Kelly Hoppen Home: From Concept to Reality [Hardcover]

Kelly Hoppen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 26, 2007

Kelly Hoppen is an avatar of hip, high-end interior design, celebrated in the pages of Architectural Digest, In Style, and the New York Times. Her cool, modernist aesthetic is at once timeless and at the cutting-edge of style today and KELLY HOPPEN HOME offers readers a chance to learn from the world-renowned British designer's chic design philosophy. Giving a clear picture of her approach at every stage---from the conception of an idea, through preparation and decision making, to implementing plans and achieving a reality---Kelly shares her insider secrets and reveals how to get the most from a living space.
Kelly's skill in understanding how a home works is illustrated in a portfolio of projects from the UK, United States, Israel, and Switzerland. Architectural plans and drawings, alongside stunning photographs of her latest work, help explain how to reconfigure a space by transforming ideas into workable schemes. Insightful text, practical tips, and information from expert consultants help explain how readers can become their own interior designer.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Kelly Hoppen is a world-renowned British designer who has pioneered a simple but opulent style that has resulted in her work being featured in newspapers and magazines across the globe. She has her own line of furniture, paints, carpets, blinds, fabrics, and giftware collection, as well as retail stores. She lives in Britain.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (September 26, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9780316114288
• ISBN-13: 978-0316114288
• ASIN: 0316114286
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 1 x 11.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #574,447 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Could not be better January 6, 2008

By FFDR

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

My wife and I plan to remodel our place, so we were looking for how-to advice and inspiration. Kelly provided both and much more.

The book has 9 chapters that approach interior design from different angles. Each chapter is extremely clear and well organized, providing practical advice about the planning and process as well as many useful hints about details. There are 9 case studies (one being Kelly's own home in London), complete with a description of what the customer was asking about, what were the challenges, and how she went about meeting them. Each case study comes with a detailed floor plan, a room board that describes the fabrics and colors used, and many gorgeous pictures. These case studies form the backbone of the book and are used to illustrate how she successfully addresses a range of questions and challenges as diverse as fire places, spatial planning, windows, lighting, etc.

The book successfully avoids the common traps of design book and magazines, to either kill you with a never-ending list of boring details, or to fill up the pages with pretty pictures without practical use. Not only is it very educational and useful. It is also makes for a very exciting read.

A funny detail: The Chinese calligraphy on the wall of a sumptuous, custom built wine cellar shown on p. 161, hangs upside down. I sincerely hope that the owners will have a chance to turn it around before entertaining their first Chinese guests.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning - timeless design August 10, 2008

By auzzi mum

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

The pictures and interiors and stunning. The cover picture does not do the book justice. Kelly's interiors are timeless. She incorporates antiques and modern furniture and makes them sing. This is not just a book of pictures - it also describes her own design philosphy and how to do it in your own home - to your own individual personality. It is not a specific how to book - more how to approach your home and develop your own style and consider: lighting, surfaces, space and function, surfaces, texture. The home office and joinery for plasma tv's are first class. All of Kelly's Books are great but this and Golden Rules of Style are her best. Check out her web page for her designs and media press.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Pictures, Useful Information February 21, 2008

By UES

Format:Hardcover

Kelly Hoppen is a very talented decorator and in this book she provides not just beautiful photos (the staple of every design book) but very useful information on how to go about decorating your home, using different case studies, and exploring the challenges in each case, and how she went about to solving them. If you are starting a career as an interior designer, or are looking for ideas to decorate your home, you couldn't ask for a better book than Kelly Hoppen Home.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy It...It Gives Direction and Inspiration in Decorating in the Modern Style May 9, 2012

By Mom of the Hugest Thomas Fan

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought Kelly Hoppen's Style: The Golden Rules... which inspired me to buy Home: From Inspiration to Reality. It seems to me that Kelly repeats many of the pictures from one book to the next; it is simply that the design detail focused on (within the repeated picture) varies from one book to the next. Also, much of what is photographed in the books is available for viewing online free of charge. In spite of this, I would still highly recommend Home: From Inspiration... because the designs are a great inspiration to people who love the Modern and Contemporary styles in interior design. People who do not particularly like these styles may find her books repetitive. People who like these styles will love this book. I like the way her designs are both sophisticated and polished yet `green' and rustic all at the same time. She does a very warm and liveable Modern that seems very achievable to regular people who would like a nice home, but who still have to budget and prioritize. The design advice is pretty commonsensical; it is information you may have seen before if you have read a few design books, but it is works to reassure you that you can achieve a well-designed home without being a professional.
I have found that the photos and advice inspire me to come up with my own designs for furniture, cabinetry, an even doors. [I live in the Caribbean where it is relatively easy and fairly reasonably priced to have artisans do custom work for you] I have no design background and I have never felt moved to design before. I find myself flipping through Home: From Inspiration and Style: The Golden Rules (almost obsessively) almost every day. Each time I see something fresh. I like the books so much that I am looking to see which other of her books I might enjoy.... For me, buying this book was a useful and excellent purchase. Read more ›

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars contemporary design July 10, 2009

By Manni

Format:Hardcover

Kelly's designs are simple yet elegant. She chooses clean lines that are not only pleasing to the eye but add an element of order to current day living. Her sense of color is amazing. When the rest of the designers are getting carried away with bright and conflicting color schemes, she stays with soothing and peaceful blends. She is by far our favorite designer and the book shows it so well.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars More of the Same February 5, 2008

By J. Zenz

Format:Hardcover

I really like Hoppen's decorating style and this is a book with many examples of her style. The problem is that this book is a repeat of her many other books. It's just not fresh and new. It's as if she has found this one way of doing things and has not grown since then. Find another book if you have one of hers already.