In many ways, the pictures in this volume reminds me of interiors shown in books on French style. Rather than trying to create museum-perfect rooms that represent a certain period in time, this book is about combining what you love in ways that are pleasing to the eye and easy to live with. So, if you wish to have a stylish home that mixes antiques with more modern furniture and is accented with collections representative of cultures from around the world, this book is for you!

This book explains in so many useful ways how to create a home, that makes you proud of living in it. The photographs are very beautiful and well chosen, and the author explains step by step how to mix colors, patterns and not to forget how to arrange furniture and pictures in order to create a relaxed atmosphere. You will not regret buying this book, it is next to the awesome pictures really worth reading! ENJOY!!!

This is by far my favorite decorating book!! If you have antiques (or just old or quirky things you really love) this book explains how to arrange them with other furnishings in a way that is both beautiful to look at and also very livable. I'm decorating my tiny house, and have been reading a lot of decorating books. This is the ONLY book I've come across that explains HOW to decorate. It breaks down this daunting task (it seems daunting to me since I don't know where to begin) into smaller components that make sense. Each chapter explains how to work with the different elements of your home, such as Furniture, Fabrics, Lighting, but also explains the elements of each room, such as choosing Flooring and Wall Color. It also tells you how to pull together items that don't necessarily match through use of Color, Texture, Pattern, and through Proportion & Scale (yes, even I was able to understand these concepts because of the direct, yet eloquent wording of the text and great pictures that reinforced the concepts being explained). Some of the pictures had the typical 14-foot ceilings and grand spaces that I will probably never live with, but many others were of small-sized rooms that were beautifully done. Even the 14-foot-ceiling pictures had many, many ideas that I could use because these rooms were decorated by function--most contained small groupings of furniture (i.e., sitting areas, dining areas, etc.) that broke up the large spaces and made them look comfortable and inviting. I just finished reading the book, and I'm looking forward to going back and really study it again. I do feel more confident that I'll be able to create a home that is lovely and comfortable.

For some people Leopold Von Sacher-Masoch is a great artist, for other an inspiration, but if anyone takes his fiction to heart, you need to read this book first. Here you'll read about how the man she thought was her savior turned into a nightmarish character who used money and her children to get her to publically and privately transgress her own morals and her own desires. I'm not convinced that the translation is the best and frankly the translators need more time giving us their creditials. I also found the images that are included to be distracting from the main message: she was abused, she was never a dominant or a sadist. Wanda's life is a sad reminder that women have not been legally equals to men for most of human history and that any "incidents" of SM we see in the past is probably not BDSM but instead a reflection of the abuse that such unequal societies promote and sanctify.

high quality paperback. this book offers insight into the legend of Von Sacher-Masoch, his life and times thru the eyes of his wife who made it all possible. billed as a feminist classic- this story is a prime example of what a woman will do for love and survival. A good read. Not what you would expect. Read this book.

I did not find this book to be very inspirational. The only reason I gave it 2 stars instead 1 is because this book would be beneficial to some people. If you like traditional style, like the other reviewers of this book obviously do, this book is probably for you. Everyone else can find other books that give the same level of technical instructions with more range of styles and better photos. The book has a lot of sketches instead of actual photos.

This is The book both for the historian (contains numerous period picture presentations) AND anyone needing inspiration for perfectly stunning window treatments. Nothing for a sleak purse though. This is curtains fit for a king.Could be a little heavier on how-to but gorgeous pictures. This book is a home decoraters daydream. It certainly got me dreaming!

If you love opulence you won't be disappointed! Page after page of gorgeous photos that inspire. Dozens of ideas. Suggestions for every room in your home. A decorator's delight, professional or not. Complete with a section on fabric types and how best to use them. Simple drawings instruct how to cut fabrics to achieve the look you've chosen. While the book doesn't cover sewing techniques (there are other good books to learn those, and they really don't belong in this book,) it does include patterns that are easy to follow along with 'how to' measuring instructions. This book is a 'must have' for beautiful, distinctive window treatments.