77 Habits of Highly Creative Interior Designers (Interior Design and Architecture) [Hardcover]

Sarah Lynch (Author)

Book Description

Series: Interior Design and Architecture | Publication Date: April 1, 2003

In this practical approach to home decorating, more than a dozen interior designers share their professional secrets on every aspect of style, decor and furnishings. In all, they offer advice and tips on 77 key design elements, including colour, lighting, arrangement, scale and space, walls and windows, floors and ceilings and arts and collectibles. From bedroom and bathroom to kitchen and living room, this guide aims to help the reader develop their own style and design a home to their tastes.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Given the sometimes befuddling plethora of books about interior design, this concise ensemble of experts commenting on design issues is a notable stand-out. Design writer Lynch has effectively organized the book by limiting the particular design issue under discussion to one clear topic per page. In "Chapter Four: Windows and Lighting," for example, Lynch asserts that "Indirect lighting is always better than direct," to which her "panel" of architects and designers respond in specific, helpful paragraphs. When Lynch suggests that readers should "set up major appliances in the form of a triangle for maximum ease and efficiency," each of the designers comes up with a unique approach. With copious photographs exemplifying the design principles the experts are elucidating, this smart guide is both visually alluring and useful.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Sarah Lynch is an interior designer, writer and editor. She is the author of 77 Habits of Highly Creative Interior Designers, The Perfect Room, Modern Color and Complete Bathroom Design. Sarah lives in San Francisco, CA

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Rockport Publishers (April 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1564969584
• ISBN-13: 978-1564969583
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #537,330 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good ideas, but lacks substance, July 27, 2005

By 

D. Meigs (Virginia Beach, VA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 77 Habits of Highly Creative Interior Designers (Paperback)

I found the commentary from each designer interesting and occassionally insightful, but this was not the interior designer's resource book its description touts it to be.

0 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Limited interest and usefulness, October 20, 2005

By 

And You May Find Yourself (Greece) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 77 Habits of Highly Creative Interior Designers (Paperback)

I was expecting something much more specific and focused from this book. It's not really about 'habits' of designers at all, methinks.

Lynch should really have edited out several of the comments included here - such as: 'Lighting is essential. it is the most versatile tool we have for creating an atmosphere'.
This is an aphorism, Ms Lynch. Not a habit, not even a suggestion. It tells the reader nothing that s/he can use to improve her/his living space. Which, one may be forgiven for thinking, is the whole point of a book purporting to reveal designers' practices.

Having said this, some designers do make useful suggestions. Example from the same chapter: 'make sure lights are not directly overhead, it creates raccoon eyes. Chandeliers, sconces and lamps ..are sure to make people look good...Of course, a dimmer is a must'. This comment is not a statement of principle (you can't move sideways through this book for the vapid 'be true to/trust yourself' statements); the designer is telling us something she looks out for, a habit I can emulate myself. Lynch should have concentrated on this kind of comment to produce a useful book, rather than just a coffee-table book with some nice pictures and a few good points.

Incidentally, it's obvious that some of the designers quoted are represented throughout the book (in terms of photographs) by one project only, and others by several. Shouldn't there have been some consistency here?