Kitchens: California Design Library [Paperback]

Diane Dorrans Saeks (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1997 | Series: California Design Library

Well known for her gorgeous design and style books, bestselling author Diane Dorrans Saeks now brings her flair for breathtaking interiors to a new series with a practical twist and a great price, the California Design Library. Starting with the kitchen and living room and featuring inspiring color photographs throughout, each edition focuses on one home area, setting the trend for homes around the country and offering ideas, examples, and tips from the professionals on everything from selecting a great sofa to choosing the right countertops. Diane Saeks consulted with designers, decorators, architects, savy homeowners, and, for Kitchens, even some of the country's best chefs, to discover the most exciting, livable, and innovative ideas in design today. Including big ideas for small spaces and advice on how to avoid common pitfalls, the California Design Librarymakes the comfortable elegance of West Coast style a perfect fit for almost any setting, wherever you live.

Editorial Reviews

Review

From: San Francisco Chronicle
By Casey Ellis

Design Series Shares Style Secrets
Is your kitchen dreary? Your living room lifeless? Whether you plan a major renovation or just want to inject a dash of pizzazz, you'll find step-by-step help in two new books by Diane Dorrans Saeks, a style writer and frequent Home Section contributor.

"Kitchens" and "Living Rooms" are the first volumes of the California Design Library--a series by Saeks from Chronicle Books.

Rich with color photographs, the books are compact in design small enough to tuck under your arm and tote along to a furniture store, but big enough to contain a myriad of marvelous ideas.

Both books are organized into two main sections: "Style Portfolio" showcases rooms of interior designers, architects and celebrity chefs; "Design Workbook" offers advice on subjects ranging from kitchen design to armchairs. Statewide guides to some of the most interesting home and garden stores are included.

Best of all, these books will help you design rooms that fit your tastes and lifestyle. "Design rules--those incredibly restrictive ideas about what has to go with what--have gone the way of the dodo bird," Saeks writes.

"The freshest and finest interior decor in California celebrates individuality, gives more than a passing glance to design history and revels in comfort and charm."

About the Author

Diane Dorrans Saeks is the California editor for Metropolitan Home , the interior design editor for PaperCity , the San Francisco correspondent for W and Women's Wear Daily , and a frequent contributor to national and international design publications. She

Product Details

• Paperback: 120 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (August 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811813053
• ISBN-13: 978-0811813051
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 8.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,389,673 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #98 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > How-to & Home Improvements > Remodeling & Renovation > Kitchens

More About the Author

Diane Dorrans Saeks is the bestselling author of over fifteen books, including Hollywood Style and Michael S. Smith: Elements of Style. She was a founding editor of Metropolitan Home and Garden Design magazines. Saeks is currently interior design editor for PaperCity and a correspondent for W and WWD. She has a long-standing working relationship with Orlando Diaz-Azcuy throughout his career and has become a dear friend.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't waste you money!, November 2, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Kitchens: California Design Library (Paperback)

Another piece of pretension. There is very little in this book that the everyday working-on-a-budget person would find useful or helpful. The elevated position of the 'designer', and the negated, nay pejorative, position of the creative imput of the 'client' is much in evidence throughout the text of this book. A boutique piece of fluff. And a tree had to die for this!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kitchen Heaven!, February 28, 2000

By 

M. Evans "Trompe" (California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kitchens: California Design Library (Paperback)

If you want to see the cutting edge of kitchen design this is the book for you. The scope of design that Ms. Dorrans Saeks covers is incredible; from funky-comfortable to high tech glam. I found the book a real inspiration for my own kitchen remodel.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent photography, plus information, April 2, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Kitchens: California Design Library (Paperback)

Very stylish with excellent photography. And this book has plenty of useful information, combined with witty writing. Lots of insights... plus escapism like a large coffee table book.