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Vintage Vavoom: Romantic Decorating with One-of-a-Kind Finds [Hardcover]

The Editors Of Romantic Homes Magazine
3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)

List Price: $35.00
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Book Description

December 31, 2007
“If you love something, there is a place for it in your home. Follow your passions, whether displaying heirloom pieces connecting you to your childhood or a love for cooking, and translate them into your surroundings.”
—from the Introduction

We’ve all walked into homes that inspire us and tell us something about the owners’ personality and style. They contain those comfy, romantically stylish rooms where a petal-soft chair and a good book await, or where a cheerful row of aprons seems to dance along a wall. These homes draw us in, urging us to walk around wide-eyed at the eclectic blending of antiques and modern pieces, funky accessories, thoughtful collections, and interesting color combinations. Sometimes, they leave us thinking we could never be so creative or bold.

This book proves otherwise.

What is “Vintage Vavoom,” exactly? It’s a sleek glass table decorated with mismatched china, tarnished silver teapots filled with calla lilies, an antique chandelier hung unpredictably in a bright apple-green powder room. It is the items you love—many steeped in nostalgia—effortlessly combined with a fresh, modern sensibility.

Think textured fabrics, family heirlooms, clever little accents, and well-crafted furniture, linked together with a sense of playfulness.

Yet while the rules are loose, Vintage Vavoom is not about clutter or haphazard mismatching. Instead, seemingly disparate items are pulled together by an underlying motif—a punctuating color, a themed collection, or an era—that will subtly keep a room in check, even as you add personal flourishes throughout.

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Vintage Vavoom: Romantic Decorating with One-of-a-Kind Finds + The Vintage Table: Personal Treasures and Standout Settings
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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 224 pages
  • Publisher: Potter Style (December 31, 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0307382745
  • ISBN-13: 978-0307382740
  • Product Dimensions: 0.8 x 7.7 x 9.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #773,578 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Great pics and interesting writing. P. Dragon  |  3 reviewers made a similar statement
This book is such a treasure trove of ideas. Teresa Schneider  |  2 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
55 of 59 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing... January 8, 2008
Amazon Verified Purchase
I found this book disappointing. I was looking for inspiring pictures and tips that might give me good ideas about how to arrange my own vintage accessories.

Instead the book seems directed toward people who are just starting out in a home, or beginner collectors. Lots of space is dedicated to extremely superficial and obvious advice on where to find vintage items (antique malls and flea markets--who knew?!), getting the most for your money (pedigree and craftsmanship are indicators of value--hmm!), and buying things you love--because apparently some collectors buy things they don't love?

Inspiring photos could have helped make up for the lacking text, but I also found those disappointing. Most are close-ups of one or two items, with very few wider views of rooms or large-scale arrangements. The latter part of the book deals with mixing and matching items, which was more what I had in mind, and I did find a few useful pictures and ideas there, but not nearly enough to justify the cost of the book.

The book also features workshop ideas at the end of each chapter, wherein the reader is encouraged to create an idea binder with torn-out pictures from magazines, or to practice creating vignettes in corners or on shelves. Again, this may be helpful for people who are new to decorating or collecting, but as a longtime collector who has a pretty solid idea of her style and tastes, it was not information I needed.

I enjoy Romantic Home magazine, but this book is not what I'd hoped it would be. I'd recommend Mary Emmerling's design books for inspiration on arranging, mixing, and displaying vintage items instead.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars A disappointment April 5, 2008
By Oodles
Some pretty pictures, but not much else, and all of the pictures started to look the same to me after a while. The writing style is grating: "vavoom" really is kind of a ridiculous word and gets old fast. The advice is the same-old, same-old. I love a pretty book, but I didn't even finish looking through this one. Buy a magazine and use your savings to buy one of those one-of-a-kind treasures. I don't like to be negative, but I also don't like to spend my money on something that's just not that great.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By Angie2
This book is basically for the "beginner decorator" that wishes to decorate in the more "romantic style".

Advanced decorators might find most of the information redundant.

However, if a person is a "beginner" in this area of decorating, then they will find this book very inspiring.

The photos are simply amazing---just as the photos in the magazine ROMANTIC HOMES are.... Colorful, large and bright!

The book begins with an information chapter, explaining the purpose of this book.

Basically, this book is like a mini-workshop because it shows the reader how to put together a "Decorating Journal", in order to organize their decorating style , from start to finish.
Thus, each Chapter in this book covers an area that is linked to the decorators' journal.

Most advanced decorators (of the romantic style) already know what they like, so this is why I state that this book is mainly for the beginning decorator.

This book is quite expensive, so if you can find this book "on sale", I think it would be worth while, even for the advanced decorator...Why?----Answer: because of the amazing photographs.

I think the photos in this book are what are truly amazing. The information itself, is slightly too basic though.
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Vintage Vavoom for the New Year January 1, 2008
Amazon Verified Purchase
I received my copy of this book yesterday. Beautiful pictures, helpful tips, a "how-to" on designing your own Dream Diary for your personal decorating style and ideas. Each chapter ends with a Dream Diary Workshop and there are lists of items to inspire collections. This book is such a treasure trove of ideas. Love it...
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Flea market zing November 25, 2008
Even if you're not wealthy, you can still pick up used treasures, such as the ones shown in this book, and put them together to create a unique and pretty home.

For example: An ancient, chipped flower box is set on an elegant dining table. Pink roses spill out of the flower box to create a really stunning visual statement. Vintage fabrics, many of them lovely with antique lace, can be put together with other fabrics to bring a sense of history to any room.

There are tips on how to flea and how using treasures from your childhood can make your home special.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Vintage Vavoom is Great! January 20, 2008
Outstanding! Great pics and interesting writing. Gathered a few new ideas to implement in my own home.
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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Vintage Done Well! January 24, 2008
Refreshing look at vintage style done well! Excellent step-by-step guide on how to obtain this look in your own home. The photos are gorgeous as one would expect from Romantic Homes and even the copy is beautifully written. There are many home decor books out there today from which to choose that range from cutesie to pathetically self-important. How nice to find a treasure like this one that really provides solid information and creative ideas that marry nostalgia with good taste and can even do so while being mindful of the average home owner's budget. Vintage Vavoom is destined to become one of my all-time favorites!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars Not Great!! April 2, 2011
Amazon Verified Purchase
I have many decorating books and many from the publishers of Romantic Homes, who were the creators of this book, and I have loved them all with the exception of this one. This was not an inspiring book at all and vavoom is a silly term when used in context with decorating.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars enjoyable reading
I was very pleased with the book, the condition was excellent. The pictures are very colorful and I will enjoy loaning this book to my friends
Published 23 days ago by kay patacsil
3.0 out of 5 stars good vintage, forget "vavoom"
In an effort to have an alliterative, memorable title, the editors chose the word "vavoom" - which I always associate with explosions and fanfare, but my kind of Vintage... Read more
Published 4 months ago by A READER IN CENTRAL AMERICA
3.0 out of 5 stars My wife's review
I bought this because my wife wanted it. She has read it and she simply wants me to tell you that it deserves three stars.
Published 22 months ago by Michael
3.0 out of 5 stars An antique dealer's best friend
The central message of this book is that you need, right now, to go out and buy lots of vintage tchotchkes to give your home style; and the photos are done with make-you-salivate... Read more
Published on January 9, 2010 by ComeOnEileen
5.0 out of 5 stars Unique Book!
This book is so inspiring if you love vintage decor...it shows you interesting and beautiful ways to display your older treasures!
Published on November 9, 2009 by BlueDiamond66
5.0 out of 5 stars THE BOOK THAT SAVED MY WEDDING!!
Thank you so much for a wonderful book. I received it as a gift shortly before my wedding. When I went to my florist to check on the centerpieces I was devastated to find the... Read more
Published on April 23, 2008 by Patricia Alexander
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant!!
Got this book for my birthday, and I love it. Pictures are from the magazine, but they are so wonderful. Read more
Published on February 8, 2008 by C. Studer
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