Discovering Home with Laurie Smith: Find Your Personal Style [Paperback]

Laurie Smith (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 6, 2005

Laurie uses her own home, personal design journal, and classical training to teach design techniques.

Inspirational, full-color photos capture Laurie’s before-and-after design process.

Gives homeowners confidence to work with any home’s architectural "bones."

Strategies to arrange furniture, choose colors, and play with patterns to create rooms that reflect personal interests and tastes.

Expert advice for window treatments, lighting, fabrics, color schemes, and accessories.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jackson, Mississippi, interior decorator Laurie Smith is one of the two original designers on TLC’s Trading Spaces and a favorite among fans. Laurie, who trained at the School of Design in New York City, describes herself as “elegant, but eclectic.” She uses color and vibrancy to create new spaces and always does so with style, grace—and sometimes a bit of perspiration! Laurie is known as the style mix-master, combing elements of classic and contemporary styles. She loves bold and vivid colors and cannot resist the temptation of fine, exquisite fabrics. Using her fame from Trading Spaces as a springboard, Laurie has branched out into the world of design, branding her style and eye for design into various lines of products. She recently launched her own line of fabrics sold exclusively through Hancock Fabrics and is planning a secondary line of fabrics for juveniles in 2006. She also serves as a spokesperson for Lane Home Furnishings. Laurie lives in Jackson, with her husband, Brad, and her son, Gibson Witherspoon.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Meredith Books; First Edition edition (September 6, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0696224062
• ISBN-13: 978-0696224065
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 9.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,062,657 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Not great but still contains good, solid info and a creative approach December 14, 2005

By K. Corn TOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Laurie Smith is a strong believer in finding what motivates you, what activities and interests are at the center of your life - and then using that starting point as a way to add personaity to your room.

And that is the main advantage of this book...it doesn't use a cookie cutter or formula approach. Some rooms are based around family photos and colletions, while others might be focused on an collection of antique furniture.

She also hopes that readers won't be too conservative or focused on having everything match and that makes for lively, interesting rooms.

Her home is a major part of this book so if you're looking for a variety of homes and styles, this may not be what you want. However, I found some inspiration here as well as a nice viewpoint about the whole decoration process, something that can seem intimidating. Smith proves that it does not have to be.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Design Book October 1, 2005

By sajust

Format:Paperback

This book details the renovation and design process of Laurie Smith's current home. Though I am partial to her aesthetic (warm, mid-century style), I was ecsatic with the photographs and the narrative.

The pictures are excellent -- they are beautiful and abundant (on nearly every page in the book) and there are photos of various angles for every room.

But, best of all, I loved the narrative. I don't usually READ decorating and interior design books, but I read this book cover-to-cover. The narrative is warm and, most importantly, extremely informative and educational.

Laurie Smith describes color, lighting, furniture, layout and so much more. She describes the basic rules of thumb and how she interpreted these rules to her own home decorating. She goes through the before-and-after for each room in her house and describes the process of renovation and design elements.

Don't get me wrong, this book is not basic. It's thoughtful and extremely thorough -- I felt as though no stone was unturned! From the heighth and style of the kitchen bar stools (which can be seen from the opposite end of the house) to the various options she drew for her living room and why she chose one design over the other to the tweaks she made in her master bedroom and bathroom in order to update AND compliment the home's "bones," as well as her own style.

I look forward to more titles by Laurie Smith. Highly recommended!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Useful Surprises December 9, 2005

By Ali Dinkins

Format:Paperback

The designs of Laurie Smith on Trading Spaces have always stood out to me as practical, inventive, and liveable. This book explores the intimate way she applied her thorough feel for livable design to a mid-century style in her own home. I was amazed at the creative ideas used to make this sometimes-sterile style completely friendly and inviting. The book clearly explaines the process she used to make her home recover from former bad renovations. She gives great advice for those who are renovating or redecorating. In my own home, however, her advice helped me to see more potential for my already decorated but not yet perfected rooms. I live in and love a very traditional French Country home, yet Laurie's process for her own home educated me on ways to bring mine into it's own. The book celebrates individuality, process, and finding your own inspiration. It's a read and re-read design book. Ali Dinkins