Review
Thursday, September 22, 2011
What James Hates About Your House !
"While on Twitter the other day, I laughed out loud when I saw the title of this new book,
101 Things I Hate About Your House, by nationally-acclaimed interior designer James Swan, with award-winning writer Carol Beggy and illustrator Stanley A. Meyer. The red "door" cover made me want to click the book's brass knocker NOW and walk right in and see...you guessed it...what James might hate about my house! (Oh, the pressure!)
From page one, I was laughing all the way to my little...uh..."powder room" where James lets all us home dwellers firmly know: "If I've got to "go" then the last thing I want to see is the collection of cover-sticks, deodorants, and hair products that went into pulling you together for either day, evening, or both. I love you dearly, but I don't love you that much. Put your stuff away."
Well James, the organizer and decorator in me says I'm with you so far on this sage homeowner advice! . . . "
--Kathryn Bechen
To read more visit: http://kathrynbechenink.blogspot.com/2011/09/what-james-hates-about-your-house.html.
(Kathryn Bechen
blogspot.com )
Monday, March 28, 2011 / 4:15 PM
Christy Marshall, editor-in-chief, St. Louis AT HOME
Swan's Song
"First of all, there's that title: 101 Things I Hate About Your House. Written by interior designer James Swan, with an assist from Carol Beggy, the book goes step by step, room by room to point out every possible faux pas you have inadvertently made.
I suspect I won't be asking him to dinner if he ever jets in from his Beverly Hills base. But his treatise will make you both laugh and cringe. While he'd be great fun at a bar—or on a lifeboat, I fear his critical eye would make me, and the sweet people I live with, painfully self conscious in our own sweet home. . . ."
To read the full review visit http://www.stlmag.com/Blogs/Secretary-of-the-Interior/March-2011/Swan-039s-Song/index.php.
(Christy Marshall
St. Louis Magazine )
About the Author
James Swan has built an eighteen-year career crafting classically influenced interiors across the United States for clients who have included captains of industry, movie studio heads, investment bankers, and real estate developers. He has contributed to the design of numerous show houses, was recognized with the VOX/Out Designer of the Year award. He opened his own firm in Beverly Hills in 1999 and is a featured design partner with Ballard Designs.
Carol Beggy is an award-winning journalist who left the Boston Globe in 2008 after more than ten years as a writer and editor. She is a senior consultant with Saragoni & Company, collaborated with photographer Bill Brett on four books about Boston, and was also part of the team behind Ted Kennedy: Scenes from and Epic Life.
Illustrator Stanley A. Meyer has more than four dozen credits as a scenic designer/production designer that have earned him numerous awards and nominations. He has designed in every genre from Disney's Beauty and the Beast on Broadway to the Steve Miller Band Bingo! Tour.
