How to Decorate: The Best of Martha Stewart Living [Paperback]

Martha Stewart Living Magazine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 20, 1996 | Series: Best of Martha Stewart Living

The editors of Martha Stewart Living, one of America's most successful home living magazines, have gathered in one convenient place the stories and projects that have defined their approach to decorating the home. The book is organized in a fresh and sensible way, looking at how the rooms are actually used, not at what they are called. Step-by-step instructions for each project are included, plus an extensive resource section. 200 color illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

The editors of Martha Stewart Living, one of America's most successful home living magazines, have gathered in one convenient place the stories and projects that have defined their approach to decorating the home. The book is organized in a fresh and sensible way, looking at how the rooms are actually used, not at what they are called. Step-by-step instructions for each project are included, plus an extensive resource section. 200 color illustrations.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Clarkson Potter (August 20, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517887800
• ISBN-13: 978-0517887806
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 0.4 x 10.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #239,039 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #28 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Expert Advice > Martha Stewart

More About the Author

Martha Stewart is the author of dozens of bestselling books on cooking, entertaining, homekeeping, gardening, weddings, and decorating. She is the host of The Martha Stewart Show, the Emmy-winning daily syndicated television program, and founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, which publishes several magazines, including Martha Stewart Living; produces Martha Stewart Living Radio; and provides a wealth of ideas and information on her website.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

101 of 106 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Martha knows color, but......, August 23, 1998

By 

Lisa ([e-mail]) (McMurray (Pittsburgh), Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Decorate: The Best of Martha Stewart Living (Paperback)

I picked up this book because although I'm not stricly speaking a "fan" of Stewart's, I admire the way she combines elegant colors in ways no one else seems to think of. I was not disappointed - Martha clearly explains principles of color in ways the average person can understand, and the colors were every bit as rich and beautiful as I expected. In fact, reading this book made me investigate her line of paint for K-Mart (developed after publication of this book), and in my opinion that collection contains by far the most beautiful interior colors I have found anywhere, including those $40.00 per gallon specialty stores. The colors are in many cases very close to the palettes in the book. However, before I knew about the K-Mart paint, I eagerly turned to the "Guide" section of this book for information on Stewart's paint source because I immediately wanted to buy some ...only to find that the paint she used in her various homes starts at $24 for 750 milliliters and goes up to $75 for 2.5 liters (slightly more than a plastic soda bottle). Further investigation revealed a $14,000 table, a stainless steel sponge holder for $326, and an $1800 telephone stand. Martha gets such fabulous results in her homes because she has unlimited means. Everything looks expensive because it IS expensive. If you're looking for an educational book about color, by all means buy this one (and check out the K-Mart paint), but if your combined household income is less than seven figures and you want to get the Martha Stewart look, you'd better look elsewhere. The true Martha Stewart look has a very high price tag.

37 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars This book is such a let down!, December 31, 2001

By 

Sharon A Lieberman (NY, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Decorate: The Best of Martha Stewart Living (Paperback)

I couldn't wait to get my copy of this book, but was very disappointed to find how few ideas in here applied to me. We live in an apartment in NYC, and I was looking forward to ideas on how to make the most of a small space, how to brighten up a dark, windowless foyer, etc. None of these concerns are mentioned here. Instead Martha's "how tos" focus on spacious houses, with tons of natural lighting. Doesn't anything look good when you've got a huge light-filled house to work with?

Another disappointing thing about the book is its lack of practicality. The author often refers us to "Martha's collection of antique Wedgewood crystal vases", or "Martha's Louis XVI chairs" or something of the sort. Most people I know don't own priceless antiques. It's obvious that if we did it would be that much easier to make any room look spectacular.

Bottom line: many of the how-tos in here are no-brainers if you've got unlimited space, fantastic natural lighting, and a deep pocketbook. For the rest of us, keep searching for truly useful decorating pointers.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic Martha, top production values, reasonably price, July 28, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: How to Decorate: The Best of Martha Stewart Living (Paperback)

Austere, simple design combined with unique color treatments characterize this Martha product. Despite the incredibly elegant chandeliers, this book focuses on the use of many furniture and accessory times that could be acquired and used by non-Hamptonites, i.e., real people. For example,this book shows a highly industrial and modern kitchen with her Fire King dishes, an unexpected combination. Painted furniture, graphically framed photographs, battered painted bookcases, beautiful lamps, old wicker, simple molding framed mirrors, lovely dishes and window treatments all play together in a uniquely modern way. The book's strongest point is its colors, an unusual pallete used throughout the book. I'm not a purely bred fan of Martha's but she and her stylists are very affective in awakening one's decorating sensibilities and drawing one's eye to the less obvious, but beautiful possibilities. Glad I bought it.