Book Review | Design Happens

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‘Past & Present’ Book Preview + A History-Inspired DIY Project

by Liz Gray February 28, 2013 9 Comments

Have you ever wondered who created the very first sofa? Or what Victorians brought home from vacations as souvenirs? Design*Sponge managing editor and self-described bibliophile Amy Azzarito tackles the history behind household objects (everything from curtains to chandeliers to cast iron) and how those stories intersect with modern life in her Past and Present column.

Amy’s new book by the same name is full of dinner party-worthy facts — things you might not know now, but will be glad you learned. For example, sofas and armchairs just didn’t exist until the early 18th century, when Louis XV and Madame de Pompadour began to popularize private spaces made for comfort, not just display. Watching a movie just wouldn’t be the same curled up on a straight-backed wooden chair, right?

Past and Present Book Review on HGTV's Design Happens

Part history lesson and part DIY manual, she pairs 24 essays about interesting moments in decorative arts history with thoroughly modern projects developed alongside design trendsetters like Todd Oldham, David Stark and ConfettiSystem.

I especially love this black-and-white headboard project designed by Eddie Ross: It’s inspired by the iconic jasperware pottery created by Josiah Wedgwood, which features white relief designs on a matte black surface. This modern version is made from a hollow-core door, white PVC trim and decorative moldings.

Black and White DIY Headboard - HGTV's Design Happens

I chatted with Amy about the collaborations and her personal style. Plus, try one of the book’s DIY projects!

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Young House Love Book Review + 2 Exclusive DIY Projects

by Liz Gray November 9, 2012 10 Comments

If you’ve read the blog Young House Love at all, you know Sherry and John Petersik are real can-do people. They’ve completely made over a house and a half and chronicled their successes (and failures) for millions of readers in their signature fun-loving, no-nonsense voice.

But less than 5 years ago, they were remodeling novices too, muddling through their first project as homeowners. In short: If you’re new to home improvement, they’ve been in your shoes and want to help. That’s the idea behind their new book, Young House Love: 243 Ways to Paint, Craft, Update & Show Your Home Some Love.

Young House Love Book

To the Petersiks, home design isn’t about the big reveals, it’s about the small victories. That’s why they worked to come up with more than 200 home improvement ideas (most of which you can accomplish in less than a day) that range from easy DIY projects like recovering a dresser with wallpaper to shopping and storage tips to no-nonsense remodeling advice. A favorite: ‘A home-decorating decision is not going to save the world…or end it…it’s all going to be okay.’

As a new-ish homeowner who only recently began experiencing the angst (It’s been a month…why haven’t I accomplished more?) and satisfaction (I actually completed something!) that is DIY remodeling, I appreciate that the Petersiks have been there, done that, and lived to tell the tale. Their project ideas are pretty darn inspiring, too: Why yes, I think I will paint a pattern on my stair risers and frame a collage of favorite ticket stubs this weekend.

I chatted with co-author Sherry to learn more about the book and get her been there, done that remodeling tips. Plus: Get two sample step-by-step projects.
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Book Review: I Brake for Yard Sales

by Liz Gray April 20, 2012 32 Comments

When Lara Spencer, coanchor for Good Morning America, says that it’s easy to get “addicted to the hunt,” she’s not talking about stalking celebrity news stories. She’s referring to her off-the-clock passion: finding raggedy, outdated, neglected furniture via yard sales, thrift stores, flea markets and yes, even dumpsters, then transforming it and using it to create amazing, high-end rooms on a budget.

I can totally relate, because her lifelong addiction to “sale-ing” is my brand new one: Since I bought my first house, I’ve been a Craigslist and estate sale addict, and the thrill of finding (and transforming) that amazing piece is intoxicating. New to the hunt? Lara’s new book, I Brake for Yard Sales, shows you how to find furniture gems in the rough. (Get more of her tips tonight at 8/7c in her HGTV special!)

Thrifting runs in Lara’s family — she spent nearly every weekend as a child hopping from secondhand shop to yard sale to auction with her mother and siblings — so she’s nailed down the tricks of the trade. She starts by helping you define a your style, then offers tips for how to recognize quality pieces (and duds.) She also shows you how to use the pieces once you get home — a vintage sign becomes an industrial-chic focal point in this space filled with modern, graphic touches.

From flea market find to living room showpiece.

And as Lara reveals how she makes over and styles each piece, she also tells you how much she paid for them: Can you believe she picked up an Eames lounger for just $150 and a pair of Picasso sketches for $30?! (So. Jealous.) This collection of medallions set her back only $20, while the ornate “musical” chair was a mere $50. Looks like a million bucks, right?

Retro yellow wallpaper gives traditional furniture a modern look.

The book also shows off some of the interiors she’s decorated with flea market and budget finds. My favorite: This living room in comedian Kathy Griffin’s house that’s decorated in a style the friends jokingly call “Palm Springs gay man going through a midlife crisis in his midcentury home who wants to attract the hottest guys to come over.”

Kathy Griffin's living room, designed by Lara Spencer.

And Lara is full of ideas that take decorating outside the (reclaimed and repainted) box. After recovering her kitchen chairs one t0o many times, she found the perfect budget-friendly solution to two messy kids: cover the chairs with shower curtains! She used one heavy-duty plastic curtain per chair, and hid the seams with chrome upholstery tacks.

Dining room chairs recovered with high-end shower curtains.

When you finish the book, you’ll want to drive off and slam on the brakes for the nearest yard sale…I know what I’ll be doing this weekend!

Take a break from furniture scouting tonight at 8/7c to watch Lara redecorate her best friend’s home on the HGTV special I Brake for Yard Sales.

Happy bargain hunting!

Book Review: The Perfectly Imperfect Home

by Briana Mowrey November 21, 2011 5 Comments

It’s hard for me not to turn my review of The Perfectly Imperfect Home: How to Decorate & Live Well (Clarkson Potter/Publishers, 2011) into an out-and-out love letter to its author, Deborah Needleman. Full disclosure: When I claim that I live with “approximately one million old shelter magazines” in my bio on the blog, 3/4 of those are the mag she founded, Domino. If you were also a fan of the dearly departed Domino, you’ll find a lot of its guiding whimsy and wisdom in these pages.

perfectly imperfect home cover

The main premise of Needleman’s new second book is that great homes showcase signs of life, not a meticulous look that a decorator has crafted for its inhabitants. In each of the chapters, she touches on the elements you need to make your place stylish, yet preserve its warmth at the same time.

The practical tips on things like bed height and proper placement of a rug in a room are helpful, but the book really shines when Needleman encourages personality. “Jollifiers” (i.e., “sentimental things that spread a little joy every time you cast your eye upon them”) and “Cozifications” can easily be neglected or ignored if one is too busy worrying about more superficial aspects of decor. The book is a great reminder to have fun with your spaces and focus on getting the best possible set-up for the life you actually live, peculiarities and all. The cute watercolor illustrations by Virginia Johnson have a charmingly dashed-off feel that further highlight and embody the casual-chic spirit of the book.

I’m thinking The Perfectly Imperfect Home would be a wonderful “jollifier” to add to any design junkie’s coffee table this holiday season.

Book Review: Apartment Therapy Presents

by Jenna July 14, 2010 No Comments

Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan began Apartment Therapy as an interior design service in 2001. Three years later, he went online with a blog that explores single family houses and apartment design. Gillingham-Ryan and his colleagues, Jill Slater and Janel Laban, have put three years’ worth of House Tour blog posts into a lovely new coffee table book, Apartment Therapy Presents.

apartmenttherapy_cover

Book Review: David Stark Design

by Chelsey Bowen June 1, 2010 1 Comment

Event planner and designer David Stark recently released his third book, David Stark Design, and if you’re looking for party inspiration (or major eye candy), this is the book to pick up.

Book Review – Apartments: Defining Style

by Chelsey Bowen March 23, 2010 4 Comments

I, like Mariette Himes Gomez, have always seen apartments through glam-colored glasses. Movies that depicted impossibly chic apartments with even chicer people have filled my head since I was a child. Imagine my surprise when the first apartment I lived in had neither the Barbara Novak’s floating staircase in Down With Love nor the massive living space of Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy’s duplex in Adam’s Rib — if only I’d had Gomez’s Apartments: Defining Style as a guide for maximizing a typical apartment.

apartments-defining-style-book-cover