Ready, Set, Decorate: The Complete Guide to Getting it Right Every Time

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Decorating can be foolproof, when it's done the House Beautiful way! With practical, down-to-earth guidance, and the magazine's photos as inspiration, even true beginners will find out how to get it right the first time...and every time.

 

Go from clueless to faultless! Home decorators who long for a contemporary loft-style apartment, chic Colonial living room, or cozy beach hut bathroom can make their dreams come true...effortlessly. With House Beautiful 's straightforward, no-nonsense approach to everything from painting and wallpapering to lighting and window treatments, reviving a home is as easy as Ready, Set, Decorate! The segment "Ready!" explains the many wonderful options to choose from--colors, patterns, surface treatments, or hardware--and offers confidence-building tricks. "Set!" leads you through all the preparatory stages that spell the difference between success and failure. And "Decorate!" shows how to do the job yourself or brief a professional--and how to avoid the pitfalls, whichever route you take. Plus, there's practical guidance on quick, fun-to-do projects that add value and beauty to any home.

A Selection of the Homestyle Book Club.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Booklist Review

Editor Callery tackles the A-Z0 of home design in a unique fashion in three steps: ready, or understanding your options; set, the preparation stage; and decorate, the time to do it yourself or hire a professional. She starts with the easy stuff, painting and wallpapering, including the kind of advice only a well-conditioned instructor-expert could provide, whether it's decorative techniques like ragging and striping\b \b0 to copy or tips when papering around light switches or doors and windows. Then it's full speed ahead to seven other categories--tiling, flooring, kitchens and bathrooms, soft furnishings, window treatments, storage, and lighting--each containing more than enough information to finish part or all of one room or the whole house. A great guide for first-time and old-hand home owners alike. --Barbara Jacobs Copyright 2006 Booklist