Design Idea Book
Author: Karen Templer
Publisher: Oxmoor House, 2007
Price: $22
Rating: Weak Recommend* from Denise G. (an AT reader and volunteer tester)
Short version:
"I did enjoy parts of the book. It just didn't really capture my interest or fire my imagination...."
(This is from our guest tester, Denise, who won this book with her great comment in this post. Thanks, Denise!)
Long version:
"The front and back covers the "Design Idea Book" are colorful and interesting. In between are nestled a few 'fun' guest cottages or 'whimsy' rooms. I enjoyed all of these. But for my taste, there were far too many 'perfect' rooms in shades of beige.
Each set of pictures has a paragraph describing their styling. There are a dozen pages in the back, discussing color, flooring, wall treatments, etc, each having a dozen alphabetized points . I felt the information was sparse and superficial. I did enjoy parts of the book. It just didn't really capture my interest or fire my imagination.
The cover led me to expect more lively designs than I found inside. When one looks at page after page of muted colors, they tend too mesh together and the design touches get lost. This is what happened whenever I looked at this book, one page washed into the next.
This book is probably more suited to those with larger homes, than to me, the apartment dweller. I have been spoiled by 'Apartment Therapy.com'. To me there are a great many more ideas perusing a single day here, than in the whole of the "Design Idea Book"."
- Denise G. (an AT reader and volunteer tester)
*Our Ratings:
Strong Recommend
Recommend
Weak Recommend
Don't Recommend
Copyright © 2008 Apartment Therapy
which winning comment was denise's?
i'm not the only one who judges books by their cover, am i? if i saw that at the bookstore, i would've been snobby based on the font alone.
view ung's profile
So, are you saying there are no good ideas in the book--or just that you couldn't see any, blinded by the beige?
view Alana in Canada's profile
ung~ See KateClaire's comment. She is Denise G.
When you say "snobby by the font alone" do you mean, you would have passed it by?
view KateClaire's profile
yeah, i would have passed by it.
view ung's profile
Yo Alana! I love reading your posts on AT.
This is an excellent question. The review was limited to 200 words, max. So that really crimped my offering. The book actually pissed me off, by setting my expectations at one level and delivering an entirely different one. I wrote the review weeks ago in the middle of moving. I will go and hunt through my book boxes, to find the book and to more clearly answer your question.
view KateClaire's profile
Thanks KateClaire...200 words isn't much at all. (Reminds me when I was in highschool and the teacher would ask for a two page report. I moaned and complained--how could I write two whole pages? Now, that's just a warm-up!)
By the way...I could tell by your review you were po'ed!
Take your time. I can't afford the book anyway! :)
view Alana in Canada's profile