Mix and match patterns with panache, select colors with flair, and style a home that stands out! From wallpaper and paint to fabric design, this brilliant, photo-packed guide explains the basic principles of using color and pattern, and creating decorating schemes for a vibrant house. Room by room, see the many ways to add texture; work with geometric prints; and achieve a harmonious combination of hues. Marvelous themed decorating ideas display a range of interiors, including contemporary, classical, Scandinavian, and Oriental. 160 pages (all in color), 7 3/4 x 10.
This title is deceptive, because professional interior designer Taylor covers much more than just colors. Although she begins with an excellent presentation on the use of color and color schemes, she also goes into detail about the use of pattern and texture in interior design. She then shows individual rooms (kitchens, living rooms, and children's rooms, to name a few) and the looks created using various patterns (geometric, floral, motif, and pictorial) or plain color. She concludes with a consideration of historical and regional styles, such as Victorian and Mediterranean, and the color schemes and patterns that exemplify each. This well-organized, beautifully illustrated book will make an excellent addition to professional and public libraries whatever the size.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Taylor's authorial credentials are a bit suspect, with publishing blurbs proclaiming that she's an "established authority on imaginative home decoration." And the title itself inspires few to immediately pull it off the shelf and browse. Yet, skipping the obligatory sections on mixing and matching colors and patterns (and the all-too-ubiquitous color wheel), there is something to be learned from this British author's sensibilities of design. For instance, Taylor separates patterns into four different categories, defines each, and applies them (along with texture and plain color) to individual rooms and 10 periods, from contemporary through Asian. Her ideas are fresh and resonate with a boldness unusual in the U.S. Finally, it's as practical as a design tome could be, with each period summed up in pictures and words, leaving little to the uninspired home decorator to complete. Barbara Jacobs
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