Meditations on Design: Reinventing Your Home With Style and Simplicity (Hardcover)

by John Wheatman (Author) "When I work on a space, I like to begin by culling the objects in it down to a group of essential items, each of..." (more)
Key Phrases: San Francisco

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Interior decorating is meant to be a personal business, but often designers have such a specific vision that they ignore beloved collections or mementos. In Meditations on Design, John Wheatman insists that it's those extremely personal items that make your home a work of art, and goes on to show a myriad of possibilities for display. Wheatman's vision is of a home that is never "done"--as he says in the first chapter, "Who you are and what you want to say about yourself is continually changing." With pages of lovely photos combined with thoughtful text, he does a great job of showing possibilities for both your home and your inspirations. Couches are low and comfortable, obviously meant for dogs and children as much as for swanky adult gatherings. Colors tend to be bold on the walls while neutral on the furnishings--after all, it's certainly cheaper to repaint than it is to reupholster. Living-room shelves are full of books, window treatments are minimal, and walls are consistently covered with the personal art collections of his clients. Whether your tastes run to chairs (his favorite), African masks, or Japanese pottery, Wheatman has a practical and low-maintenance way to show off treasures while integrating them naturally into the room. The close-up photos of statuary, gardens, and textured pottery will inspire readers to combine their own decorating schemes with day-to-day practical needs. --Jill Lightner

From Library Journal
Building on 30 years of experience designing interiors, Wheatman shares the "21 simple principles of making spaces work for the people who live in them." Each principle becomes a chapter with his succinct explanation of how he has used the principle illustrated with pictures of his own home and commissioned interiors. Although this book is intended to give amateurs advice to confidently tackle their own interior designs, the beginner might need more specific examples of how to achieve the effects. Students, professionals, and those who know their own taste, however, will benefit from the advice that this successful designer shares.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 127 pages
• Publisher: Conari Press; First Edition edition (March 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157324192X
• ISBN-13: 978-1573241922
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #415,921 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

136 of 137 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Book to Read and Reread, April 14, 2000

By	Marilyn Domer (Sunnyvale, California USA) - See all my reviews

This book is a keeper. As soon as I finished it, I reread it. On the advice of a friend, some years ago I signed up for one of John Wheatman's University of California, Berkeley classes. Enthusiastic and gracious, Mr. Wheatman made decorating your home or apartment fun. And every time I move, I pull out my notes from his class and apply his principles to my new place. Those principles, 21 of which are explained and illustrated in this book, create a warm, rich, serene environment you are happy to come home to. Simplicity and elegance are the keys to his style. The book's photographs show rooms that are not "done" but rooms that evolve over time, growing with their owners. Unlike many cold modern rooms, your first reaction to most of these rooms is a feeling of warmth, followed by a desire to settle in. Even though I love bright colors, I learned to appreciate the depth he could create even in a monochromatic color scheme by the use of shadows, textures, and reflections. Again, the well-chosen photos in the book effectively illustrate this. As our "final exam", we were invited to Mr. and Mrs. Wheatman's home to see how they put these principles to work. Several photographs of the interior of their home allow you to share that experience. You'll enjoy the book. And come away with some new decorating ideas you've heard/read nowhere else.

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A terrific addition to personal & professional collections., May 4, 2000

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Redo a home with added knowledge of modern design options and patterns with this book, which provides the interior designer author's basic design principles. From arranging collections and using light to maximum effectiveness to using and creating space, this is packed with practical applications.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb!, October 18, 2001

By A Customer

I have a collection of books on interior design and this is one of my favorites because he covers the basics of what makes a room work for you. The simplicity of his presentation gave me volumes of ideas to work with, and I felt like I had some solid tools for creating my rooms into unique atmospheres that fed my soul. I used one of the tools right after reading the book and "edited" my master bedroom. It now has a much more calm and serene feeling to it and all I did was remove the furniture and small items that made it feel so cluttered.