My Name Isn't Martha, But I Can Decorate My Home: The Real Person's Guide to Creating a Beautiful Home Easily and Affordably [Paperback]

There are a lot of home-decorating books out there that don't do more than show you a bunch of pretty pictures of expensive rooms, but this is not one of them! It is probably the most valuable primer available on everything that goes into the decoration of a house. Sharon Hanby-Robie knows what home-decorating newbies really need to know. The book is organized with a let's-start-at-the-very-beginning approach, containing an enormous wealth of very basic information (such as the internal construction of a sofa). There's a heavy emphasis on furniture--four chapters are devoted to various aspects of it, from case goods to built-ins to upholstery; other chapters deal with flooring, walls, windows, and fabrics. Important tips, many of which can save you a great deal of money, are included in sidebars. (For example, when you have furniture reupholstered, be sure to ask for any unused fabric to be returned to you--you might need it eventually, and you've already paid for it!) When you finally talk to a decorator, painter, furniture salesperson, carpet installer, or other professional, you'll be armed with the right questions and information to avoid silly mistakes (such as buying a sofa that won't fit through your doors) and getting taken for an expensive ride.

Each of these books gives a different view of some of the major issues in home decorating. Interior designer Hanby-Robie has written an easy-to-read workbook to be used by the do-it-yourselfer. She discusses furniture, wall and window treatments, fabrics, flooring, interior design accessories, and planning. For all topics she never advocates a particular style but gives practical advice to enable consumers to make knowledgeable home-decorating choices. Landis, a contributing editor to Metropolitan Home, takes a "helpful hints" approach to interior design, much like Leslie Linsley does in her 15-Minute Decorating Ideas (LJ 5/15/97). The "workable (and) designer-tested" tips are divided into chapters for topics such as color, windows, and display. Appendixes provide information on hiring an interior designer and a helpful list of mail-order resources for home furnishings. Stoddard, the interior designer and much-published writer, updates Edith Wharton and Ogden Codman's classic The Decoration of Houses, first published 100 years ago. More style conscious and less tip-oriented than the authors of the other two books, she gives her own comprehensive interpretation of how to decorate a home in the last years of the 20th century. All three titles would be excellent, broad-interest additions to every public library.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Interior designer Hanby-Robie provides a down-to-earth practical handbook for decorating--a how-to that does not assume its readers are all 24-hour stay-at-homers who have scads of disposable income and time. Instead, the author welcomes the reader into the tricks of the trade, covering such basics as upholstery construction and carpet manufacture, as well as the pitfalls of "com" (customer's own material) and the intricacies of railroading. Each chapter, enlivened with illustrations, is devoted to one part of the craft, from determining style (her ink blot test resembles a swatch and select) to accessories (aka tchotchkes). Of ultimate usefulness is her candor about and factual analysis of design goals, plans, and furnishings; tips for carpet installation day, for example, reveal information not found anywhere else. An antidote to Stewart worship. Barbara Jacobs

Offers advice on color schemes, window treatments, slip covers, reupholstering, furniture construction, accessories, and storage.