Decorate: Insider's Tips from Top Interior Designers

Each issue of Metropolitan Home magazine is filled with photographs of some of the world's most beautiful houses. But making your own home special isn't just about copying photos. Good designers have a vision of what they want to create, and come up with a plan for how best to achieve it. Understanding first the ideas, and then the methods, is the key to taking a house from drab to fabulous.

In this book, Michael Lassell, who has been writing for Metropolitan Home since 1992, goes behind the photos. He uncovers the secrets of the professionals by asking: What did the designer want to do? And how did the designer do it? Each room or style is accompanied by insider's tips where designers reveal their trade secrets. In each case, introductory text explores the homeowner's and designer's goals. The book also explores how they achieved those goals: a "key to the style" box explains the designer's approach with a few key concepts; and "What the Pros Know About" boxes explains how the designer went from ideas to reality.

With 200 color photographs, Decorate provides all the inspiration and expertise to help any home decorator find and achieve high style.