Customer Reviews

Kelly Hoppen Style: The Golden Rules of Design

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I realize this may not be the most helpful, or relevant of comments but... I was actually quite bothered by the tone of this author's writing. She is, in my opinion, elitist and arrogant. With comments such as "many people try to immitate me, unsuccessfully" or statements to the tune of "I'm more skilled in this than most", I had to devote a lot of energy to focusing on the message, and not the messenger.

And speaking of the message, I was drawn to this book because this style really resonates with me. I realize that most of the photographs inside the book demonstrate composition, and not necessarily the way you would find somebody's livingroom arranged on a Thursday morning after they've left for work, but I believe that, although seeing realistically decorated interiors is important to some, personally, I prefer to see design that is devoid of the truly personal touches that we should all be responsible for ourselves. After all, I don't need inspiration to figure out where to place my coffee or newspaper every morning.

I was looking for some basic good advice for smart, clean interior design aesthetics...this book met those standards in a beautiful and sensitively assembled book. My only criticism is that the styling that Kelly shows is a high design with contemporary attributes - not very relevant to many other kinds of decorating challenges. I have an early 1900s home with standard ceilings, wood trim and smallish rooms - not very similar at all to Kelly's gorgeous and mostly spacious examples. I will have to work a little harder to envision the golden rules being applied to my humble abode.

I found the photographs in this book to be beautifully presented. It is a minimalist's dream book, clean lines, nothing over done, with rooms full of texture, beauty, and elegance. Nothing overstated, like a fine aged wine, or great architecture. The author, Kelly Hoppen, offers refined elegance, no kitsch.

In the introduction (pg.6) Ms. Hoppen notes, that after 11 September..."a perfect show house no longer mattered. Having a home that really was a home that really was a home did." So I wonder why all the really gorgeous photographs in this book really do not demostrate that people actually live in these homes. The rooms are devoid of individual personality and really do appear to be perfect show rooms. Personal artifacts are removed from the photographs, replaced with props and items that are fabricated for Ms. Hoppen and for sale on links on her web sites or by the vendors listed in the "Address Book" section of her book (read product placement). With that said there are a worthwhile morsels in this book and the photographs are wonderful, especially if you are looking for interesting and minimal examples of door and window trim, floral arrangement ideas, or you are designing a spiral staircase. The text portion of the book is very useful for the design process of building a home and the photographs seem to be blue prints come to life, but without any sentimental indications of the lives of the people who might be moving into these homes. The window treatment section should be licenced by Smith and Noble and used in their catelog.

I purchased Ms. Hoppen's book because my wife and I are trying to figure out how to make the rooms in our house beautiful. We just bought a house, have a small child, and are overwhelmed with our clutter. This book sells itself as a primer on the "golden rules" of design. I thought it would help us figure out how to better use the space in our house, decide what pieces of furniture worked where, etc. I was wrong. Apparently I'm looking for a book on decorating, not design. I take ownership of my ignorance of the difference between the two.

Having said that, this book seems to be written for people who have can afford to hire an interior designer, are in the beginning stages of building or remodeling a house, and have no children or pets. If you are an average consumer (i.e. someone without money to hire a designer, or someone who doesn't have a degree in interior design), I'm not sure this book will be much help. I suspect that we will use "Style: The Golden Rules of Design" as a coffee table book, rather than a book to help us figure out what to do with our coffee table.

I think her discussion of color for neutrals is the best I've seen. She has a science for coordinating trim and fabrics with taupe, sand or cream.

I would not consider myself to be a designer or decorator, but I do enjoy style and try to bring that high-end look to my own home. Kelly's book has given me a lot of inspiration and she imparts a lot of good advice for the novice. Some very simple principles that have already helped me to see items through different eyes. The photographs are superb and give some great ideas, as well.