Rockport Publishing

Some like to buy motor manuals with no hope or intention of ever actually owning the vehicle so meticulously described; others collect travel brochures and plan fantasy journeys from the comfort of their armchairs, and many who ‘cannot boil an egg’ get immense pleasure daydreaming over cookery books.

My fantasy books consist of anything to do with décor, craft or design – from ‘200 art ideas to create using a photocopier’ to ‘Create designer outfits from knitted squares’ and show more ‘How to transform to environment with colour’ – I’ve read the lot. Stenciling, stained glass, soap-making, pot-pouri, mosaic, bath salts, papier mache furniture: been there, done that.

The words ‘decorating’, ‘project’ and ‘idea’ in a single title attract me like bees to honey, so naturally “Outdoor Decorating” proved irresistible,. And what a beautiful book it is – a veritable feast for the eyes – with full-colour pictures of verdant gardens, glorious flowers, elegant conservatories, gazebos and terraces and, most desirable of all, opulent, luxurious houses.

And the last is something all these crafty design books have in common, no matter where they are published: the home that is to be decorated/improved/brightened is the home least in need of it.

The UK has council blocks and soulless housing tracts, the US has slum tenements and the ‘projects’: in South Africa we have township matchboxes, squatter shacks and drear, unimaginative sub-economic housing.

Strange how these guides to the House beautiful never deal with the kind of dwelling must in need of DIY advice, and those who most need help in beautifying their environment in a cheap and affordable way are generally ignored.

If all you can afford is a cheap flat near the city centre or in a former township, the section on decks and balconies will be of little use because it plans for an area that is likely to be larger than your entire living space. Your tiny veranda in Hillbrow is unlikely to ever provide “a comfortable cottage feeling with wicker furniture… and white picket railing”

As for the sun-deck ‘equipped with overstuffed cushions on custom metal chaise lounges’ and a ‘balustrade topped with mirrored balls that reflect sunlight and scenery’ - well, just forget it.

However, ‘Outdoor Decorating’ does have some step-by-step projects even impoverished proles can produce, starting with your basic dried flowers, progressing to your rose heart shadow boxes, and getting really creative with pressed flower seed packet greeting cards.

We progress to the ‘herb sun-print clock’, the ‘pear-print place mats’, the ambitious ‘radish tiles’, and flower ‘pop-art pillows’ before graduating to the ‘seed packet tea tray’. Kitsch is too kind a description…

Since there is no space for flower print hat boxes in my Malvern squat, the section on The Garden Spa seemed more hopeful. To go with my seed-packet greeting cards, I can give gifts of ‘herbal blend bath teas’, or a votive botanical set of candles, not to mention Moss Picture Frames [don’t ask] and Sunflower Curtain tie-backs.

‘Outdoor Decorating’ is attractive, beautiful, imaginative and completely useless – unless you are a multi-millionaire with an already gorgeous home or, like me, content to curl up with the book in a corner of your hovel and confine your decorating dreams to the armchair. show less

While this highlights some interesting projects, I didn't feel as if the authors actually justified how they decided what works. Larger mindshare? Increased revenue? Won awards? Friends of the design team? Personal opinion?

The examples included are rather outdated. There are more contemporary books with the same information out there.

Work from leading designers from around the globe.
Rockport's best-selling Letterhead and Logo Design series has become one of the ultimate creative resources for new letterhead and logo design projects from top international designers. Now from the editors at Rockport Publishers comes The Best of Letterhead and Logo Design in a new, small format, paperback edition offering the reader the cream of the crop. This unrivalled collection of the best and most innovative new graphic work, show more beautifully presented in full color, is sure to be an essential reference and resource for professional designers seeking inspiring ideas that grab the viewers' attention and create a lasting impression. From logos to letterheads, business cards to envelopes, the creative techniques portrayed in this broad range of work will inspire new design solutions for age-old challenges. show less