Customer Reviews

Elle Decor: The Grand Book of French Style

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

 

 

I was somewhat disappointed in this book because I was looking for something that would explain the "French Style" of decorating. This is more a book of the homes of Parisian designers, obviously with a lot of money. The rooms in the book are beautifully photographed and I liked the chapter called "Seven Trends for Today." These included brief text and lots of photographs of the Provincial, Provence, Eclectric, Eccentric, Atlantic, Chalet and 1930-40's style trends. There was a brief description of the style trends, but the photos that followed gave good examples.

The remaining two chapters in this book are: Parisian Fashion Designers at Home and Parisian Interior Designers at Home. The problem with this book is the rooms depicted would require someone to have an unlimited budget and/or access to resources for their furnishings.

This book was not helpful in showing the "regular" person how to achieve the French Style in their own home. Most of the text just describes the exquisite items and creations. For example, "A vase- light has been created from minutely worked Venetian glass, and it dominates the sculpted wrought-iron pediment of a play cabinet which was designed by Gilbert Poillerat" which desribes an elaborate vase with flowers out of glass. There were a few rooms where you could probably implement and adapt to be used within your own home, but the "French Style" depicted in these rooms are based on ALL the elements, from the beautiful custom glasswork to the exquisite fabrics and furnishings.

If you are an interior designer who has clients with unlimited funds or are someone with an unlimited budget, you might find this book useful. For those of us who have to stay within a reasonable budget, this is not the book to learn and implement French Style.

What could have elevated this book above 2 stars would have been more informative text on creating the style and not just descriptions of the products and creators of the items in the photographs.

This is a wonderful design resource book. The books shows the homes of some of the design world "greats". It is eclectic and not your run of the mill "pretty" interiors, but offers new directions in ways to think about design.

I have many books on style and decor, but this is by far one of my favorites. I love that it includes many facets of French style, not just the ubiquitous, American stereotype of what "French" looks like. Chapter headings read: "Provincial," "Atlantic," "Provence," and "Eclectic" (my favorite) to name a few. The back of the book is dedicated to showcasing the homes of a few Parisian fashion and interior designers, an addition that I quite enjoyed. If you're looking to redecorate or just love looking, this book is for you!

I felt that this book was a nice collection of work by French designers. It depicted various French designers work in various styles. It did not however show French style. This was what I was hoping to see.

While one might disagree that this is as grand a book as the title states, this reviewer is satisfied that it is indeed a good presentation of interiors in the many styles associated with French design. Here, the history begins with the 1930s, however, and the majority of the examples are from current times, all presumably previously published in ELLE DECOR magazine. But traditional styles are well represented with chic examples such as an office pavillion decorated by Francois-Joseph Graff for Pierre Berge -- a good arguement for working at home. While it is not an instructive book on style as such, careful study of the photos should provide inspiration to all interested in interior design, regardless of budget.

Having several books on French style and French Country style, many showcasing homes in France, this book is a huge disappointment. Few of the rooms are stylish, but rather, well just junky. I was looking forward to another look at French style in France, not just the interpretation of such in America. This is a coffee table book for those who have little design sense.