House Beautiful: Think Small:

House Beautiful: Think Small:  Make the Most of Every Square Foot by House Beautiful (Editor)       Hardback Book: 160 pages                  

What a beautiful book.   I have always been fascinated with how other people decorate their homes.   I love to go on informal tours through any one’s house I am lucky enough to visit to see the way they place their furniture, what types of pieces they choose for their homes and the beloved things they use to express their likes and what they are saying with the how of the items they allow in and what each means to the home owner who is offering a view into their worlds.    I notice the colors they choose, the fabrics they use.   I am the type of person who orients my world with things that feel good, soft cozy and fluffy are winners with me, quirky, eclectic because my thoughts and likes jump all over the place and change from time to time are dear to my heart because my interests vary and I thrive on different from the norm just to shake things up now and then.    Also, though I have space to play with, the spaces are all different, some small or odd size so I am always on the look for fun ways to do a lot with a little space yet, have that space to make a statement and be visibly and tangibly pleasing to me.   Plus let’s just get it out there, I have a lot of stuff that doesn’t necessarily seem to go together, so, I love to see other people’s ideas on how they put their sentimental,  beloved or just fun eye-catching stuff or even collections of like things or things that make a bold statement together.   Sometimes one might want to say a lot about their personality with the way they display their goods, other times you might enjoy being a little mysterious letting others guess at what you were thinking when you put a particular set of items together – what is your “why?” to make sense of seemingly random groupings?    What is the meaning each item brings to you and what is your reasoning for sharing that with all who enter your abode?    This book is phenomenal from a decorating sense.    It shows how to pack a lot in a small space and look absolutely gorgeous without looking overdone or as if the room is bulging at the seams.    It shows how to place furniture at angles or in unique ways so as to make many beautiful and colorful dreams bring awe to your casual observing friends, family or visitors.   These rooms are magnificent whether the room is cut-off in odd dimenstions, whether it is lit by natural light or whether it is enhanced by dark glossy paint that becomes a character itself within the room.    It shows how to even make piles of things look “right” in the setting.    And how to cleverly play with space and mirrors and light and colors to bring a tiny room appear larger or an overly large space look intimate.   I adore books like this.    I love learning other people’s beautifying tricks and how unusual things can become amazing works of art not just to you because you love them but are made breathtakingly beautiful to all who view them and who want to take away the exquisiteness of your array and your ideas for making your home gallery perfect while retaining a cozy I want to stay here forever feel.    I love the ideas and illustrations found in this book and I lingered over all of them appreciating each and thoroughly loving each individual or partnerships purveying the magnificence of seeing into their souls.   Beautiful!   This book is a sensory experience for the eye, the mind and the exploration of transforming one’s things within the space we call our own which could be a science in itself of the who that we are inside ourselves that only lucky few get to experience along with us.      This book is so good it is transcendent.   I loved it!    It is not just a read or a visualization of what you see and what you could create within your own world from this inspiration it is an experience.   I recommend this to anyone especially those interested in the love of expressing themselves through interior design.  You will find a multitude of ideas here.

 - Shirley J