The Domain Book of Intuitive Home Design: How to Decorate Using Your Personality Type (Hardcover)

by Judy George (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
If you've always liked formal, high-ceilinged rooms with classic period furniture that some would call "stiff," or gravitate to cozy, intimate rooms with an interesting array of travel memorabilia that your neatnik friends might refer to as "clutter," there's a reason. The Domain Book of Intuitive Home Design identifies four basic personality types--the Visionary, the Artisan, the Idealist, and the Adventurer--that correspond to four very different decorating styles. The book begins with a 20-question "Intuitive Personality Quiz" to help readers classify themselves using the four broadly drawn archetypes. Then the fun begins, as a question is posed: "What would you do with a naked sofa?" A basic sofa is shown with an all-out treatment for each personality type: satin pillows and classic flanking end tables for the Visionary; printed cotton pillows, a teddy bear, and an afghan for the Artisan; sleek leather coverings and a bare floor for the Idealist; four contrasting cloth coverings and leopard-print and shag pillows for the Adventurer. Each personality type and its preferences are described in detail, and then a room-by-room section shows how each type can implement a decorating plan that shows off its preferences to advantage. Shopping lists and mini-exercises display an element of playfulness--after all, decorating is supposed to be fun! And the "split personalities" pages at the end help dual types integrate their preferences into an interesting, cohesive whole. If you haven't yet managed to settle into a style that's really right for you, this book will show you how to plan rooms you'll feel comfortable in.

Product Description
Do you love bright, airy rooms with sheer curtains that allow light to flood in? Or are you attracted to intimate, jewel-box rooms with rich fabrics and colors? Are you most comfortable when nestled among pretty objects to touch and enjoy, or do you want your home to be free from all clutter?

These decorating choices aren't just a matter of taste. They're true reflections of your personality, and they speak volumes about who you are.

The Domain Book of Intuitive Home Design is the first book to identify four different kinds of people--the Visionary, the Artisan, the Idealist, and the Adventurer--and to explore how these types express themselves through aesthetic choices.

If you're an Idealist, you might be happiest in a sleek, contemporary home with all the latest conveniences. But if you're an Adventurer, your domestic bliss would more likely be found in a lively dwelling that bursts with color and surprise. You might be a Visionary if you love fine antiques and classic proportions; if you're more interested in casual, comfortable furnishings and a great view of the outdoors, then you're probably an Artisan.

This book begins with a quiz to help you discover which personality archetype you most resemble. The next four chapters give an overall picture of each archetype, and explore the emotional underpinnings that lead to each type's decorating preferences.

Then, a room-by-room section brings those choices into beautiful focus. From real-life examples you will learn to create a home that is not only lovely to look at, but that also suits your true self. Shopping lists, mini-exercises, and guided visualizations will inspire, educate, and amuse you. Along the way you will recognize yourself, your friends, and your loved ones.

The Domain Book of Intuitive Home Design introduces a whole new way of thinking about decorating. Most important, it offers the language and the tools to understand and express your one-of-a-kind style.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Clarkson Potter; 1st edition (November 3, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517707632
• ISBN-13: 978-0517707630
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #126,529 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed, December 16, 2002

By	Amy Hilliard (VA, United States) - See all my reviews

I guess I must be one of the few people that didn't like this book. The quiz may be simple, but it is not very helpful. I was excited to learn what personality Type I was, but when I looked at the photos, I didn't feel like it fit my design style. I think that only four styles is way too few to encompass the varity that is present in interior decoration. I was also disappointed in a similar book called Yes/No Design. Sometimes, if a book doesn't have very useful tips, but beautiful photos, I might still buy the book. The photos don't save this book from the reject pile.

I think that people are much better off choosing their own unique style of interior decoration then trying to have it dictated to them by a quiz. Sometimes, interior decoration is about breaking the rules and going with your own intuition.

Recommendation: There are other books that will give you better guidance towards developing your own style. Good luck!

Other Resources:

The Ultimate Home Style Guide by Katherine Sorrell is the best book on the broadest range of styles that I have seen. Almost all styles are represented here with enough details on colors, fabrics, and other style elements to create the looks yourself.

The Architecture and Design Library series are excellent primers on different design styles. Each book focusess on one style, such as eastern style, Arts & Crafts, French Country, and Retro Modern to name just a few.

Color in Your Home by T. Evelegh has one of the best primers on how to use color. The photos are beautiful. The style is modern country and/or feminine (but not overdone) color schemes.

Color Design File by Geddes-Brown also does a great job of covering the basics, and there are beautiful photos. I like the fact that there are pockets for swatches and magazine inspirations. This book shows primarily Loft style.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Fun & Pictures -- A book to share with everyone!, March 16, 1999

By A Customer

I bought 3 copies as holiday gifts for 3 very different people -- my mother, my husband, and my sister, who is an artist. My mother was thrilled I would give her a book on design and it has opened a new line of communications between us. We disucss our results of the quiz(and now she understands we can have different taste and both are ok). She loved going through the book and finding pieces that she owned that Ms. George had pictured in her book. (She was particularly pleased that she had never thrown out her 1940's coffeepot which is displayed in one of the book's beautiful room collages)

My husband said this was one of the few books on home decorating that was written with both men and women in mind. He keeps it on his desk next to his Riverside Shakespare and biography of Frank Lloyd Wright. We had fun taking the quiz together and found that, not to our surpise, we think a great deal alike. Also the quiz caused us to think about our lifestyle now and in the future in ways we had not addressed before.

Overal this was a super gift to my family and myself, because it appealed to everyone on so many different levels. The pictures stimulate new ideas and they are beautifully laid out so you can simulate a whole room, corner, or get an idea for an artifact. The quiz acts as a way to pull togehter all your tastes and interests in a way that is lighthearted and fun. Ms. Georege takes an intimidating topic and makes it accessible to everyone.

Watch out all brides-to-be and new home owning friends this is the gift I'll be giving!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must buy! Why? Simply because it was so inciteful..., April 28, 2000

By	christine chon (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

Not only was the "quiz" extremely easy to take, fun to read and quite inciteful but the illustrations, the content and presentation of this book was absolutely an A+ for me. It doesn't matter what level of "expertise" you categorize yourself in with respect to interior design...this book touches everyone at every level. It's also a great gift idea!