CasaSugar -- Home sweet home.

Home Library: Handmade Hellos

casasugar — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 11:00:30 -0800

Signed, sealed, and delivered from the ladies of Hello!Lucky letterpress, the new how-to book Handmade Hellos ($19.95) gives rebirth to a long-lost craft: card making. It's one thing to hand write a note in today's world of email, SMS, MMS, IM, BBM, etc. — a good thing. But to forgo Papyrus and make a card by hand shows nonpareil thoughtfulness. Thanks to this delightful book, which is a compilation of over 25 projects from today's most talented card makers, you can choose your own level of thoughtfulness: basic (30 minutes or less), moderate (two hours or less), or advanced (an afternoon). For a handsome catch you're trying to impress, this volume will show you how to silk-screen a wooden card reading, "Wood You Be My Valentine?" For a quick but humorous birthday card, you can make a cocktail hour card using vintage photographs and a wry one-liner. Straightforward instructions make even the advanced projects unintimidating, and ready-to-use patterns cut out the creativity requirement for those of you who aren't artistes. But perhaps most notably, after page after page of adorable illustrations and cheerful designs, you won't want to say goodbye to Handmade Hellos.

Home Library: Domino: The Book of Decorating

casasugar — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 06:15:18 -0700

Domino is one of my favorite shelter magazines simply because it offers so much to so many people. From approachable DIY ideas to luxurious furniture options, the magazine manages to mix styles and budgets while always looking effortlessly chic. Continuing in that tradition, the magazine's new book, Domino: The Book of Decorating: A Room-by-Room Guide to Creating a Home That Makes You Happy ($32) offers something for everyone. Impressively, the decorating guide accomplishes this while never seeming over-generalized or out of touch. Whether I was reading about lighting arrangements for a kitchen or choosing the best bed frame, everything felt relevant.

To see some sneak peeks of the inside pages,

Steal of the Day: Amy Butler's In Stitches

casasugar — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 08:30:00 -0700

If you're an avid Casa reader, I'm sure you've heard of Amy Butler, whose textiles are all the rage these days. Aside from designing beautiful fabrics, Butler is also the author of Midwest Modern and Found Style, which I've told you about in the past. Her book, In Stitches ($12.48, reduced from $24.95), a collection of 25 sewing projects ranging from floor cushions to handbags, which includes inspiring photographs, easy-to-use pattern sheets, and how-to illustrations, along with descriptive text, is on sale at Kate's Paperie. I've heard that for those who've already purchased Butler's patterns, this read is a bit repetitive, but her facile instructions make it a great buy for a beginner sewer. Considering that her sewing patterns alone can cost $12.95, I think it's an awesome deal.

Home Library: The Nest Home Design Handbook

casasugar — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 05:30:23 -0700

If you're looking for ideas on how to decorate a shared space with your new spouse, The Nest Home Design Handbook ($25.95) by Carla Roney is a great place to begin your search. Roney, editor in chief of The Knot and its sister site, The Nest, offers practical tips and advice for first-time home decorators, and is also a great resource for couples and newlyweds that are moving in together for the first time.

The Next Home Design Handbook takes newbie decorators through all of the steps of making a home, from choosing paint colors to controlling clutter in your home. The book features vibrant, eclectic home interiors as well as diagrams that provide guidance on hanging photos, arranging sculptural objects, and laying out furniture. If you're a newlywed couple struggling with how to merge belongings and make your home look beautiful in the process, Roney's book is a great starting point.

Home Library: Found Style

casasugar — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 08:30:10 -0700

Sometimes I like to revisit books that may be oldies but are definitely goodies, like Amy and David Butler's Found Style, published back in 2003. Since it's also prime season for antiquing and garage sales, it seemed only appropriate to introduce you all to a book that offers sensible, inspired advice on integrating "found" objects into your home. Amy Butler, whose fabric designs I love, brilliantly combines garage sale $1 finds with midcentury furniture, Pottery Barn accessories, and practical, Ikea pieces in this book.

Using simple guidelines, such as buying pieces that serve a purpose, taking your time to integrate your new finds, and focusing your design on your personality and needs for your home, Butler, along with her husband, document rooms in various houses (and gardens) that are both elegant and practical. With full-color photographs by Colin McGuire, the book is absolute eye candy for design junkies, and with the Butlers' sensible advice woven throughout the text, rather guilt-free candy at that.

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Home Library: Edible Estates: Attack on the Front Lawn

casasugar — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 04:30:28 -0700

Remember when I told you, many moons ago, about the very cool project Edible Estates? Dreamed up and spearheaded by Los Angeles-based architect Fritz Haeg, the project pushes the idea that lawns, which are, in many parts of the world, unnatural groundcover, should be replaced with native plants and edible crops. Now, Haeg, along with contributors, has given urban, suburban, and rural gardeners the world over some serious inspiration with his book Edible Estates: Attack on the Front Lawn.

To see a gallery of photos, and to learn more about this book,

Home Library: Eco-Chic Weddings

casasugar — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 06:15:17 -0700

What better book to review during June, when our theme is focused on eco chic living, than Emily Anderson's wonderful guide Eco-Chic Weddings? Since I'm trying to plan my wedding as DIY and green as possible, I knew that Anderson's book was a must-read for my planning. With simple, quick, and often economic ideas for making your ceremony and reception more eco-friendly, Eco-Chic Weddings was just the thing I needed to both inspire new ideas and reinforce other plans I'd already made. For instance, Anderson's suggestion to skip save-the-date cards made me feel environmentally responsible and modern, instead of irresponsible (some other guides had insisted that STDs were a must). Other tips include using in-season flowers, taking advantage of local food and resources, and renting items that won't be used after the wedding. Anderson, a former Martha Stewart staffer, is already at work on a second Eco Chic book. For now, catch up on all of her great ideas in her first book, which you can purchase here. For any bride who's concerned about eco entertaining, I highly recommend this book — it's a great resource for all of your eco-chic bridal needs.

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Home Library: Stylish Sheds and Elegant Hideaways

casasugar — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 06:15:04 -0700

If you've ever dreamed about building a backyard escape, then Debra Prinzing's book Stylish Sheds and Elegant Hideaways is a must-read. The book highlights 28 crave-worthy backyard or backwoods spaces across the US. Whether it's a modest suburban shed that's been turned into a writing space or an elegant gallery created from a renovated boathouse, this book offers much in the way of inspiration to its readers.

To see some gorgeous photos from the book, and to hear more about it,

Home Library: Bazaar Style

casasugar — Tue, 06 May 2008 11:00:00 -0700

After months of heated anticipation, I've finally had the blessing to read Bazaar Style, an interior design book from beloved Designer Spotlight, stylist Selina Lake, interiors writer Joanna Simmons, and interiors photographer Debi Treloar, which was just released in April. Chock full of salivating images of homes furnished with French flea market and Moroccan bazaar finds, alongside modern design classics, big-box buys, and inherited antiques, the book will reveal the potential in your beat-up furniture and a can of
paint, inspire you to paint the surround of a window to frame the view, and liberate you to break conventions, be it by setting your table with mismatched china, or duct taping fresh flowers to the wall. While the photography alone would be enough to sell me on this title, unlike some of its contemporaries, the ratio of editorial advice to image content is not negative, let alone meager; Lake and Simmons have channeled their industry expertise into hundreds of tips, suggestions, and solutions for achieving this unprecedented style in your home. To hear more about this impressive book and see some photos from it,

Home Library: Mexicasa

casasugar — Mon, 05 May 2008 12:00:46 -0700

If Cinco de Mayo has you yearning for more tropical climes, then scratch that itch with a look through Mexicasa, a coffee-table book that features dreamy retreats of Mexico. Photographer Melba Levick takes stunning pictures of vibrant patios, sparkling pools, and restful bedrooms, while author Gina Hyams tells the story of each inn and hacienda. For instance, the pictures featured below are from El Tamarindo, a resort located on a 2,000-acre nature reserve, and which was designed to blend in with its natural surroundings, with the builders going so far as to bury every electrical wire and water pipe. Whether you're looking to travel to one of the inns featured in the book (there's contact information for each),or you're simply looking for some design inspiration, this is a book that offers plenty of inspiration. You can order it here from Chronicle Books.

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Home Library: Alabama Stitch Book

casasugar — Mon, 05 May 2008 07:44:49 -0700

Seamstress, designer, and author Natalie Chanin is something of a virago — and I mean that in the most positive sense of the word. Indeed, she is a woman to be reckoned with. With her newest venture, the Alabama Stitch Book ($35) she takes you further into her world, sharing stories of cotton production, growing up in rural Alabama, and the family tradition of embroidery. Of course, Natalie's take on embroidery is decidedly modern. Whether she's showing her readers how to create a cotton jersey layered corset shirt or instructing them on how to embroider a postcard, the book's tone is always personable, knowledgeable, and approachable. I read the whole book in one sitting, and then immediately started listing projects to start in on, since there are numerous patterns and instructions included in Alabama Stitch. You can buy the book here, and I highly recommend you do. It's been one of the most delightful reads to cross my desk in quite some time.

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How-To: Organizing Your Books

casasugar — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 05:30:53 -0700

Unless you're of minimalist mindset, keeping books around can give your home a cozy look, add interest to a room, fill up empty space, make a place feel more like home, and reveal your personality to guests — not to mention keep you entertained. But when your library is simply causing visual and physical clutter in your home, it's time for a reassessment. It's time to hit the books! How you organize your books is another reflection of your personality — design-oriented, Type A, intellectual, etc, but actually logging down an inventory of your books will help you systematically and in case you lose track of them somehow. So, I'll give you a potpourri of options, and you can choose your own scent. To hear seven options,

Home Library: The DIY Wedding

casasugar — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 09:15:54 -0700

If, like me, you're a somewhat nontraditional bride who's looking for creative and budget-friendly ways to individualize her wedding, then I highly recommend checking out The DIY Wedding. Written by Kelly Bare, who intersperses tips, stories, and details from her own DIY wedding throughout the book, this is a great resource for any bride who wants to plan her nuptials on her own.

To find out more about this brilliant wedding planning resource, just

Home Library: Plants and Their Application to Ornament

casasugar — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 07:00:01 -0700

Anyone with a little design savvy, flower-philia, or an appreciation for the way that flowers' shapes lend themselves to pattern will covet Plants and Their Application to Ornament. This reprint of Eugène Grasset 's 1897 design book features amazing botanical illustrations of a variety of flowers, from water lilies to lilacs. Each flower illustration is adapted as a pattern for use in such home design applications as rugs, stained glass windows, metalwork, and tile work. While I was smitten with nearly every illustration, I'm particularly partial to the gorgeous use of nasturtiums (seen on the cover), a flower that I often think of it as a pesky weed here in the Bay Area. A celebratory merging of the beauty of botanicals and art nouveau style, this book is sure to be a favored distraction on anyone's coffee table.

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Crave Worthy: Julian Chichester Library Chair

casasugar — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 07:30:55 -0700

Uh-oh: another cost-a-pretty-penny chair I've fallen in love with. In particular, I'm charmed by how the feminine pattern on this fabric blends perfectly with the more masculine lines of the wooden frame of this Julian Chichester Library Chair (inquire for price). And how cool does it look with that wide-planked flooring and worn interior? Based on a 19^th-century design, this contemporary chair can be finished in a simple, polished wood, or a more poppy silver leaf finish. Either way, you'll end up with something both gorgeous and enchantingly comfortable. Who wouldn't want to curl up all day with a good book if they were sitting in this library chair?

Home Library: Squeaky Green

casasugar — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 04:30:05 -0700

While Squeaky Green: The Method Guide to Detoxing Your Home ($16.95, Chronicle Books) won't be released until April 1, it's so perfect for this month's theme that I had to tell you about it.

Written by Method founders Eric Ryan and Adam Lowry, the book comes in a hardcover binder format, with seven organizational tabs for each section of your home, from living rooms to bedrooms to bathrooms to pets.The introduction, from green guru Danny Seo, notes that, "Method's cleaning products are nontoxic solutions that really work and smell great and the packaging is, well, sexy. Yes, sexy."

I definitely agree that Method's design-savvy green products have been a main reason that many people have converted to green cleaning, and this introduction of sleek design to formerly homely/hippie green products has helped to mainstream the trend. But Method's much more than a pretty face, as reflected in the pages of this book. Squeaky Green is chock full of excellent advice on how to clean your home thoroughly with green products. Some of the facts are just plain shocking: Did you know that there's beef fat in fabric softeners and dryer sheets (see page 114)? Or that women who work at home have much higher cancer rates than those who don't, most likely due to conventional cleaning products (see page 47)? This book offers both startling facts and easy solutions to making sure that your home is squeaky clean and green. You can order an advance copy here.

Casa Query: What Do You Think of Porn For Women?

casasugar — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 08:27:26 -0700

I get it. I know that the book Porn For Women, which came out in 2007 from Chronicle Books, is a joke. Still, it rubs me the wrong way. If you're not familiar with this little book of photos, here's a synopsis:

Prepare to enter a fantasy world. A world where clothes get folded just so, delicious dinners await, and flatulence is just not that funny. Give the fairer sex what they really want: beautiful PG photos of hunky men cooking, listening, asking for directions, accompanied by steamy captions: "I love a clean house!" or "As long as I have two legs to walk on, you'll never take out the trash." Now this is porn that will leave women begging for more!

I have a problem with this book for a few reasons (and believe me, I have a well-developed if dorky sense of humor, just ask GiggleSugar). One of these is the idea that what makes women hot isn't happening between the sheets with her man, but it's getting her sheets ironed by her man. And equally alarming, I think, is the idea that men still don't do their share of housework. At my house, my fiancé does at least 50% of the housework (and nobody gets the white kitchen countertops as sparkling as he does; really, he's some kind of countertop genius). Even when I was growing up, my dad was down in the trenches on Saturdays, our family's official housecleaning day, holding his own with the broom and the dustcloth. So tell me, Casa readers, has this been your experience with men and housecleaning, or is my experience the exception to the rule? And also, what's your take on the book? Tell me when you leave a comment below.

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Definition: Cradle to Cradle

casasugar — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 12:00:45 -0700

Cradle to grave refers to the life cycle of a product, from manufacture (cradle) to disposal (grave). However, in their 2002 book Cradle to Cradle, authors William McDonough and Michael Braungart proposed that industries rethink the way that they manufacture goods, and that consumers reconsider how they decide to purchase a product or good. Instead of a "cradle-to-grave" world view, where products are ultimately thrown away and die in a landfill, the authors asked readers to consider instead a "cradle-to-cradle" world view, where products can be upcycled or biodegraded when someone is done using them. For more about this fascinating book, go here.

Home Library: Charlotte Moss's A Flair for Living

casasugar — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 07:30:28 -0700

Designer Spotlight Charlotte Moss's sixth book, A Flair for Living will be published by Assouline this May. The full color, large format volume shares her ideas on gracious style, exuberant entertaining, refined glamor, and home couture. Chock full of images of her elegant interiors, it is likely to inspire traditionalists. While my sneak peek at the book did open my eyes to several overlooked truths of decorating, such as, "A good mirror is a great investment. Every room can handle one," I was admittedly disappointed by the mass of editorial "fluff" (and uninspired graphic design).

Speaking of centerpieces, Moss writes, "Decorating a table is one of life's basic pleasures. Three meals a day means a lot of decorating practice. Begin with a beautiful set of white china, . . ." I find it hard to believe that a woman who runs a successful interior design company, a home boutique, and designs her own furnishings has the time to decorate her dining table everyday. But, much like the interiors she designs, Moss's new book is evidence that she places importance in the simple details of life and home, a skill we should all attempt to cultivate.
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Crave Worthy: Cubus Library

casasugar — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 15:00:09 -0700

Made by eco-friendly company Team 7, this Cubus Library (inquire for price) has a place for everything, from your books to your HDTV to your DVDs and Jonathan Adler pottery. The piece is available in a variety of woods and customized options. You can get it as shown in the picture — strictly for the bookworms — or have its shelves adapted for larger and smaller items, as well as the addition of frameless sliding doors with colored glass, in either matte or gloss. Beautiful and brilliant — I'm definitely craving this.

Home Library: Japanese Country Style

casasugar — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 08:15:08 -0800

When Yoshihiro Takishita was only a student, he discovered that a 250-year-old farmhouse — known as a minka — was going to be destroyed because it was in the path of a reservoir that was being constructed. Takishita was so taken with the building that he arranged to have it moved to Kamakura. Just as Takashita's thoughtful passion preserved that home, his book, Japanese Country Style preserves the beauty, dignity, and thoughtful design of 16 homes he also rescued from demolition.

A friend of mine who's a carpenter and timberframer first introduced me to Japanese country homes several years ago, and I have been a huge fan of this building style ever since. Many of the concepts and details Takishita highlights in Japanese Country Style are the same things that made me fall so hard for this style, including common-sense approaches to household tasks, storage needs, and environment. In his book, Takishita also shows how he has renovated the homes, and how these renovations have been adapted to modern living. The huge number of photographs (over 200!), artful illustrations, and use of Japanese wooden furniture, antiques, and other elements make this book a joy to read and explore, and many of the ideas can be adapted to anyone's home — I know I've incorporated several in mine. For all of you architectural and design enthusiasts out there, you can buy this lovely book here.

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Home Library: Inside the Not So Big House

casasugar — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 07:30:33 -0800

My fiancé and I share a house that's under 1,000 square feet. It's a great size for us, and even if we do sell this home and move into a larger one, I can't imagine going much bigger. Having a small home helps with everything from organizing to cleaning to culling unnecessary belongings. It shouldn't come as much of a surprise, then, that I'm a big fan of architect Sarah Susanka's Not So Big House series of books.

While Susanka's other books go over more of the architectural and structural issues related to living in smaller homes, her book Inside the Not So Big House takes a look at the interiors of these homes. For this book, she writes in tandem with Mark Vassallo, an architectural and interior design writer. The book details ways that residents of small homes can maximize style and design in their small pads. The shots of furniture, built-ins, and thoughtful storage space shows how homeowners from 23 homes across the United States have worked within their limited square feet to create truly unique and lovely homes. If you're looking for remodeling inspiration, or just new ways to deal with small spaces, definitely pick this book up.

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Home Library: Gardens of New Orleans: Exquisite Excess

casasugar — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:45:19 -0800

It's hot, humid, lush, and overwhelmingly green in New Orleans, so it makes sense that a number of books have been written on this city's gardens. One of the best of these, by authors Lake Douglas and Jeannette Hardy, Gardens of New Orleans ($40, hardcover) chronicles the excessive flora of this delta city.

The book features exquisitely lush photos by Richard Sexton and historical maps, photos, and drawings of the city, providing an embarrassment of riches with which to explore this city's gardens. With chapters on private and public gardens, parks, and landmark spaces and species, you'll be charmed with this book, whether you've visited New Orleans yet or are just plotting your first trip.
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Home Library: Creative Interiors Coloring Book

casasugar — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 15:59:33 -0800

Whoever said coloring books were just for kids was a liar! The Rock Scissor Paper Interiors Creative Idea Journal and Coloring Book includes 12 coloring book pages of modern, mid-century interior scenes, plus furniture and design elements, along with 25 grid pages, and 25 blank sketch pages. It's a risk- and hassle-free way to decide what color Overlapping Squares Chair to buy, or what wallpaper hue will match your Louis XVI chair. It's definitely built for just grown-ups . . . unless any of you know a six year old who owns a Tulip chair. I personally just wish there were more coloring book pages; if I wanted a sketch book, I'd buy one.

Home Library: Midwest Modern

casasugar — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 14:02:24 -0800

I'm a huge fan of Amy Butler, from her fabric designs to her products to her free online patterns. Now I have to add books to that list. Amy's book Midwest Modern ($35) proves that cool design can come from the middle of the country, not just the East and West Coast. This book successfully explores fashion, gardening, and interiors with gorgeous photographs (taken by Amy's husband, David) and a fun, breezy narrating voice courtesy of Ms. Butler. Amy's style and philosophy emphasizes simplicity and integrity of craft, and she draws on such ideas as using vintage looks, recycled materials, and organic elements in her designs and home. This gorgeous book is a definite must-have for any design maven's home library.

Home Library: Material World: Home Decor Projects For the Fabric Obsessed

casasugar — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 12:43:07 -0800

Since it's Hibernation month, I've been in the mood to hole up in my lair and finally get my long to-do list of home décor projects done. The arrival of Cat Wei's book, Material World: Home Décor Projects For the Fabric Obsessed ($15) in my mailbox hasn't help things much, because now my to-do is twice as long!
The book is a collection of 50 fun and inspirational projects from 20 international designers compiled by architect, interior designer, and television host (Trading Spaces Family) Cat Wei. While all of the projects do use fabrics, many of them don't require any sewing, so it's fit for both novice and seasoned sewers. Each project has a difficulty rating, so you'll know whether you're in over your head before you buy supplies. Some of the DIYs included show you how to customize things you already own, like fabric file folders and cord-wrapped waste baskets, while others show you to make chic home accents from scratch like oxford-shirt cushion covers and tomato-shaped floor pillows. The book is very user friendly with detailed instructions, visuals, templates, and supply lists for each project. I highly suggest it for anyone in the mood to get crafty with fabric this month.

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Gift Guide: Books for the Armchair Hostess

casasugar — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 07:00:50 -0800

If someone you know is suffering from a wealth of party theme ideas, a tendency to unnecessarily purchase cocktail dresses, or a habit of saving recipes she's never cooked, she may be an armchair hostess. If you tend to the problem now, she may have a chance at recovery. This awful affliction requires no medication to be cured, and only some light reading therapy. This holiday season, give your plagued friend the answer to her problems: a hostess book. Within days, hours even, you'll see your dear friend off of her lazy chair, actually using those dusty recipe tear-outs, renting dining chairs, and designing party invites with Photoshop. Below are the answers to her problems, which will most likely score you Saturday night plans this winter.

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This Just In: Vogue Living Book Released

casasugar — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 06:03:44 -0700

Today is the release date of Vogue Living: Houses, Gardens, People, a book written by Vogue Editor Hamish Bowles draws on stories that have appeared in the pages of Vogue and Vogue Living over the past two decades, along with never-before-published images. The book features photographs by celebrity photographers like Annie Leibowitz, Mario Testino, and Bruce Weber, and gives us a sneak peek into the coveted homes of celebrity style-makers like Madonna, Oscar de la Renta, and Karl Lagerfeld. I don't know about you, but I'm already halfway to the bookstore to pick up my long-awaited copy.

Home Library: Decorating Is Fun!

casasugar — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 11:00:54 -0700

When I'm out junk-shopping, I love flipping through old home decorating books, both to get ideas and to scope out the timeless advice. So I can't resist this recently re-released interior-design guide Decorating Is Fun! How to Be Your Own Decorator ($23.10). Originally published way back in 1939, the book is precisely what it sounds like: a delightful celebration of decorating as a hobby, by famed hostess and designer Dorothy Draper.

Draper, who is known for her grandiose work at the Greenbriar Resort in West Virginia and the The Arrowhead Springs Resort in Southern California, popularized countless classic looks that still work wonderfully in modern homes, including black-and-white checkerboard floors and brightly colored front doors.

Home Library: Living Large in Small Spaces

casasugar — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 10:45:42 -0700

Ironically, this book by Marisa Bartolucci and Radek Kurzaj about making do in small homes is astonishingly big: nearly 400 pages, to be exact. Living Large in Small Spaces: Expressing Personal Style in 100 to 1,000 Square Feet ($23.10) takes it name quite literally. Each chapter showcases a different living space, starting with a 100-square-foot dorm room and moving up in 50- or 100-foot increments until 1000 square feet never looked roomier.

The book is a must-have for anyone making creative use of limited space, but the homes contained within are so beautifully decorated, they could provide inspiration to anyone. You'll tour a tiny shotgun house in Houston, a 300-square-foot Manhattan apartment that manages to look classy despite being drenched in reddish orange, and designer Lotta Jansdotter's Victorian one-bedroom in San Francisco.

There are also countless ideas I've never seen before, and some I'll probably never see again, like a wet bar turned into a diaper-changing station and an old-timey boudoir with a bathroom sink. The trade-style paperback is also beautifully laid out and a joy to flip through.

Home Library: Creating a New Old House

casasugar — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 08:30:28 -0700

I love living in older buildings, which in contrast to new suburban homes make me say old-man things like "They just don't make houses like this anymore!" But admittedly, old homes do have their modern inconveniences. Russell Versaci's solution to that problem: designing new homes that look old, using traditional forms and salvaged architectural materials. His coffee table book, Creating a New Old House: Yesterday's Character for Today's Home ($26.37), makes a great case, with broad pages full of beautiful homes that you'd think were ages old if no one told you otherwise.

The book puts forth Versaci's pillars of new-old design, including working within architectural rules and using authentic details and durable materials. His points are illustrated immaculately by the gallery of homes that follow, including an 18th century German stone farmhouse/mansion, a Creole cottage with a pigeon roost, a Spanish-revival stucco in California, and a regal Maryland plantation. Even if you don't have the luxury of living in a new-old house, you'll get scads of decorating ideas on how to create the look in your own home.

Home Library: Creative Interiors Coloring Book

casasugar — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 07:37:47 -0700

You're never too old for coloring books, particularly if your coloring book can breed brilliant decorating ideas. So put down the magazines and design books for a minute and pick up this Rock Scissor Paper Creative Interiors Idea Journal and Coloring Book ($35). Designed for the kid (and design junkie) in all of us, this cute spiral-bound book includes line drawings of furniture, patterns, and interiors that you can "design" with the accompanying colored pencils. Those of you who keep a decorating file will also appreciate the pages of sketch and grid paper where you can jot down ideas.

Home Library: Budget Living Home Cheap Home

casasugar — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 15:26:01 -0700

I'm still mourning the demise of Budget Living magazine, which — in case you missed it — was one of the most wonderful and short-lived magazines ever. Guided by a "spend smart, live rich" philosophy, the surprisingly stylish periodical covered all things thrifty: cheap and chic fashion, entertaining on a budget, investing for dummies, and home decorating. The homes they featured were some of the most creative I've ever seen, and the fact that they were done on a budget made it even more impressive.

Thankfully, the editors left behind a book to remember them by, called Budget Living Home Cheap Home. I think it may be out of print, but you can find tons of copies online. If you opened to any page, you wouldn't know that this was an "on-the-cheap" decorating book: It looks more like a mix of stunning, chic design and DIY ideas.

Offering quick fixes and long-term solutions, the guide is divided up by room and style and features the best of Budget Living's home galleries. There's a crave-worthy living room that measures just 290 square feet, a Victorian mansion in the Catskills with a playful Addams Family look, and a bedroom decorated with massive collections of sock monkeys and ladies' gloves (trust me, it's awesome). I've gotten tons of ideas from Home Cheap Home about decorating and rearranging rooms, and it's also full of fun craft and home-improvement projects.

Did you ever read Budget Living? If so, have you checked out this book?

Home Library: Pad — The Guide to Ultra-Living

casasugar — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 15:46:47 -0700

Pad by Matt Maranian is one of those books I return to again and again, because it's so insanely packed with somewhat insane ideas. Though it's subtitled "The Guide to Ultra-Living," it could just as easily be called a handbook to ultra-hip home decor. The hefty book is packed with hundreds of photos of intensely creative ideas: a coffee table made from a surfboard, bathroom walls covered in tiny toys, and a gorgeous bedroom wallpapered in dark-brown wool felt.

The net effect is something like Martha Stewart meets Liberace meets "The Brady Bunch." The book is divided into sections with names like "Crash Pad" (bedrooms), "Mouse Pad" (offices), and "Padios" (outdoor spaces). Each chapter includes "Pad Profiles" of different homes, as well as instructions on different DIY projects — everything from building a home bar to mixing up the subsequent hangover cure. I find something new every time I flip through it.

Home Library: Found Style

casasugar — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 07:30:33 -0700

I love incorporating found objects and beautiful old junk into home decor, but this style can easily look unkempt or chaotic if not done right. That's why anyone with a weakness for flea-market scavenging and junk collecting should check out Found Style: Vintage Ideas for Modern Living by David Butler and Amy Butler.

The charming, almost minimalist rooms featured in this captivating coffee table book offer some of the sleekest, chicest ideas I've ever seen for decorating with found objects. Page after page, Found Style presents clean palettes that balance vintage-y pieces with ultra-modern accents for rooms that are welcoming and novel. The publisher is currently out of stock of the book, but you can find a new and used copies on Amazon. To see a gallery of photos from Found Style,