Use What You Have Decorating [Paperback]

Finally, finally, a practical home-decorating book for the reader who is not a millionaire! Rather than call in a professional design consultant to tell you which walls "must go" and throwing out everything you own in favor of new and expensive designer fabrics, furniture, and fixtures, Ward starts with what you already have and makes dramatic transformations by arrangement, use of color, and a few inexpensive additions of objects or materials. Her idea is to use what you already have and like, and operate on a budget you can afford to make your home more satisfying and aesthetically pleasing to you without being a slave to passing trends, fads, and radical transformations that end up making you feel like a stranger in your own home.

Among the many tips and guidelines, Ward starts with the top 10 decorating mistakes that professionals all know about, but that anyone can recognize and fix. She covers diagnosing problems that jar the eyes, offers suggestions on items to banish and others to borrow from elsewhere in the home to create more visual appeal, talks about how to shop for furniture that will work with what you already own, offers tips for new homeowners and people just starting out to make older furniture work in new spaces, and covers the kinds of dramatic improvements possible through the use of the right artwork, accessories, and lighting. This is a great gift book for newlyweds, new homeowners, or anyone interested in creative, lively home decorating without breaking the bank. --Mark A. Hetts --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Ward, founder of Use What You Have Interiors, shares her ten design considerations, such as making a comfortable conversation area, identifying a room's focal point, and using light correctly, for transforming homes into livable, attractive spaces. She devotes a chapter to each of these principles with before-and-after pictures of clients' homes, identifying what the problems are and how to correct them. In each case, she includes a list of what was eliminated, borrowed from other rooms, or bought. Focusing on living and dining rooms, Ward concludes with a brief discussion of kitchens, bathrooms, and bedrooms. Never advocating a particular style, except for an uncluttered look, her book will be a practical purchase for public libraries.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Can you carry on a decent living-room conversation without screaming? Do the accessories in your dining room make you wince? You need the one-day decorator, who--as created and popularized by Ward--scrutinizes, diagnoses, and moves furniture and accessories to create more harmonious spaces in just 24 hours or less! In these pages, then, are how-to summaries, along with nearly 25 before-and-after stories and photographs. All information is clustered around the 10 most common decorating mistakes, from creation of a bad conversation area to incorrect use of lighting. Each cluster includes illustrations of right and wrong; a list of what was banished, borrowed, or bought; a "to-do" checklist or two; and personal tales and hints that illuminate her principles. Anyone for joining a "destroy the doilies" club? Good information, packaged in logical fashion and helpful to readers for turning their homes into something suitable for House Beautiful. Barbara Jacobs --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.