Vinny Lee

I first spotted this book in a precarious pile of used books in a stuffed used book store in New York City. I finally found a used copy via Amazon. It's a coffee table book with lots of pictures, and showcases interior design based on dark colours. It made me itch for a loft or a condo to decorate from scratch, lots of inspiration is lurking in there. I especially liked the one room that focussed on a ton of skeleton keys nailed up over the head of a bed, and a dining nook that had silver show more and white striped chairs in front of a dark wall. The emphasis on complementary and contrasting colours was good in that it gave me lots of information on colours that would work well together. They also emphasised the use of curtains, throws, cushions, and furniture coverings to change the tone of a room, say over the course of seasons. Natural versus artificial light was covered, with a bit of info on coloured light bulbs. I still want a brown based library or living room some day, this gave me some new ideas of how to build that up. Minor complaints about the book:
- a lot of the example pictures showed up the fact that you have to be very very careful when painting with dark colours, there were spots of light along a lot of edges. It made me think that a lot of the examples were hastily pulled together for photo shoots and attempted to be shot in a way to minimize the painting errors
- too many detail shots, I like to see things in the context of a full room, rather than just a table with some stuff on it show less

I am forever reading decorating bks but rarely implementing ideas (perhaps because i like so few of them... (don't sometimes covers seem much more appealing than the actual book itself?)
I took an occupation interior design class in high school and (believe) i already have an inate sense of color and design. These colours aren't so much for me~i think in the end it all comes down to doing what you like and feel (and know you can live with and in~take everyone elses' opinion with a grain of show more salt.
This book like so many others has great pictures and some ideas but is a little thin on content... (tho it is always nice to look at pictures...)... show less

4.07

In this book we look at pools indoors and out, and study shape, size and form which will reveal how big doesn't always mean better. The book also covers the most innovative finishes and latest decorative techniques as well as finding inspiration in period and classic styles.