Synopsis
25-35 year olds with an eye for style and a brain for economy will find the hottest, cleverest decorating ideas and use them to turn an ordinary apartment into a fabulous abode.
Have an apartment that's hip and chic, filled with cool attitude and drop-dead style. Better yet, do it on the cheap, and even when the landlord prohibits so much as a new paint job. This is simply the must-have manual for young people with little money and less time, who have had quite enough of boring white walls, unflattering fluorescent lighting, and outdoor-grade carpeting. Every decorating dilemma is smartly solved. Want color on the walls? Then try fabric stripes that adhere with nothing more than spray starch. Does the floor have unsightly stains? Whip up a floorcloth that looks high-end but isn't, because it began life as a cotton tablecloth. Every project and suggestion is worth its weight in gold--but costs just pennies.
Reviews
Ledoux's guide to funky apartment decorating on the cheap proves even the most dramatic overhauls can be achieved with a little fabric, creativity and, of course, a glue gun. This cheerful over-sized paperback packs a mod punch on every colorful page, giving DIYers easy to follow instructions for such projects as an adjustable ceiling globe echoing shades of Noguchi, as well as a sunny atomic clock that makes those vintage George Nelson versions look dour. Ledoux emphasizes retro, and quickie projects like an idiot-proof fabric-covered roller shade help transform even the dreariest room into a mid-century haven. Though some readers may be too busy to decoupage a dresser with '50s reproduction fabric, even time-strapped urban hipsters will delight in projects like the "mostly no-sew pillows" that add a colorful edge to a dumpy sofa. Ledoux's southern roots show as she helps readers create a Warhol-like "celebrity triptych" using a photo of Elvis. Fun, fashionable and, best of all, easy, Ledoux's projects will provide even the least crafty of young adults with ideas to jazz up their humble apartments.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Aimed at hip, young renters on a budget, this craft title combines an overview of basic interior--design principles with cheap, high-style home-decor projects. Ledoux's conversational text begins with a long opening section filled with excellent, practical decorating advice: "If you have a paint chip in your hand, drop it immediately. . . . Starting your room with a wall color and then trying to find everything else to match is backward." There are more than 40 projects, which are divided into categories--windows, lighting, furniture, and so on. The projects vary in complexity, but most assume some familiarity with tools and aren't for those dipping their paintbrushes for the first time. Still, Ledoux's instructions are clear and easy to follow, her materials inexpensive, and the finished projects--the kitchen backsplash made of dominoes; a light sconce made of blueprints--are unique and inspired. Fans of ReadyMade magazine may be the biggest audience for this, but Ledoux's whimsical, stylish ideas may easily lure some of Martha's devotees, too. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
