Customer Reviews

The New French Decor: Living with Timeless Objects

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I just purchased this book as a gift for myself for Christmas. I would say that it is not for everyone who loves to decorate with French style. For some it may be "too cluttery" as it is how to do the current new design style of "assembling many disparate objects" to create a display where you have to study the whole and then its many parts to understand the composition. The book is basically photographs with short descriptions of the photo. There really is no text to the book discussing decorating techniques, etc. I would have liked to see more text to explain the details of the photos. There is no French elegance "candy" here - no gilded rooms with Louis chairs - but mostly items that you would find in flea markets in France or even things taken from trash bins. What the book does do is make you think about the vignettes you create in your own home with a different "eye". It also makes you want to take the first plane to France to scour the flea markets for unique items. I loved LaLandes book published last year better than this one on 18th Century style but they are really an extension of each other in describing this style of decor. I would say that this book helped educate my eye and provided many hours of enjoyment studying each photo. I paid full price because I was anxious to see it, but I would say that getting it at a discount would make it a great addition to your library if you truly love all things French. I find myself pulling it off the shelf to review time and time again. I'm glad I purchased the book.

Where have I gone wrong? I rarely decorate with skulls as part of the composition. Nor do I adore the fine art of taxidermy! (no, I am not kidding, folks) These themes were repeated throughout the book. And though I love beautiful photographs, a little more text to explain what the author was trying to accomplish is in order. In fact, the only reason to recommend this book is FOR the photography. I must be a bore or an idiot because I seem to be the only reviewer who doesn't "get" this book. Please, more Charles Faudree...and less Hamlet.

I bought this book on the recommendation from a review from another book. I should have bought my original intention. In other words, don't believe everything you read. This book never shows a whole room so it is really hard to place the objects in perspective. I didn't see it as "French Decor" at all. Just objects placed around...and a lot of ocean elements and shells. I don't do shells nor do I do skulls. The outside cover of my book doesn't even look like the one they are showing to be reviewed but it is the same book. I was sorely disappointed!

Wonderful reference book for French Decor, fabulous pictures and french inspiration for those of us who can't get enough of the French influence.

"The New French Decor: Living With Timeless Objects" is the collaborative work of journalist and interior decorator Michele Lalande and the photographer Gilles Trillard. 250 full-color photographs beautifully illustrated and showcase Michele Lalande's commentary about the sophistication, symmetry, minimalism, and other elements that make each of the featured rooms successful with respect to their thematic design conceived and executed by top stylists, decorators, and antiquarians. An intrinsically beautiful book, "The New French Decor" is an impressive contribution to the growing library of Interior Design literature and a welcome addition to personal, professional, academic, and community library reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

This book is beautiful cover to cover. There is so much to look at. Everytime I open this book I get loads of ideas from projects to displays. It was well worth the money spent.

Fabulous addition to their first book. Good photographs, writing and, above
all, great objects and antiques.

I have many decoratiing books, but this book (and the author's previous book) are the absolute best of them all. Original and beautiful... a great gift or coffee table book. You'll see something new each time you read it. After this book, you'll find yourself comparing every book after that to this one!

This book is not so much about French decor as it is about displaying antiques etc. I was somewhat disappointed in the content.

You'd think I had just received a lifetime supply of chocolates! I was worried that the book I was ordering was not the same version that was in the bookstore since the cover shown was different. I even had the people at a bookstore check for me whether there were two versions out. They checked the numbers and told me that it should be one and the same book. Even upon ordering, I was alittle tentative, willing to accept whatever came (unless it was ridiculously different). When I opened the package, I was elated...the book I had been hoping for was mine! COOL!