Undecorate: The No-Rules Approach to Interior Design [Hardcover]

Undecorate. Provocative title. Does it mean to go minimal and spartan and dispose of all the the trappings of interior design and decorating?

On the contrary, it means infusing your home with personality, color dense and/or neutral, and mixing it up with high and low things of every age, vintage, antique, and contemporary.

The book is filled with real people who just happen to have a super real grasp for decorating. Even though the book plays down the professional decorator or designer, all of the homes have owners who are in a creative profession, sometimes as design professionals, decorators, stylists, artists of every type, and writers. But rather than eschew typical rules and regulations of creating home decor, these folks embrace the unique and beautiful.

The title includes: "The No Rules Approach To Interior Design", that kind of implies that doing what each home owner did was just throw it together without thought to what good design means. This is so not true! No rules does not mean no talent, or no educated eye editing and arranging these spaces. Each home is meticulous in it's details, even though the process unfolded in a natural, no rules, organic manner. It would be great to have anyone of these creative home owners come over and help do up your home.

Common threads unite all of these spaces. You will see collections, color, antlers, art work, books, typography as art, pattern, hide rugs, mid century modern, modern and vintage textiles, French antiques, and naturally and artfully edited spaces that look lived in and inviting. And there's a sense of fun and whimsy and wit in these rooms too.

All of this makes the book user friendly. The reader feels that this kind of undecorating is within their reach.

Add to that Christiane Lemieaux's (with Rumaan Alam) heartfelt, honest, and expert writing and you have a book to look at and to read. The photographs by Melanie Acevedo capture a true clear light that makes each page luscious.

With chapter titles like: "The Imperfectionists", "The Career Opportunists", "Decorators Without Borders", (and more), it makes you wonder how your own decor might be defined and described.

If you loved the defunct and much loved Domino, and are a fan of Lonny, love to read decor and design blogs, you will love this book. Undecorate elevates and takes their editorial viewpoint a few steps further.

If you'd like a breath of fresh air, and a finger on the pulse of how people decorate now, and will continue to do so for many years to come, get this book. Gone are the days of theme decorating like "Tuscan", "French Country", and even "Eclectic". Here is the new mix based on real life and the enjoyment that comes from living it in your home, and sharing it with all who live there and enter your door.

The book is not ageist either. Christiane includes photos of the home owners, and both younger and older alike have that certain style sizzle and pizazz.

Christiane and company traveled the country seeking out these homes, many of them found via decor and design blogs, truly the paradigm for anyone interested in decorating and design. She got to know the people whose homes she writes about, and the book is so genuine, more so than most decor books churned out.

In short, now that I have gone on so long: Buy this book.

I purchased this book because it was excerpted in September's Better Homes and Gardens. The picture that they used made me eager to see more and get new ideas and tips on casual chic decor. I should've reconsidered after seeing the sorrowful cover image but I clicked Buy anyway. With the exception of two homes, most of the rooms featured are dingy and completely haphazard. Many of them look like they could use a thorough de-clutter, new furniture, a good cleaning and a fresh coat of paint. I had an odd feeling while paging through the book and it wasn't until I came to a page that featured a man sitting in a stark room on a shapeless couch with his elderly parents and books randomly strewn around them that I realized it was discomfort. I don't know where the authors found their subjects but they should have helped them rather than photograph them for a misleading book. This book is NOT inspirational and does NOT provide any guidance or fresh ideas. It is simply a collection of photographs of two nice homes with a lot of dreary looking spaces added. With all the great design blogs available for free, save your money, buy another book or preview before buying. Caveat emptor.

I purchased this book with great anticipation. I love to see spaces decorated uniquely showing the personality of the owners. For me imperfection is perfection. I was totally disappointed in this book and it is my first return to Amazon in 5 years!! The homes featured were boring, regular spaces with very few exceptions.
Lemieux's descriptions sound far more wonderful than the actual vignettes photographed."Fearless approach to style", "ridiculously beautiful". I didn't see it. A few interesting photos yes, but not a book full. No ideas that would spark you into rearranging something you have, or reinventing an area based on someone else's "good vibes". And that really is why we buy these books...to be inspired. I did not find that on these pages.

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