Customer Reviews

Flea Market Decorating: Creating Style with Vintage Finds (Better Homes & Gardens)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

After seeing this book mentioned in Better Homes & Gardens, I had to have it. Once I got it from Amazon.com, I couldn't put it down. It gives you great ideas on how to decorate your home using simple things like a balaster to make a one of a kind lamp - or even a candlestick. Antique doorknobs become curtain tie-backs. I can't wait until the weekend to start my treasure hunt at the local flea market to make my home as individual as I am.

This one will be in my library for years to come! It was one of my first decorating book purchases, and since our funds are tight and our style rustic cabin eclectic, it seemed like it would apply. And it has! I have drawn many practical ideas from the pages of this book on how to "re-purpose" items to creatively use thrift finds for attractive storage, decoration and more.

I found the "how to" section on cleaning, fixing, and caring for thrift items very helpful. I fully enjoyed going through the 8 or so homes that they took us through and I found it refreshing that a bunch of them were quite small (what I can afford) and NOT CLUTTERED with junk. Instead, they cleverly and neatly displayed collections and really didn't pack the houses with too much STUFF.

Not every room was my style, of course, (one can never expect that) but I recommend this book to people who like to create an attractive and interesting home with neat old stuff. Especially for do-it-yourselfers.

I'm not a big reader, but I read this book cover to cover in a short amount of time and I keep going back to it for inspiration!

Wow. Ilove it, I love it, I love it, I love it,I love it. Thanks to a story in Better Homes and Gardens magazine, I learned about this book. Picked it up at a local bookstore but got it from amazon, (because amazon's price is better). Why isn't amazon showing the cover on its site? This book is gorgeous,and it shows me lots of great ideas as well as lots of different styles so I can do my own thing. The author has the focus right -- this is about creating personal style, not about buying junk.

I agree the rusty chair/furniture and hospital guerny are not very appealing. This book is good for little tips and odds and ends but not as good as Better Homes "Cottage Style" book which I have to say is THE BEST. I am glad I checked it out of the library before I bought it. It went a little to over the top on the shabby chic/flea market look for me not very elegant. The pictures are good because of professional photos but I bet if you were in a home filled with some of this stuff it could end up looking a little too flea-ish. Check it out first at the library.

Gorgeous photos. Sophisticated but filled with really helpful information and ideas. Takes readers to really cool flea markets around the country and then shows how things bought at those markets are used in real rooms. Great variety of design styles, from fun and kitschy to pared down and chic. A great book. A great GIFT for any lover of antiques shops, flea markets, and personal decorating.

If you've ever stood in front of a table at a flea market and thought, "Looks kinda neat - but what the heck would I do with it?", then this is right up your alley. There are a few do-it-yourself projects, for example, curtain rods that use small glass and claw feet as finials, but by and large, the book centers around display ideas. By the way, another book that I've found to be a good companion to this one is BH&G Easy Style. Both have full color pictures on just about every page, and great ideas that haven't been done to death. Enjoy!

I should have checked this out at a bookstore before I ordered it - I saw the 5 stars and went by that.
This book has nothing new to offer. And I do not see the attraction of using a hospital gurney for a bathroom vanity or stacking your towels on a rusty old garden chair. Actually, that is disgusting.
Yes, the photography is wonderful. But I've seen much better information ...
Save your money, or at least check it out a bookstore first.

After seeing a story on this book in Better Homes and Gardens magazine, I bought the book at the bookstore. (Why doesn't amazon show thebook's cover? ) The book is fun, sophisticated, full of fresh ideas, and beautifully photographed. I liked being taken to flea markets around the country and to see how some of the objects found at those flea markets were used in decorating real rooms. If you love antiquing and flea marketing, you'll love this book. It conveys the thrill of the hunt and the fun of decorating, too.

I'd give it three stars because it does reflect the title of the book and there are beautiful pictures which reflect decorating ideas. It might look good on your coffee table, but it doesn't match the editorial description at all. Only a few pages dedicated to do-it-yourself ideas(and those are no-brainers)! If you've never seen Country Living, Country Home, or even Better Homes & Gardens magazines, this might impress you. Final word: It might work as a gift, but you can find much more decorating ideas and how-to guides from $20 worth of magazines.

The book cover printed on amazon does not to this book justice. It's much prettier than that. Decorating is my hobby, and I love all the ideas in this book because they have gotten me to look at things in a new way. I'm already scouring garage sales for "fabulous finds" that I can turn into something individual for my own home. The book is not about budget decorating, exactly, but about being creative in expressing your personality at home.