Trade Secrets: Creative Solutions to Home Decorating Problems [Paperback]

Linda Barker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2000

Look around the house. Baffled by problem spots? Or, are you about to embark on some home conversion--adding a nursery, changing the color of paint--and feel unsure how exactly to go about it? If only you could talk to a professional without paying hundreds, maybe even thousands of dollars. You can, because a top interior designer, who writes a popular weekly magazine column, is about to divulge all the tricks of her trade. A remarkably simple question-and-answer format offers guidance and reassurance to the novice on all facets of decoration and repair. What do people want to know? They ask about the most practical flooring for a family with three young children, how to turn the garage into a playroom, how to make the best use of an empty alcove, and whether a small space on a landing could become an effective study. Over 200 tips and recommendations will prove that no problem is insurmountable!

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: David & Charles (October 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 071530982X
• ISBN-13: 978-0715309827
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 1.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,548,868 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Very English, June 20, 2001

By 

Denise Anderson Poore (REDONDO BEACH, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Trade Secrets: Creative Solutions to Home Decorating Problems (Paperback)

I am a huge fan of BBC America's "Changing Rooms." The author of this book, Linda Barker, is a regular on this television show. I purchased this book hoping it would contain tranformations of rooms, tips, and advice for the home. This book contained no photos and many questions from home owners of Great Britan. I could not relate to many of their questions or Linda Barker's advice because they were so particular to that region. I am still a fan of Linda Barker and I will probably try one of her other books.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Love Her, Love the Show, The Book, Not So Much, October 27, 2001

By 

K H Edwards (Wash DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Trade Secrets: Creative Solutions to Home Decorating Problems (Paperback)

Being a FAN of Changing Rooms I ran headlong into purchasing Trade Secrets. I should have read Denise's review first! In too much of a rush. Was hoping the book would be filled with nifty "how-to's" for making interiors look fabulous and different by using particular materials and products. Especially the photo transfer to fabric technique seen occasionally on Changing Rooms.

Every chapter is a series of Q&A. The book is well-organized and the questions answered in sufficient detial to give the novice decorator some excellent pointers. Pictures would make this book good. Without them, it's barely worth flipping through. I tried desparately to find some reason to keep the book on my shelf, but there's not enough in it for me to make it a worhtwhile reference which I'd consult more that once. So, back in the mail it went. <Sigh>.