment in the tuscany style room but really didn't like the room. The Greek room was also kind of strange looking to me, maybe because the decor was so "fake" looking.

I was just thankful I checked it out of the library first before spending my hard-earned money. "-)

If you like a VERY themed room, you might like this book, but I think I prefer something a little more subtle and classy that does not SCREAM the theme.

This is an absolutely BEAUTIFUL book. Many styles are explored and techniques discussed, however, there is not enough detail regarding completing the techniques. I had high hopes when I purchased this book, but I think that if I try doing any of these techniques, I'll have to make it up as I go along.

For the inveterate crafter, this book is indispensable. The hints, how-to's, and corrections of popular misconceptions, are alone worth the investment. For instance, gesso is a paste coating used to smear on inexpensive craftwood to make the cheap kind a passable counterfeit, usable in lieu of expensive fine stuff. Wnat we call Poverty Gesso is quickly made by a 50-50% mixture of hydrated lime and an oddball product easily obtained at the building-supply store: concrete bonder. If one has priced commercial gesso lately... Side note: we accidentally gave away our copy of this book and had to return to Amazon for another---now again a permanent resident in our library.

The rooms pictured in this book are very dramatic-- some might suggest over dramatic. But if you'd like some drama in your life look here. A Greco-Roman Bathroom with a claw-footed tub. There's a new plaster bas-relief panel that was given some treatment with shellac and lime. I would probably have pulled out books showing the frescoes of Pompeii and gone with some of their less racy scenes.

His French Empire study for some reason reminded me of one of my favorite Nintendo Entertainment System games-- Castlevania. I think it was the imperial purple walls, candelabra and wall scones with lit candles that brought that game to mind.

You definitely need high ceilings and lots of "stuff" laying around to try to copy any of his rooms, but I think the books works better as inspiration and frankly I enjoy looking at the many items in the rooms-- I have the coffee pot, cream, and sugar bowl that goes with the tea pot on the table in the Baushaus Study. It was made in West Germany after the 50's so it's not actually period.

Anyway, fun book.