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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
This is my sister's book and I've been wanting to look through it every time I watch her cats.
I finally did this time and I see a lot of her choices reflect Joanna's style so I'm not surprised she owns the book :)
A few things really bothered me throughout the book, as a person with OCD it doesn't really affect my cleanliness but it definitely makes me notice things that feel "incorrect" for example her book placement and the fact that a lot of newer, rich-person design styles just look extremely difficult to clean.
I think it must also be really popular to have bare-bulb lighting in cages, and many many decorative pillows. But neither of those things appeal much to me so it felt redundant seeing so much of it.
Why would you place books backward on a shelf so the pages are showing? And what person who cares about their books would put them under all of their plants??
The last thing is just that all of her kid spaces just looked like kid-themed adult spaces.
But I loved a lot in the kitchen and living room designs, and I really liked reading through her advice in each section on what to do for whatever your house is lacking.
I'm about to move again (I think this one makes 10 moves in 9 years) and I'm excited to make this one feel a little more like my home because I'm hoping to stay longer. It might be difficult as I'm sharing the decisions with my roommates, but there's more space in my soon to be new home and I hope to really make it cute and useful.
Anyway I can't afford much and I can't make big changes to rental properties but there are so many inspirational things to think about and I also just like looking through the pretty pictures.
My favorite rooms in the book are on pages: 70, 78, 108, 198, 214, 238, 306, and 326.
I wish there were more libraries and hobby rooms to look at, like dance studios or music rooms or workshops. But I think she mostly designs houses for families in business-type careers so it makes sense that they have similar needs.
My favorite of the pictured houses from the outside is probably either "the minimalist lodge" or "the unexpected estate" and from the inside is definitely "the daring elemental"
In the "identify your style" section, all of them look the exact same to me as it's all just stuff you'd buy from a high-end version of a home good store. I grew up with plastic cups, mismatched silverware, and whatever rugs we found at garage sales... and when it comes to design the things that are most striking to me tend to be from cultures and traditions other than my own. So seeing all of the options look basically the same was a little disappointing. I think it would be more accurate to leave out the style comparisons and just say that everything here is Joanna's style and leave it for readers to enjoy and take what they want.
Anyway despite having some criticism I really enjoyed reading through this book! I haven't really watched any of her stuff, I just have a vague idea of who she is and what she and chip do so maybe I'll look into her more.
I finally did this time and I see a lot of her choices reflect Joanna's style so I'm not surprised she owns the book :)
A few things really bothered me throughout the book, as a person with OCD it doesn't really affect my cleanliness but it definitely makes me notice things that feel "incorrect" for example her book placement and the fact that a lot of newer, rich-person design styles just look extremely difficult to clean.
I think it must also be really popular to have bare-bulb lighting in cages, and many many decorative pillows. But neither of those things appeal much to me so it felt redundant seeing so much of it.
Why would you place books backward on a shelf so the pages are showing? And what person who cares about their books would put them under all of their plants??
The last thing is just that all of her kid spaces just looked like kid-themed adult spaces.
But I loved a lot in the kitchen and living room designs, and I really liked reading through her advice in each section on what to do for whatever your house is lacking.
I'm about to move again (I think this one makes 10 moves in 9 years) and I'm excited to make this one feel a little more like my home because I'm hoping to stay longer. It might be difficult as I'm sharing the decisions with my roommates, but there's more space in my soon to be new home and I hope to really make it cute and useful.
Anyway I can't afford much and I can't make big changes to rental properties but there are so many inspirational things to think about and I also just like looking through the pretty pictures.
My favorite rooms in the book are on pages: 70, 78, 108, 198, 214, 238, 306, and 326.
I wish there were more libraries and hobby rooms to look at, like dance studios or music rooms or workshops. But I think she mostly designs houses for families in business-type careers so it makes sense that they have similar needs.
My favorite of the pictured houses from the outside is probably either "the minimalist lodge" or "the unexpected estate" and from the inside is definitely "the daring elemental"
In the "identify your style" section, all of them look the exact same to me as it's all just stuff you'd buy from a high-end version of a home good store. I grew up with plastic cups, mismatched silverware, and whatever rugs we found at garage sales... and when it comes to design the things that are most striking to me tend to be from cultures and traditions other than my own. So seeing all of the options look basically the same was a little disappointing. I think it would be more accurate to leave out the style comparisons and just say that everything here is Joanna's style and leave it for readers to enjoy and take what they want.
Anyway despite having some criticism I really enjoyed reading through this book! I haven't really watched any of her stuff, I just have a vague idea of who she is and what she and chip do so maybe I'll look into her more.
fast-paced
This book is full of beautiful photography, as is to be expected from anything Joanna Gaines touches. It is also full of practical teaching to help you discern your own design aesthetic and learn how to apply that to your home. She shares so much wisdom and thoughtful guidance, that this is a book I know I will turn to again and again as we continue to settle into our home, or when it become time to replace or update what we own.
If you are trying to figure out you home design style, are a fan of beautiful and thoughtful design, or simply a fan of Joanna, you should check this book out.
If you are trying to figure out you home design style, are a fan of beautiful and thoughtful design, or simply a fan of Joanna, you should check this book out.
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
A home design book for beginners and lovers of simplistic-but-elevated living, this book will show you examples of how to create a home space you love.
Gaines has a relaxing aesthetic: a pallette of white, gray, brown and black; furniture with straight, serious lines. But what is with all the old books? Nobody is going to read these antique hardbacks, especially when they are piled under vases, filling up bookshelves in kids' bedrooms, or turned backwards in what I think of as THE most infuriating style trend.
Worth the read for Chapters 9 and 10 alone, about how to create retreat spaces and how best to utilize utilitarian spaces (e.g., laundry room) in your home, respectively.
Some good, simple advice for people just starting out with decorating their home. This book can provide some criteria and a jumping off point. However, I find Joannas style completely uninspiring and dull - to put it plainly. The photos end up largely looking the same - sparse, white, neutral, flat. I’d suggest taking this one out from the library like I did, not a book I’d keep on the shelf to come back to.
Beautiful pictures and a few really good ideas but basically variations in the same aesthetics- aka if you’ve watched any fixer upper then this book won’t give you much that is new. I wish she had worked with some very tiny/limited spaces or with some families who had kids that didn’t want neutral everything… but I did love the message about making your home work for you and the stage of life you are in right now
I have never seen this TV show - I was just taken in by the title and subtitle. The designs inside were nicely done, just... the repetitive black and white schemes were REALLY NOT FOR ME. I guess the cover should have been a tip-off - I mean, she's even wearing a plain black shirt! My home is really earthy colors, lots of polished wood, with a distinct Craftsman/Frank Lloyd Wright vibe. Additionally, there were lots of rooms with signs in them, like "Dining Room" in the dining room. I cannot state enough how I despise that trend. I had heard that Ms. Gaines is a master of using space and was looking for some pointers on how to set some of our rooms up better. Unfortunately, the "Troubleshooting" sections were very superficial and limited to just one page per room.
Really not useful for my purposes. Eye candy only, if that's your thing. Glad this was a library borrow - libraries are the BEST!
Really not useful for my purposes. Eye candy only, if that's your thing. Glad this was a library borrow - libraries are the BEST!