Straight Talk on Decorating from Lynette Jennings

Rating:
Summary: Why can't other designers teach the way she can?
Review:
I am an almost pathologically non-visual person who simply can't think outside the box when it comes to shapes, colors, or design or decorating of any kind. It didn't take me long to find that among all the home decorating and craft shows on TV, Lynette Jennings produced by far the most helpful and instructive show for brain-dead people like me.

What DID take me awhile to realize, however, is WHY she is so much better than the others. She approaches each topic just as if she were an instructor in a real-life classroom, albeit with the benefit of being physically placed in beautiful homes and rooms that she can display to the viewer. As a teacher myself, I looked at her with a sort of professional eye, and realized that she was in fact a superbly talented teacher and communicator.

Her book is more of the same outstanding material you get on her show, but this time organized according to various themes, such as how to use color, how to decorate in small spaces, etc. The book is gorgeously illustrated, and includes concrete ideas that can be understood by those of us who lack her instinctive talent for the subjects of decorating and design. Highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: First rate
Review: Building a house is a daunting task, and I've been feeling definitely overwhelmed by the sheer immensity of making it into a home. This book takes you through, step by step, and breaks things into manageable pieces; not to mention demystifying and teaching basic design principles. This is a must have for anyone thinking about redecorating, remodeling, or starting from scratch!

Rating:
Summary: First rate
Review: I agree that this is even better than Lynette's TV show. I love the show but it had become a sort of travelogue last year, which was fun to watch but didn't give me much in the way of ideas for my home. This book seems to put Lynette back in the mode of a decorating teacher (or cheerleader), which is what i liked about her shows over the years. The book is fun to read and obviously written by her and not by a ghostwriter. It sounds like her. It's full ofgreat ix, lots of ideas, some humor. She "talks straight," as the title promises.

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Summary: Where is Lynette???
Review: I have been confused over how best to paint my older home; all 1300 square feet in one color scheme or each room different as the furnishings through the years lead. I reviewed over a dozen different "color design" books and this by far was the best as Ms. Jennings puts the decisions in your hands, guiding you to understand myth versus reality. Excellent resource design book.

Rating:
Summary: Lynette Jennings
Review: I just recently started to watch Ms. Jennings on the Discovery channel. Shei sfunny, witty, and a delight. She brings real ideas for real people. Please let me know how I can purchas her merchandise? Thank you. Nancy McDougal

Rating:
Summary: Lynette Jennings
Review: I just recently started to watch Ms. Jennings on the Discovery channel. Shei sfunny, witty, and a delight. She brings real ideas for real people. Please let me know how I can purchas her merchandise? Thank you. Nancy McDougal

Rating:
Summary: Just great
Review: Stylish, practical, fun, helpful, fresh, encouraging. Great color photos, interesting illustrations. It's obvious that this is no ghostwritten celebrity book but a book Ms. Jennings wrote herself. I like seeing her own homes also. A fun and interesting book with a lot of ideas we are already putting to use.

Rating:
Summary: Refreshing
Review: The author advocates doing your own thing in a fun and readable book that is also helpful. Lots of good advice and great pix here.

Rating:
Summary: the real deal
Review: This is an EXCELLENT book. If you've ever watched her shows, you can just hear her talking to you as you read the book-even the use of typefaces and colors in the text helps get her points across. Lynette does not dance around issues, she gets straight to the point. There are lots of pictures to help you visualize, which is very helpful because she "disproves" a lot of common "wisdom" about decorating and colors and the pictures really show you that she's right.
There's nothing about furniture styles; she's not going to define French Provincial for you. She IS going to give you a lot more confidence about getting away from white and ivory walls in every room! (But she's OK with keeping them if you do it because you truly love neutrals, not because you are afraid of color.) She's also going to help you identify what sort of style makes you comfortable-formal, minimalist, eclectic, etc.-and help you realize that the most important thing is to create a space that you are comfortable in.
If you buy only one book on decorating, this is it. If you've bought lots, this is going to be the best of all of them.

Rating:
Summary: Wow
Review: This is the first decorating book I've ever actually wanted to read, cover to cover. I feel like Lynette Jennings is talking to me personally and pushing me to ditch my fears and get on with my personal decorating plans. I need this. It's also fun to read and look at. I love all the photographs and illustrations. Also like the peeks at Lynette's own homes. I have to add this to my list of favorite decorating books, which are the New Decorating Book, Garden Style, Shabby Chic Home, and now Lynette Jennings Straight Talk. Recommend highly.