Customer Reviews

The Paris Apartment: Romantic Decor on a Flea-Market Budget

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

This is an excellent book IF the reader is clear about what it's going to contain.

It has one really outstanding feature: the idea that you can let your personal fantasy inspire the way you decorate and live. At a time when too many people are slaves to someone else's fashions and want what they're told to want, this is a breath of fresh air. How much more exciting to start by thinking "inside, I feel that I'm a Roaring 20's flapper!" rather than "well, I guess I should get something to match the plaid couch"!

Having said that, it's true that not every photo in the book will appeal to you. After all, these are very personal looks she's showing.

And yes, it helps a lot if you're at least slightly artsy or have gifted friends, although she does make a couple suggestions about getting artists to work for not-too-much-$$.

Other caveats:

-- this is absolutely not a hand-holding how-to book. If you want instructions on a paint technique or something, this isn't the place to get it. This book is about inspiration, not step by step instruction.

-- yes, you can find real bargains on furniture and accessories IF you're willing to hunt for a darn long time. If going to yard sales is fun for you, you're golden. If you want your place decorated NOW, you're going to have to pay a bunch more than she's talking about. Again, buy this book for inspiration rather than because you want budget decorating tips.

-- there should be more (and sometimes clearer) photos.

The 'Paris Apartment' style is not for everyone, but it is certainly a much needed reaction to the Pottery Barn, pre-fab, one-size-fits-all approach that is sweeping the nation.

There were but two faults with this book. Firstly, it could have used more photographs, or at least captions to clearly indicate which photographs were a result of which techniques so that one doesn't have to read a whole page of text while trying to find a quick reference. Secondly, the author rather glibly assumes that one has access to patient friends who can paint murals and make stained glass for free. This may be a reasonable assumption in Manhatten, but it certainly isn't in Podunk USA and those in Podunk also want to live well.

(I must confess that I was also baffled at how everyone seemed to have a landlord who was perfectly okay with having the ceiling painted, the overhead light fixtures replaced, and the walls embellished with mouldings. Is it only in college towns that slumlords want their slums back in more-or-less the same condition they were rented out in?)

But on the whole, The Paris Apartment contains a wealth of jumping-of-points from which the active imagination can conceive of marvelous things to do with even the most awkward room.

I've been looking for a book like this for a long time! I flipped through it quickly, taking in all the details, and was so inspired that i completely redecorated my studio without spending a DIME... i used things i already had but hadn't thought of using for decorating.. old fabric and necklaces, bits of cording, etc... and did it all in ONE DAY... the change is amazing, i feel like i have my own personal retreat now.. it's become MY place. i've never seen another book like this and i probably never will!

Having traveled extensively in France and appreciated the wonderful decor throughout that beautiful country, I was disappointed. If you can shop in New York or Paris, you can put this book to good use for its shopping references. If you know artists who work for free or if you are an artist yourself, you can execute some of Strasser's ideas for under $1800 for the type of apartment makeovers featured. For the rest of us, better pictures, better details, more inspiration appear in House Beautiful's "Small Spaces".

*The Paris Apartment* is the perfect book for the (perhaps slightly artsy) person who loves the myriad luxurious looks of days gone by. The book is not for the complete beginner, as Claudia Strasser definitely seems to direct her book to those who already know that they prefer a slightly cluttered luxuriousness to a stark modernity. (Although I believe that those who prefer the latter can learn a lot from her techniques.) The book is also not for the insecure, as Strasser does not sit down and load the reader with facts, dimensions, rules and schemes. Instead, her book is a friendly inspiration to those who already have an inkling for what they like and simply need a few helpful ideas and few suggested techniques to get them started.

Strasser fills her book with lovely inspirational and historical quotes and illustrations, but perhaps the most helpful things about it are the informational boxes in which she gives the reader helpful tips on how to achieve many of the looks within: tints and washes, dying fabrics, wall stencils, drapes & valances, duvet covers, reupholstering, rinceau, furniture refinishing, flea market savvy, restoring a chandelier, etc. These boxes, for me, truly make this book "Romantic Decor on a Flea Market Budget," as they show the reader how to *make* many of the items in the book. Books that feature flea-market finds usually only take their readers halfway, as once the readers are at the flea-market it lies upon to fate for the perfect objects to cross their paths. *The Paris Apartment,* however, demonstrates to its readers techniques that allow them to take control of at least some parts of their decorative destiny. It is certainly possible to pay someone to do these things or to go out and buy a $600 duvet cover, but it is infinitely cheaper to do them oneself.

Something about Strasser's tone in the text *does,* however, occasionally make one feel as though she is a bit amateur-ish. Part of me wanted to feel as though there were a slightly more authoritative voice behind this book and its ideas. However, I also believe that the authoritative voice one might feel as though the book lacked on occasion is in some ways in opposition to the free-flowing concepts of creatively exploring one's own decorative style that *The Paris Apartment* embodies. The book, in some ways, rejects "authority" and serves, instead, as "decorative friend," making the reader feel as though s/he is exploring his or her own taste with a fellow adventurer in the decorative arts.

First, I think it is important to point out that this book is more of a romantic idea and style, and yeah -- you probably won't find a lot of apartments in Paris that are decorated like this, so comparing it to REAL Paris apartments is a little unfair...

Having said that, this is a perfect book for someone who is especially creative and artistic. I already had an idea of what I wanted, and had decorated quite a bit. However this book really gave me a reference.

If you are willing to look, and are up for a search you can decorate for less the $1,800 but you do have to put effort into the hunt. Flea Markets, Garage Sales, Discount stores like TJ MAXX and Ross's if you have them in your area have been a wonderful source for me.

If you are a romantic and a dreamer -- this book is for you

This book is written with the very romantic notion (that I love) that home should be a beautiful haven from the outside world. I enjoy reading the nearly poetic way the writer describes her revamping projects. The flea market makeovers are good, and many things really can be fixed with a new coat of paint and a plush new cushion.
Basically, in this book, the writer (along with a group of people) redecorate several apartments which badly needed help. What is wonderful about this book is that each apartment is decorated to suit it's owner specifically, and that you are given many different ideas for mock-period decoration (Gothic, Rocco, Victorian etc).
So why didn't this book get a higher rating? Well, not all of the ideas are very practical (not that decoration is necessarily practical) but some of the ideas are not so good. For example, a bathroom is revamped by hot gluing glass beads to the outside of a tub. It seems obvious that the moisture build-up in the bathroom would cause these pretty baubles to fall off, or if you were able to afix them to the point of never being removed, you would have to pay charges when you moved out and your landlord had to replace the tub! Also, in many apartments you are simply not allowed to paint your walls, which is about 50% of the restoration work described in the book. It would have been nice if this book was more geared to home owners or if they showed methods which apartment dwellers could actually use without incurring the wrath of their landlord.

This book is fantastic. I followed Claudia's tips and now have furnished the majority of my home with beautiful things....and very affordable as well. It's true...a little paint and fabric will go a long way. I am so pleased with the way things came together. I took before and after shots and WOW...what a feeling of accomplishment! I am disturbed that the previous person who reviewed this book referred to the author a hypocrite. Her opinion was that her store/website is expensive. Well, the book teaches us how to find beauties in the rough ourselves. She shares her secrets as well as her sources. What more could the average person ask for. Claudia has to make a living too.

This is by far my favorite decorating book. It is filled with more hints and tips to get that "jewel box" or "genie bottle" effect than any I've read. If you are creating a very elaborate, whimsical living space and need some inspiration...this is the book to get! This is the book to bring out the fairy tale prince or princess in anyone. Wonderful budget advice also. I love this book!

I finally found a book that is down to earth and practically helpful. Instead of showing me things I could not possibly create like other "fancy" decorating books, this one gave me a new way to look at my own space and actually change it for the better. It shows before and after pictures that show you how even the worst spaces can be turned into dreams without spending an arm and a leg. I took the book to Australia with me and ended up having to buy 5 more copies for friends there that loved it and had never seen anything like it. Can't wait for the next one.....more inspiration please!