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LifestylesCrafts, Hobbies & Home

DIY and design tips for remaking your space

Review by bookpagedev

Readers who appreciate the singular allure of a chaise longue or the architectural lines of a 1950s ranch home will savor the eye candy in Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams’ Let’s Get Comfortable: How to Furnish and Decorate a Welcoming Home. But let’s be clear: this book is not resting on its gorgeous laurels. Gold and Williams, partners in their eponymous 18-year-old furniture company, have created a sourcebook for a welcoming home for you, your family, your guests, and of course, your pets. (The of course is an homage to company mascot Lulu, an English bulldog.) Their efforts are successful: Inviting photos illustrate how to create a variety of looks in a single room by employing slipcovers, rearranging sectional furniture or considering cherry wood vs. antiqued mirror finishes. Clever copy explains why wood plus white is always appealing, and elucidates why a settee might work when a sofa won’t do.

This book’s tips for straightforward yet high-impact updates make it an excellent resource for readers who seek insight as to why certain elements work better than others, or how color can evoke a feeling or reaction. It is also a spot-on gift for the interior design junkie you know and love.

Readers who appreciate the singular allure of a chaise longue or the architectural lines of a 1950s ranch home will savor the eye candy in Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams' Let's Get Comfortable: How to Furnish and Decorate a Welcoming Home. But let's be…
LifestylesCrafts, Hobbies & Home

Down the garden path

Review by bookpagedev

It’s not quite a life list, of the sort that birders keep, but 1001 Gardens You Must See Before You Die feeds the same sort of drive to go out and look. Its immediate effect on me: I really, really want to go to Kyoto. Even at just shy of a thousand pages, 1001 Gardens does not aim to be encyclopedic; general editor Rae Spencer-Jones marshals garden profiles by dozens of garden experts (horticulturalists, designers and writers among them) into a collection organized geographically, a benefit for readers plotting a grand garden tour. As you might expect, that team approach gives some eclectic results: How else a could a garden gnome reserve in the UK end up on the same must see list as Versailles? I’d argue that’s part of the charm of 1001 Gardens, all the better for opening the book at a random page and following the path where it leads. Do note that the entries and appendices offer only the slimmest of details on the logistics of actually visiting the gardens so if you mean to travel beyond your armchair, consider the book an invitation to dig further, in a volume on a regional garden style, or in a travel guidebook. The same goes for the photos they’re only glimpses, but as alluring as a peek through a gap in a garden wall.

It's not quite a life list, of the sort that birders keep, but 1001 Gardens You Must See Before You Die feeds the same sort of drive to go out and look. Its immediate effect on me: I really, really want to go to…
LifestylesCrafts, Hobbies & Home

Love your lawn

Review by bookpagedev

In my previous garden, I had been doing my best to colonize the grass for more ornamental plantings. I’ve been in gardens that had already evolved a long way in that direction I’m thinking in particular of one garden in North Carolina where what was once a sweep of suburban lawn had evolved into a labyrinth of berms and island beds. But most of us don’t want to do without a lawn entirely, and most gardeners have to share their turf (so to speak) with romping dogs, soccer-playing children or lawn sports fans (croquet or badminton, anyone?) Paul Tukey’s message in The Organic Lawn Care Manual is that a lawn doesn’t need to be chemically dependent any more than a flower or vegetable bed does. You might not expect to hear right plant, right place in a lawn care book, but there it is. The essentials for a healthy organic lawn, Tukey suggests: Choose the right grass, water wisely, mow well. Beyond that, the same concepts apply whether you’re cultivating tulips, tomatoes or turf, and we’d all do well to listen. Nurture the soil; it will nurture your plants, and they in turn will nurture you.

In my previous garden, I had been doing my best to colonize the grass for more ornamental plantings. I've been in gardens that had already evolved a long way in that direction I'm thinking in particular of one garden in North Carolina where what…
LifestylesCrafts, Hobbies & Home

Encyclopedia Green

Review by bookpagedev

Where you garden matters enormously, of course, for what you can grow, and how well. The Pacific Northwest is a Shangri-la of sorts for gardeners, and although that’s where co-authors Susan Carter, Carrie Becker and Bob Lilly gained their vast collective garden expertise, I’m pleased to say that there’s no gloating to be found in Perennials: The Gardener’s Reference not even about being able to grow Meconopsis only the voices of hands-on gardeners who know and love their plants. Together, they have assembled an accessible, information-packed treasury of garden-worthy plants, more than 2,700 of them. An essay on general maintenance complements plant-specific recommendations in the A-to-Z directory, and accompanying lists offer other ways into the data. There are suggested collections of plants for specialty gardens (spring ephemerals, meadow plants, plants too tall for words ), and my favorite, a list which sorts the plants from the directory into their plant families. That list, I think, has the potential to be very useful, especially for gardeners looking to meet less familiar cousins of plants they already know and grow. I also love the user-friendly tables that accompany each entry, which chart hardiness zones and heights and spreads, details on flowers and foliage, and even notes on the quirks and particularities of individual species and cultivars exactly the sort of information you need to choose among them. The photography in Perennials is fabulous, too. This book is an appealing new acquaintance which appears quite likely to grow into a very best friend.

Where you garden matters enormously, of course, for what you can grow, and how well. The Pacific Northwest is a Shangri-la of sorts for gardeners, and although that's where co-authors Susan Carter, Carrie Becker and Bob Lilly gained their vast collective garden expertise, I'm pleased…
LifestylesCrafts, Hobbies & Home

Beauty, and brains

Review by bookpagedev

Big Ideas for Small Gardens has its roots on the West Coast, thousands of miles away from the Haywards’ New England, and, just as a plant might be, is adapted to a notably different niche in the gardening world. Authors Emily Young and Dave Egbert present a very visual take on translating large-scale garden schemes into smaller quarters. The heart of the book is an abundance of inspiring photos, all of which are helpfully and thoroughly captioned. But there’s plenty of garden smarts beyond the eye candy, and in fact, if you can manage not to be distracted by the gorgeous pictures, the section Big Concepts offers a lucid overview of essential landscape design principles that are relevant to any garden, of any size, anywhere.

Big Ideas for Small Gardens has its roots on the West Coast, thousands of miles away from the Haywards' New England, and, just as a plant might be, is adapted to a notably different niche in the gardening world. Authors Emily Young and Dave…
LifestylesCrafts, Hobbies & Home

A gentle guru

Review by bookpagedev

Katherine Whiteside wants you to enjoy your garden. I’d imagine she’d be the perfect companion to have along while touring some breathtaking garden that sparks curiosity and envy in equal measure, one that makes you say I’d like to try that, but I couldn’t possibly . . . Whiteside’s reply, I’d guess: Yes, you can. The Way We Garden Now: 41 Pick-and-Choose Projects for Planting Your Paradise Large or Small is full of fine advice and comprehensible projects for beginners and for gardeners who are ready to branch out. While you certainly don’t have to march through the projects sequentially, they’re presented in a wise order (design appears early in the process, for example), and paced for the long haul. These aren’t instant makeovers; Whiteside is willing to budget months for opening new beds, and gives a two-year plan for installing paths, for example. And any garden how-to that ranks keeping a journal near the top of a list of important garden tasks is already well on its way to earning a gold star from me. What’s particularly now about this book, I think, is the way it does more than show and tell you what to do; it begins with why. Whiteside introduces each project by asking What’s the payoff? and her own experience shines through the answers, to inspire and motivate the aspiring gardener.

Katherine Whiteside wants you to enjoy your garden. I'd imagine she'd be the perfect companion to have along while touring some breathtaking garden that sparks curiosity and envy in equal measure, one that makes you say I'd like to try that, but I couldn't…
LifestylesFamily & Relationships

Always a bridesmaid: playing second fiddle

Review by bookpagedev

Sure, the wedding day is all about the bride, but what about those unsung heroes of the modern bridal party: the bridesmaids? Siri Agrell, author of Bad Bridesmaid: Bachelorette Brawls and Taffeta Tantrums Tales from the Front Lines, wants everyone to know about the tribulations that go with being a bridesmaid. This columnist for Canada’s National Post has seen the dark side of weddings firsthand. Kicked out of a wedding for writing a column about being a bridesmaid and the requirement for almost cult-like devotion to the bride, Agrell heard from readers about their own frighteningly bad bridesmaid experiences. It became clear to me that bridesmaids had become collateral damage in the female quest for the perfect wedding, she writes.

Two bridesmaids were thrown out of a wedding the day of the ceremony for refusing to get their makeup done a fourth time when the bride asked. One bridesmaid was forced to wear a used dress that reeked the whole day. Even without these issues, many bridesmaids spend thousands of dollars on ugly dresses, parties and presents in preparation for the wedding day. Ultimately, this hilarious and disturbing book is a reminder to both brides and bridesmaids that a little civility and human kindness is necessary on both sides if friendships are to continue after the ceremony.

Sure, the wedding day is all about the bride, but what about those unsung heroes of the modern bridal party: the bridesmaids? Siri Agrell, author of Bad Bridesmaid: Bachelorette Brawls and Taffeta Tantrums Tales from the Front Lines, wants everyone to know about the tribulations…
LifestylesFamily & Relationships

Keep it Simple

Review by bookpagedev

The Simple Stunning series of wedding books from Stewart, Tabori, &andamp; Chang focuses on simplifying the wedding planning process without taking the beauty out of a bride’s big day. Simple Stunning Wedding Showers: Festive Ideas and Inspiration for Perfect Pre-Wedding Parties and Simple Stunning Wedding Flowers: Practical Ideas and Inspiration for Your Bouquet, Ceremony, and Centerpieces, both by party planner Karen Bussen, offer practical advice in a concise form.

These quick-reading books provide tons of tips on their respective subjects. Simple Stunning Wedding Showers offers 20 themes for wedding showers, form the classic tea party or 24-hour shower to more modern themes like a bubbly brunch and a night-at-the-movies-inspired bash to outfit the entertainment room. The book includes recipes for food and drinks and ideas for party games. The recipes, and even some of the themes, would be great for other parties, making this book more versatile than it seems on the surface.

In Simple Stunning Wedding Flowers, Bussen covers the basics of floral design, from ceremony dŽcor to bouquets and boutonnieres, centerpieces to escort card tables. Her guidance will help those who don’t know a geranium from a gerbera daisy decide what kind of flowers they want and find a florist who can help them realize their dream without blowing their budget. Little advice is offered to women who might want to try to design their own floral arrangements, but for brides who only need to know enough about flowers to communicate their desires to a florist, this book is a good guide and a great value.

The Simple Stunning series of wedding books from Stewart, Tabori, &andamp; Chang focuses on simplifying the wedding planning process without taking the beauty out of a bride's big day. Simple Stunning Wedding Showers: Festive Ideas and Inspiration for Perfect Pre-Wedding Parties and Simple Stunning…
LifestylesFamily & Relationships

Keep it Simple

Review by bookpagedev

The Simple Stunning series of wedding books from Stewart, Tabori, &andamp; Chang focuses on simplifying the wedding planning process without taking the beauty out of a bride’s big day. Simple Stunning Wedding Showers: Festive Ideas and Inspiration for Perfect Pre-Wedding Parties and Simple Stunning Wedding Flowers: Practical Ideas and Inspiration for Your Bouquet, Ceremony, and Centerpieces, both by party planner Karen Bussen, offer practical advice in a concise form.

These quick-reading books provide tons of tips on their respective subjects. Simple Stunning Wedding Showers offers 20 themes for wedding showers, form the classic tea party or 24-hour shower to more modern themes like a bubbly brunch and a night-at-the-movies-inspired bash to outfit the entertainment room. The book includes recipes for food and drinks and ideas for party games. The recipes, and even some of the themes, would be great for other parties, making this book more versatile than it seems on the surface.

In Simple Stunning Wedding Flowers, Bussen covers the basics of floral design, from ceremony dŽcor to bouquets and boutonnieres, centerpieces to escort card tables. Her guidance will help those who don’t know a geranium from a gerbera daisy decide what kind of flowers they want and find a florist who can help them realize their dream without blowing their budget. Little advice is offered to women who might want to try to design their own floral arrangements, but for brides who only need to know enough about flowers to communicate their desires to a florist, this book is a good guide and a great value.

The Simple Stunning series of wedding books from Stewart, Tabori, &andamp; Chang focuses on simplifying the wedding planning process without taking the beauty out of a bride's big day. Simple Stunning Wedding Showers: Festive Ideas and Inspiration for Perfect Pre-Wedding Parties and Simple Stunning…
LifestylesFamily & Relationships

Destination delights

Review by bookpagedev

As society becomes more mobile and friends and family members are scattered all over the country, more couples are planning destination weddings to give them more time with friends and to make their wedding more like a vacation for their guests. The Knot Guide to Destination Weddings by Carley Roney is the perfect nuts-and-bolts guide to planning a destination wedding, from picking the locale and choosing destination-friendly wedding wear to working with local vendors. The destination wedding directory highlights some of the most popular wedding destinations, while timelines and checklists will help keep the details organized.

Brief features on real-life destination weddings help couples see how it all comes together, and the advice on how to pack will be absolutely invaluable to harried brides (rule number one: carry your wedding dress with you).

As society becomes more mobile and friends and family members are scattered all over the country, more couples are planning destination weddings to give them more time with friends and to make their wedding more like a vacation for their guests. The Knot Guide…
LifestylesFamily & Relationships

Southern charm

Review by bookpagedev

The stereotypical Southern wedding is extremely traditional, but Southern brides create celebrations every bit as modern and sophisticated as those held anywhere else in the world.

Tara GuŽrard, owner of SoirŽe, Inc. in Charleston, South Carolina, knows all about planning chic weddings with Southern charm. Her Southern Weddings: New Looks from the Old South details 12 weddings created by SoirŽe. Highlights of the dŽcor of each wedding are discussed, as well as signature elements that made each wedding unique. The SoirŽe Secrets section offers tips brides can adapt to their own weddings.

Sometimes it’s hard to see what makes these weddings especially Southern other than their location, but that is part of the point. It certainly is no longer possible (if it were ever possible) to peg a wedding’s style by region.

The best part for many brides will be the step-by-step instructions for recreating some of the ideas used in the featured weddings. From centerpieces to floral monograms to table designs, there are many great ideas for brides of all budgets in this book.

The stereotypical Southern wedding is extremely traditional, but Southern brides create celebrations every bit as modern and sophisticated as those held anywhere else in the world.

Tara GuŽrard, owner of SoirŽe, Inc. in Charleston, South Carolina, knows all about planning chic weddings…
LifestylesFamily & Relationships

Going your own way

Review by bookpagedev

If you’re trying to plan a unique event without the help of an in-person wedding planner, Signature Weddings: Creating a Day Uniquely Your Own by event planner Michelle Rago can help. The book takes readers through her design process and provides 10 examples of how her plans came together. The same process can be adapted by brides on a budget to come up with the signature elements of their own wedding design.

The cornerstone of Rago’s planning process is brainstorming, which leads her to the colors and elements (design features) of a particular wedding. However, the description of her design process is lengthy and follows a few too many sidetracks. Most people will not be interested in the author’s favorite movies, for example. She also has a faith in inspiration that people who don’t consider themselves creative might find a little over the top.

Whether you agree with her philosophy or not, the book is a solid starting point for those who don’t know how to plan a wedding that isn’t cookie-cutter. It allows readers to see the inspiration behind the final design and how it was carried out, which can be incredibly useful in planning an event from scratch.

If you're trying to plan a unique event without the help of an in-person wedding planner, Signature Weddings: Creating a Day Uniquely Your Own by event planner Michelle Rago can help. The book takes readers through her design process and provides 10 examples of…
LifestylesFamily & Relationships

Fantasy Island

Review by bookpagedev

For a wedding book that is all fantasy and little reality for most brides, there’s Colin Cowie’s Extraordinary Weddings: From a Glimmer of an Idea to a Legendary Event. This lavish book highlights 14 weddings planned and executed by the superstar wedding planner. These are certainly not your typical ceremonies. Highlights are destination weddings in Italy and the Bahamas and the only private party ever given on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City.

Still, the book and the weddings are beautiful and offer some advice for celebrations that don’t involve a DJ flown in from Paris. Cowie reminds readers that weddings aren’t about impressing guests, they are intended to bring a new family together in love. That’s true whether you’re inviting five guests or 500.

For a wedding book that is all fantasy and little reality for most brides, there's Colin Cowie's Extraordinary Weddings: From a Glimmer of an Idea to a Legendary Event. This lavish book highlights 14 weddings planned and executed by the superstar wedding planner. These…

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