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Janet Lee

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Living in a Nutshell: Posh and Portable Decorating Ideas for Small Spaces Hardcover – March 27, 2012

by Janet Lee (Author)

4.0 74 ratings

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A fireplace on wheels? A chandelier lit by Xerox? A shrink-wrapped designer closet? These are just a few of the more than 100 stylish and innovative projects in Janet Lee’s Living in a Nutshell: a one-of-a-kind DIY decorating guide with fresh ideas to fool the eye into seeing—and believing—that even the most cramped little lair can hold more space and glamor than just the sum its of four walls.

The design maven behind livinginanutshell.com and Oprah Winfrey’s interior style producer for a decade, Janet Lee has personally handpicked a battery of clever projects for enhancing every area of a tiny living space—all are simple to do, require no craft skills, are emphatically affordable, readily portable, and big on style, so you can make these design dreams become your reality.

Length

208
Pages
Language

EN
English
Publisher

Harper
Publication date

2012
March 27
Dimensions

7.5 x 1.0 x 8.3
inches
ISBN-10

0062060694
ISBN-13

978-0062060693
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Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

A fireplace on wheels?
A chandelier light by Xerox?
A shrink-wrapped designer closet?

These are just a few of the more than one hundred innovative projects in Living in a Nutshell, a DIY guide of decorating ideas that fool the eye into seeing and believing a little lair is larger and more glamorous than its four walls. Here are fresh ideas for enhancing every living area of a tiny space. All are simple, affordable, portable, and big on style. An illustrated survival tool kit as well as extensive listings of untapped, off-the-beaten-track design resources and a select buying guide round out this invaluable book.

About the Author

Janet Lee is an Emmy Award-winning television show producer, styling and producing for leading home decorators, entrepreneurs, and designers such as Martha Stewart, B. Smith, and Thom Filicia. During her ten years as a senior producer for The Oprah Show, she worked closely with such style greats as Nate Berkus. She has also been a home décor producer for Lifetime Television's Our Home and was featured on camera as the show's weekend decorator, demonstrating chic, easy DIY projects. She has also appeared on CBS's The Early Show, where she demonstrated her high-end-for-less décor ideas. Now a freelance producer, she lives in New York City.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper; Illustrated edition (March 27, 2012)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 208 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0062060694
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0062060693
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.68 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.5 x 1 x 8.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,476,763 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #523 in Small Homes & Cottages
- #1,332 in Gift Decorating
- #2,621 in Do-It-Yourself Home Improvement (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.0 74 ratings

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Janet Lee

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Janet Lee is an Emmy Award-winning television show producer, styling and producing for leading home decorators, entrepreneurs, and designers such as Martha Stewart, B. Smith, and Thom Filicia. During her ten years as a senior producer for The Oprah Show, she worked closely with such style greats as Nate Berkus. She has also been a home décor producer for Lifetime Television's Our Home and was featured on camera as the show's weekend decorator, demonstrating chic, easy DIY projects. She has also appeared on CBS's The Early Show, where she demonstrated her high-end-for-less décor ideas. Now a freelance producer, she lives in New York City.

Customer reviews

4 out of 5

74 global ratings

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Tamsin Jones

Lots of ideas for stylish decor on a budget!

Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2013

Verified Purchase

This book is super cute and has a lot of ideas in a short space! I bought it while living in a dorm, and even though I'm now in a bigger apartment, the ideas are still super useful. And not just for practicality's sake - there are a lot of tips for creating the FEEL of a spacious home through taking advantage of proportions etc.

There are some cute and simple DIY projects in here, which are great when you're on a budget but want to have those little details around the house that elevate your decor to a sophisticated level. And to my surprise the majority of the tips and DIY projects are actually quite time-less - although a lot of the decor in the photographs may date in a few years, the actual ideas presented are customizable to any style and time period, making this a valuable little book for anyone who wants to make the most of their small living space!

One person found this helpful

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M.S.

Tongue-in-chic decor for dinky digs

Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2012

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I'm no stranger to small spaces, having spent much of my adult life in a string of shoebox apartments from Boston to Osaka. There've been several books about decorating small rooms, and my main criticism is usually that the author and I have different definitions of 'small'. (I'm looking at you, Better Homes & Gardens.) The advice is usually given by someone who does not really understand what it's like to live in a small space day after day and is only guessing at what might be helpful for those who do.

Janet Lee's book is a refreshing change. The spaces shown are genuinely cramped with few architectural merits - finally! This isn't one of those glossies that hype small-scale minimalism by showing off white-on-white rooms with a murphy bed and a wall-to-wall view overlooking Rio. It is likely that at least one of the 100+ ideas in this book will work for your space if you give it a chance.

Now, this isn't for the faint of heart. The colors are vivid; if you like Jonathan Adler's Happy Chic books then you'll love the colors here. If you were hoping for something more neutral... well, give color a try anyway. Many people stick with pale tones thinking it'll make their tiny room look bigger, and buy small neutral pieces that won't overpower. This results in a perfectly fine room with as much personality as a dentist's office. If you've done your best but your little home still looks wilted, get this book. Even if you don't want to do every project, it might spark some ideas.

Still, I have mixed feelings about this one. Though quirky and vibrant, there's a kitschy shallowness. Part of me says it's not pretentious because nobody will really believe your logo-stamped jute rug came from Hermes or that Louis Vuitton monogrammed your filing cabinet. Anyone who takes it too seriously just isn't cool enough to get the irony, right? But grown-ups with aesthetic influences that extend beyond pop culture and designer labels may find the couture tributes a little trite.

The styles are on trend, barely. The Hollywood Regency details work, and your hipster staples are covered: repurposed paint-by-number art, Pantone boxes, letterpress blocks, etc. Spray-painting trophies is apparently a Thing now. But I'm pretty sure that ornately framed posters of chandeliers were on their way out when Moraccan motifs began to replace damask print, and everyone who wanted a Keep Calm reminder has twelve by now. And surely chalkboard paint is over - or is that wishful thinking?

You'll pick up some good tips if you read the text, which is a shame because the smug writing starts to wear thin by page 8. It's written like a collection of perky magazine blurbs, and there's only so much of that I can take in one sitting. I half expected to see weight-loss tips and horoscopes in the back. Special hints are highlighted in chartreuse boxes that say, "Look, there's more!" As much as I tried to unsee them, I was begging, "Make it stop!" by the end of the book.

The subtitle is "Posh and Portable Decorating for Small Spaces." Portable? It's been awhile since I had a landlord who'd let me paint the living room black; many small spaces are rented and some of the ideas just aren't practical. Two different look-there's-mores tell us to apply fabric to wall/cabinet surfaces and "peel it off without a trace" when we move, but neither example does this. One involved removing stucco and wallpapering, and the other involved sanding and mod podge. If the starch idea is good enough to mention twice, why wasn't it used once?

Still, do check this one out if you like what you see in the preview. The book itself is prettily hardbound and delightfully arranged. It's a thick volume that feels good to hold and look through. The printing could be a touch better, but the images pop and the text is easy to read. This is definitely a gift-worthy book and would make a perfect present for a budding fashionista or someone moving into her first apartment.

Update: Adding a star. Several times I've found myself thinking, 'now where did I see that idea for...?' and it's been this book. Also, I forgot to mention that the resource section in the back is brilliantly useful. The author shares all her secrets: both how to make the projects and where to buy everything else.

58 people found this helpful

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Coresten

Just Okay.

Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2013

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This book is the equivalent of a week of blog posts. A lot of redundancy in the photos and basically only one apartment featured. The images are what you would expect from a well-done blog and the colors are fresh and beautiful, even if they're not what you'd choose personally. However, the redundancy killed this one for me. I didn't feel that there was enough "there" there to make a book.

3 people found this helpful

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AvidReader2000

A Design Treasure!

Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2012

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Beautifully written with exquisite photos and clear, easy to follow tips, this book is a must have for anyone decorating a small space. Other design books haven't captured my attention like Living in a Nutshell, I think in part because this book has so much personality. I was really charmed by the author's warm style & for me, her writing genuinely served to inspire rather than intimidate. Not only does Lee give clear & well thought out instructions on how to re-create the gorgeous looks from the book, she also provides a detailed index to make the whole process seamless. I also love that the ideas for decorating a small space feel fun & doable, even for a decor-challenged person like myself. Janet Lee deserves accolades for a rare decorating book that goes beyond decor, giving the reader fresh, actionable, and frankly, brilliant ideas for making a home feel unique, personal, and lovely, no matter how small.

8 people found this helpful

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Ashley Kendall

a "darling" DIY

Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2012

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As a former Southern girl, my best description, in a nutshell, is darling. Having read & owning way more decorating & design books than I'll ever be able to use, I found this book: fun, light-hearted & entertaining. It's a book that encourages creativity &, by that I mean, not only trying a project or two, but coming up with your own possibilities. & it's not just for small spaces. Extra applause for rating the time involved. Definitely, five stars. Off to my favorite thrift stores!

5 people found this helpful

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NWMDesign

Living in a Nutshell

Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2012

Verified Purchase

Living in a Nutshell was very disappointing to me as I live in a nutshell of an apartment and was looking for ideas to make my space seem larger. For instance, I have a double duty table in my living room right now. It is a console table which the sides expand and the top flips over and it becomes a dining room table. The book however, is full of cute craft ideas. Example: You can get rubber stamps of a horse and carriage to stamp the edge of a rug so people will think it's an Hermes rug. If you are that concerned about fooling your friends into thinking what you have is a designer brand, good luck. This book is for those who like cute crafts. I would NOT suggested this book to anyone.

31 people found this helpful

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m_elyse

Great tips

Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2012

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This book has great tips for decorating small spaces-each project is split into a category of the time it will take, which is helpful, and there are some little tips sprinkled throughout to further help with the process. I only wish there had been more step by step or materials needed for each project-some of them are just a description, and while they're relatively self explanatory, it would have been helpful to have.

One person found this helpful

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daniela S.

Poche idee nuove, nulla di eccezionale

Reviewed in Italy on October 25, 2019

Verified Purchase

Insomma... Mi aspettavo qualcosa di più. Il libro praticamente mostra un unico appartamento, con tutti gli angoli sfruttati alla perfezione, in un insieme che può piacere (può...). Alcune idee per il fai da te sono carine ma la maggior parte piuttosto scontate. L'ho comprato usato, va bene così, diversamente non sarei affatto soddisfatta.

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Cathy T.

Plus un livre de travaux manuels que de déco

Reviewed in France on August 23, 2018

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Le livre est très bien fait, illustré de nombreuses photos, par quelqu'un qui a réellement vécu dans de petits espaces (la plupart des photos viennent du propre appartement de l'auteur). MAIS il n'y a que peu d'idées générales sur la manière d'organiser un petit lieu de vie (quelques-unes quand même, mais vites résumées ; en gros : 1) pour agrandir l'espace ne pas hésiter à le morceler en créant visuellement des petits coins selon leur fonction -par ex dans sa mini-chambre en mezzanine elle a matérialisé, en plus de l'espace sommeil, un coin lecture et un coin boisson-, 2) mettre quelques meubles de taille normale plutôt que juste de petits meubles, 3) remplacer les portes par des rideaux pour faciliter la circulation et avoir un meilleur rendu déco) , du coup j'hésiterais à dire qu'il s'agit d'un livre de déco au vrai sens du terme. Il s'agit à 80% d'un catalogue de réalisations à faire soi-même, afin de customiser des objets (lampes, cadres, rideaux, etc.) pour les rendre plus personnels. Les idées sont sympas, faciles à reproduire, et à adapter au style de chacun, mais personnellement ce n'est pas ce que j'attendais.

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Kathleen

The book has tons of great ideas but is very

Reviewed in Canada on April 2, 2016

Verified Purchase

The book has tons of great ideas but is very, very light on instructions. If you're a DIY master looking for great ideas for small spaces, pick this up. If you're looking for a book that will tell you how to achieve the pictured looks, search elsewhere.

One person found this helpful

Amazon Customer

New York style!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 23, 2013

Verified Purchase

This book fires my imagination and gives brilliant ideas that can be adapted on how to decorate, style and fit really cool effects into tiny spaces. If you love designer labels and chic effects with whacky and really humourous decor then this is the book for you! From how to make the fridge look fun, how to paint the door, be bold with big (and I mean big) stripes to yellow radiators and dark grey walls with frames stuck on them - this book is brilliant! Get it and transform small spaces now!!! :o)

akaSally

Super

Reviewed in Germany on April 2, 2013

Verified Purchase

Habe bisher schon einige Interiorbücher, aber dieses ist eines meiner Liebsten. Sehr viele pfiffige Ideen, hier in einer einzigen kleinen Wohnung. Habe sch zwei davon abgekupfert.

One person found this helpful

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