Customer Reviews

Thrifty Chic: Interior Style on a Shoestring

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a gorgeous book full of generous photos and helpful descriptions about how to achieve a beautiful interior on a budget from both used materials and affordable new buys (with emphasis on the former). A must-have for anybody interested in vintage chic or flea market style decor. I cannot disagree more with the reviewers who say Rachel Ashwell's books are preferable to this one. Ashwell's books focus one HER style: wrinkly flowery fabrics, distressed wood finishes, and WHITE walls. Not for everyone. Thrifty Chic is not only for Ashwell's shabby chic followers, but also features spreads of different styles including modern style spaces. The point is that you can decorate your place on a budget and achieve a completely unique style, not a carbon copy of a mail order catalog. Great tips, great photos, great projects. Highly recommended.

I enjoyed reading this book and love the pretty pictures - it has inspired me to go out treasure hunting. They also have some instructions for some decorator items you can make for your home - which are nice. I just wish the book was a little longer.

Very interesting. The way things are shown that I would have never thought of. I have thrown out better things that were used in the book. I won't do that again.

I found this book to be very informative in many aspects. I have applied many of the ideas to my own which made my home projects quite unique. In times of these economical hardships, it only makes sense to use, re-use, and create new things, many of which are "one of a kind"!!

This book is full of great pictures. Which, let's be honest. Is THE most important element for a design book. The rooms in this book are eclectic and very European inspired. It's one of a few that I reach for first when I'm looking for inspiration. This is the main reason I buy design books to begin with...inspiration!

So, if you like an eclectic look and are looking for inspiration on how to create this look for yourself, you'll be very happy with this book!

I wanted this book for almost a year, and finally broke down and bought it. If I had paid more for this book, it would be going back. Imagine the cover without the perfectly placed turquoise glasses and purple hydrangeas and your more on track to glimpsing what this book truly is about. While I do enjoy the new country styles found in magazines everywhere today, this book was an incredible let down visually. The cover alludes to a slightly glamorous, eclectic/shabby style, neither of which (in my opinion) could be found inside. I would describe it as edited country/cottage. Admittedly, I went in with expectations of what I conjured this book "could" be... emphasizing the "chic" in my mind, never considering that word could translate to "plain". Almost every room is white, and very basic in terms of decorating. It felt almost like one of those "un-decorating" books, that shows people how to pare down and edit for a simpler lifestyle. Nothing wrong with that if that is what you think you are paying for, just not what I was expecting based on the beautiful cover.

There were some lovely pictures in here, but overall I thought the styles shown were a little too shabby. The bathroom and kitchens were especially cluttered or just drab. I was hoping for some more pulled-together looks. There was also a lot of repetition of text and photos. Reading this book from cover to cover was like experiencing déjà vu.

The book gives the reader ideas and inspiration on how to decorate with thrift shops finds, using recycled items and looking at junk and second hand shops with a different approach.

This is a book to buy for your coffee table if you are in to styling on a budget from second hand finds. And if you buy it secondhand from Amazon.com all the better!

I borrowed this book from the library but I would love it as a gift. Simply beautiful photography by Simon Brown.

I only wish the book had more content both in text and photography, but more in text. Additional practical projects would have been a bonus. I loved the lampshade made out of buttons!

This sylish book validated that I am right on track with how I decorate my home and beach retreat entirely with secondhand and salvage finds. It is inspirational but more importantly practical and stylish.

A lovely delightful book to curl up on the sofa, enjoy and cuppa and visualise your next thrifty project or secondhand find.

comfortable...homey...able to visit and relax... these are just some of the words running through my mind as i go through this book. this is the opposite of what many people do, which is to put together rooms so rigid that one can't relax there for an evening, much less a weekend. the shbby chic style has this going for it too but i prefer this approach, which is to have objects from different sources, not all of it painted and distressed mostly in aqua, white or pink.

the authors use old, distressed furniture, modern inexpensive furniture, objects from nature made into groupings, door knobs, necklaces, coverlets, cushions, lampshades, etc., etc., to pull it all together.

i think this book should be required reading at interior design programs in colleges.