Customer Reviews

Home Rules: Transform the Place You Live Into a Place You'll Love

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I picked this book up looking for lots of ideas for the home I have just bought. Maybe Nate does great stuff on Oprah's show, but I can honestly say I did not get one new idea after reading all 175 pages of the book.
What I did get was a lot of fluff--- wasted space made up of glossy photos of Nate (barefoot on his couch, hailing a cab in the city, at the flea market), empty statements like "Candles and soaps are wonderful luxuries, indulge!" and really common sense tips like 1) keep kids stuff organized in easy to reach places 2)use pretty boxes/baskets to stow away your stuff, 3) if you want open cabinets in your kitchen make sure you keep them organized.....etc. etc.

For the size of the book I was expecting more before and afters, and a lot more how-tos. The photos were beautifully done, but too many of them were of Nate and not of interiors.

Some of the makeover projects featured inside I recognized from O at Home magazine. Nate claims to have "too many makeovers to include in the book" and yet rehashes some of the same ones that were already featured in magazine spreads!
Overall, I came away with nothing from this book other than a sense that Nate Berkus is hugely overrated.
Stick to reading the occasional design magazine and you'll be in much better shape.

When I saw this book, I was glad he decided to publish a book of how to create/maintain your own unique style. I have seen him on a few episodes of Oprah and think he is a great designer, as he finds out what the owner likes/dislikes and uses creative ideas to transform inexpensive things into beautiful works of art. His sense of style proves that you don't need a whole lot of money to transform your living abode into an oasis worth coming home to at the end of a long, busy workday. His book features many great photographs, which will inspire you to find your own style. This book is great to get for your own reference and makes an outstanding gift idea for that friend of yours who may need a little help getting his/her place in order. For a guy like me, having difficulty organizing my things into a comforting style, I'm very appreciative of this book. I've been wanting to get a home lifestyle book for some time now and am glad I waited. The others seem to be a bit too "trendy" for my tastes, and Nate Berkus is a down-to-earth kind of guy who knows style...so thank you Nate for publishing this. Its a Christmas gift I am giving to myself this year.

I am really glad I checked this book out of the library. I would have been really upset if I had paid for it prior to reading it. I had never heard of Nate until I happened to watch an episode of Oprah (which I hardly ever do anymore) and saw his decorating style. The show was touting his new line and new book.

Pros
* Nice blend of a kind of contemporary/modern traditional style
* Large font is easy to read
* Nice photography
* Like his color combination choices (not too out there or garish)


Cons
* MAJOR PROBLEM FOR ME: The "Before" and "After" pictures often did not gibe.
The "After" pictures were almost consistently of a different viewpoint than the "Before" pictures. I spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out what area of the room the "After" picture was shot. On page 68, the "Before" picture shows two window on each side of a narrow wall with a picture. The left window is next to a counter/bar area. The "After" photo shows a room with one window. Is it the same wall or another wall in the room? I honestly could not tell, the bar isn't in the photo and there is part of a chaise in the "After" picture.

* "After" pictures missing a "Before" picture or vice versa. On page 52, the "After" picture shows a beautiful room with a window...there is no "Before" picture.

* Very little explanation of how and what he did to get to the "After" product. On page 99, there is a "Before" and "After" of a kitchen. The "After" description says, "Wallpapering the cabinet's recessed door panel gave...a custom decorative touch". The "Before" pictures do not show recessed door panels! Did they put in new cabinet doors? Did they keep the existing doors and put a paneled edge on each of the cabinet doors after they wallpapered? What did they do?

* The "Home Rules" are list of 10 "rules" that appear throughout the book - basically common sense or things you already know...but it fills up a page quickly. An example of these rule (from page 141): 1) Make the bed luxurious... 2) Serenity is key, so keep wall color soothing... 6) Use an armoire or cabinet to conceal the TV when not in use; 10) Make your bed every day.

This book has definitely been hyped up, which is okay with me, if it lives up to the hype. With all the hype, I would expect this book to contain some useful, innovative information, it doesn't. I would suggest others check it out of the library and determine if it is something you would find useful. I determine whether to buy a decorating books based on if there are great designs, decorating info or photos that I would refer to again, this book meets none of that criteria for me.

I would recommend HGTV Before & After Decorating by Amy Tincher-Durik (even if you are not an HGTV fan) or Real Life Decorating: Your Life, Your Style, Your Home by Linda Hallam.

Nate Berkus is the "organizer for the stars". As an ordinary person, I found this book totally useless. The book jacket claims Nate will "transform the place you live into a place you'll love...[Nate will] hold your hand through the whole exciting process... reveals his award-winning decorating tips and innovative organizing ideas". The book shows makeovers of Hollywood stars' houses. The makeovers in the book include Kirstie Alley's house (a kitchen remodel that must have cost at least $250,000) and Oprah's closet (which is about the size of my entire house). The before and after pictures are not from the same angle, so you can't really see what was done in the makeovers in the book. More importantly, however, Kirstie Alley's house and Oprah's closet don't really help me with my ordinary suburban organizing and decorating problems, like piles of papers on the kitchen counter and mismatched furniture. The book is filled with such organizing and decorating "tips" as "shutter the clutter", "carve out a corner where you can be inspired", "tile not in style", and "seek sleek storage". However, the book gives basically NO USEFUL IDEAS for HOW TO "shutter the clutter", "carve out a corner", or "make every inch [of a small room] count".

A book that I have found helpful is The Organizing Sourcebook by Kathy Waddill. She emphasizes making an honest analysis of who you are, where you are in life (new job? new mother? just moved?) and how you live, and taking these factors into account when you try to re-organize or redecorate (don't try to pretend you are Kirstie Alley or Oprah...)

Well, I have to admit that I am a self-admitted design junkie! I am familiar with most of the television designer/decorators out there and have a fair collection of books on the subject. The amount of real and useful information in this book could have easily be covered in a short magazine article. Nate is selling "Nate", not creative design, (like many others I'm sure, I was suckered in by the "image"...) Put side by side with Candice Olson's new book, which I also just bought, this one doesn't even register on the scale (and it's twice the price). Do yourself a favor and check out Candice's book first. It runs circles around this one for content, ideas, before and after photography and most of all really great design.

I believe Nate is getting the same treatment as Dr. Phil. Everyone gets in a frenzy just because Oprah likes him. Frankly, I don't understand what is go great about either Nate or Dr. Phil. They are pretty ordinary and give ordinary advice that has been heard before. I don't recommend the book. I took it out of the library and ended up taking it back the next day.

I looked forward, with great anticipation, for this book to come out. Unfortunately, it was a big dissapointment if you are a viewer of the Oprah show. The book is simply a recap of the room makeovers Nate has shown on Oprah, along with the same commentary. There is very little that is new in this book. A producer on the Oprah show could have put it together and published it. The book does have detail in the back of the companies Nate used as resources, which might be helpful to some. I hope Nate writes another book that uses fresh material.

I wasn't familiar with Berkus from TV, but love decorating books. Here he shows rooms with before and after photos while describing the challenge and his solutions for it. Each chapter has some questions to help you define what you want your room to feel like and how it should function. I liked the little features like tips for arranging art or the Easy Updates (room changes that could be done in an hour or a day).
Here are the chapter headings:
Getting started : inspirations
At home with color
Something for everyone : family rooms
Living large : small spaces
The right recipe : kitchens
Rest and relaxation : bedrooms
The ultimate retreat : bathrooms
Contain yourself : organizing.

After seeing some of Nate's Before and After decorating transformations on Oprah Winfrey's show, I did a search to find his book on decorating, assuming that he HAD to have a book. But no, not a single one, even though he kept appearing on the show, and I kept searching for the inevitable book which I figured HAD to appear.
Well, now it finally has and,happily, it is just as wonderful as I'd hoped. For one thing, this is a guy who understands how to make very personal spaces which fit the person who lives there. Every one of his rooms are unique and each one contains personal touches, special momentoes or collections that are meaningful to the owner. These aren't rooms that not only delight the eye but made for living and, even better, they are often low maintenance and practical, even though they look luxurious.
I particularly like the fact that Nate realizes that most people have lots of "stuff" (CDs, videos, photos, books, children's toys) and those items need to be stored somewhere - so there is plenty of emphasis on attractive storage solutions where all those extra items can fit, leaving the room looking uncluttered.
This is also a guy who is not afraid to express his opinions (no wallpaper borders, please).
Finally, I have to admit it...I'd have bought this book just to be able to look at that cover photo. Brings a smile to my face every time I do. I'm looking forward to adding it to my bookshelf, cover facing OUT, so I see that gorgeous face whenever I walk in the room.

I guess America is obsessed with celebrities, but I'm kind of tired of that obsession. So Nate goes in and organizes Oprah's hundreds of pairs of expensive shoes. Gosh, how helpful is that to me? And Kirstie Ally's kitchen? Who cares!!!

I'm more interested in MY house and what works for ME and MY PEOPLE, not emulating some self-important, secretly insecure celebrity.

As another reviewer mentioned, I got much more out of a book written by another frequest Oprah guest, Kitty Bartholomew.

Her new book, "KITTY BARTHOLOMEW'S DECORATING STYLE" is all about designing a personal home for you, your family, your friends, your life. That's what it's all about--something that feels good to me, not what one of Nate's celebrity clients may like. Who cares!!!!!

Try Kitty's book and feel good inside your own skin, and in your own house.