Style on a Budget (Better Homes & Gardens (Paperback))

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful pictures, but misses its target group
Review: I have to admit I bought this book because of the pictures, and not because it supposedly would show me how to create style on a budget. Good thing.

The pluses: The pictures are beautiful, they give you a wide variety of tips that don't require a lot of sewing or a class in woodshop, and the color combinations are inspirational.

Bonus: the section titled "decorator's toolkit" and the section titled "furniture arranging on paper." The former lists handy tools and how to store them, instructions on creating a "style file," and how to arrange furniture. The latter gives you instructions and cutouts for arranging elements of a room on paper.

The minuses: It does not have a very wide range of style of decorating. I think they designed the style to appeal to the broadest range of people, kind of modern country. Also, I'm not so sure you can create this style on a small budget. I like the way they categorize chapters by where you can buy the combinations in the pictures (i.e. there is a chapter called "superstore stand-ins" and one called "secondhand savy"), but they do not list where you could actually find the pieces in the pictures. I guess you are just suppose to know to go to Target.

I would reccommend this book to people just starting to explore interior decoration, but I would not recommend this book to people on a strict budget, which is the group this book is supposedly targeting.

As a general interior design book it gets 4 stars, but as a book to help you budget I give it 1 star.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful pictures, but misses its target group
Review: I have to admit I bought this book because of the pictures, and not because it supposedly would show me how to create style on a budget. Good thing.

The pluses: The pictures are beautiful, they give you a wide variety of tips that don't require a lot of sewing or a class in woodshop, and the color combinations are inspirational.

Bonus: the section titled "decorator's toolkit" and the section titled "furniture arranging on paper." The former lists handy tools and how to store them, instructions on creating a "style file," and how to arrange furniture. The latter gives you instructions and cutouts for arranging elements of a room on paper.

The minuses: It does not have a very wide range of style of decorating. I think they designed the style to appeal to the broadest range of people, kind of modern country. Also, I'm not so sure you can create this style on a small budget. I like the way they categorize chapters by where you can buy the combinations in the pictures (i.e. there is a chapter called "superstore stand-ins" and one called "secondhand savy"), but they do not list where you could actually find the pieces in the pictures. I guess you are just suppose to know to go to Target.

I would reccommend this book to people just starting to explore interior decoration, but I would not recommend this book to people on a strict budget, which is the group this book is supposedly targeting.

As a general interior design book it gets 4 stars, but as a book to help you budget I give it 1 star.

Rating:
Summary: Not for the budget, but has great ideas.
Review: If you are looking to work within a bidget, then this book just might take you beyond your limit. At least, I should say, on some of the projects. But then it is hard to find a good book that will help you with good, practical ideas that will also give fine style advice. They do have some wonderful ideas, color palates and helpful tools to crate the looks. I think BHG books sometimes are a little overdone, but most are pleasing. Give the book a try if you are looking for new ideas. This will definitely help.

Rating:
Summary: Not for the budget, but has great ideas.
Review: If you are looking to work within a bidget, then this book just might take you beyond your limit. At least, I should say, on some of the projects. But then it is hard to find a good book that will help you with good, practical ideas that will also give fine style advice. They do have some wonderful ideas, color palates and helpful tools to crate the looks. I think BHG books sometimes are a little overdone, but most are pleasing. Give the book a try if you are looking for new ideas. This will definitely help.