Finally, finally, a practical home-decorating book for the reader who is not a millionaire! Rather than call in a professional design consultant to tell you which walls "must go" and throwing out everything you own in favor of new and expensive designer fabrics, furniture, and fixtures, Ward starts with what you already have and makes dramatic transformations by arrangement, use of color, and a few inexpensive additions of objects or materials. Her idea is to use what you already have and like, and operate on a budget you can afford to make your home more satisfying and aesthetically pleasing to you without being a slave to passing trends, fads, and radical transformations that end up making you feel like a stranger in your own home.

Among the many tips and guidelines, Ward starts with the top 10 decorating mistakes that professionals all know about, but that anyone can recognize and fix. She covers diagnosing problems that jar the eyes, offers suggestions on items to banish and others to borrow from elsewhere in the home to create more visual appeal, talks about how to shop for furniture that will work with what you already own, offers tips for new homeowners and people just starting out to make older furniture work in new spaces, and covers the kinds of dramatic improvements possible through the use of the right artwork, accessories, and lighting. This is a great gift book for newlyweds, new homeowners, or anyone interested in creative, lively home decorating without breaking the bank. --Mark A. Hetts


From Library Journal
Ward, founder of Use What You Have Interiors, shares her ten design considerations, such as making a comfortable conversation area, identifying a room's focal point, and using light correctly, for transforming homes into livable, attractive spaces. She devotes a chapter to each of these principles with before-and-after pictures of clients' homes, identifying what the problems are and how to correct them. In each case, she includes a list of what was eliminated, borrowed from other rooms, or bought. Focusing on living and dining rooms, Ward concludes with a brief discussion of kitchens, bathrooms, and bedrooms. Never advocating a particular style, except for an uncluttered look, her book will be a practical purchase for public libraries.Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Can you carry on a decent living-room conversation without screaming? Do the accessories in your dining room make you wince? You need the one-day decorator, who--as created and popularized by Ward--scrutinizes, diagnoses, and moves furniture and accessories to create more harmonious spaces in just 24 hours or less! In these pages, then, are how-to summaries, along with nearly 25 before-and-after stories and photographs. All information is clustered around the 10 most common decorating mistakes, from creation of a bad conversation area to incorrect use of lighting. Each cluster includes illustrations of right and wrong; a list of what was banished, borrowed, or bought; a "to-do" checklist or two; and personal tales and hints that illuminate her principles. Anyone for joining a "destroy the doilies" club? Good information, packaged in logical fashion and helpful to readers for turning their homes into something suitable for House Beautiful. Barbara Jacobs

FROM THE PUBLISHER

The new budget-smart approach to home decorating that's captured hearts--and beautified homes--all across America!

Lauri Ward, the acclaimed "Use-What-You-Have" decorator, as ween on "Oprah" (three appearances), "CBS This Morning," The Fox Network, HGTV, Lifetime, and CNBC; featured in The New York Times, Ladies' Home Journal, Newsday, Washington Post, House Beautiful, Woman's Day, Metropolitan Home, McCall's, New York magazine, Decorating & Remodeling

Transform your home without traumatizing your bank account...using the space you have, the things you like, and the budget you choose.

"Lauri Ward...demystifies the decorating process with ten simple principles that take the guesswork out of common decorating dilemmas." --Good Housekeeping

Lauri Ward has created a revolution in interior design--the most accessible and affordable approach to decorating ever. Now she shows you how to do it yourself--quickly identifying the ten most common decorating mistakes, offering simple principles to correct them, and giving you a proven system for making your home look better than you dreamed it could. Filled with dramatic before-and-after photos, this guide will let you in on Lauri Ward's "clever, quick, and inexpensive ways to breathe life back into every room in your house" (McCall's).

"Ward's specialty [is] turning ho-hum interiors into inspired spaces without undertaking bank-breaking shopping sprees." --Ladies' Home Journal

* Includes real before-and-after photographs and explicit information on what was banished, borrowed, or bought to effect their transformation
* Reveals "the ten most common decorating errors" (and, of course, how to fix them)
* Ideal for the budget-conscious and the "impulse decorator" who's in search of a new look

SYNOPSIS

Decorating your home doesn't have to cost you a fortune. Lauri Ward, seen on 'Oprah,' 'ABC Evening News,' and 'CBS This Morning,' brings you practical advice about putting your own furniture and accessories to work as you create a beautiful home environment. In Use What You Have Decorating, she has included lists of the top 10 decorating mistakes, where to go and what to look for when shopping for new furniture or accessories, and tips for new homeowners who must make old furniture work in new spaces.

FROM THE CRITICS

Nikki Amdur - Entertainment Weekly

. . .[B]asic principles of design. . .in a way that is easy to apply. . . .One problem for city dwellers. . .in [Ward's] universe there are no small rooms.

Library Journal

Ward, founder of Use What You Have Interiors, shares her ten design considerations, such as making a comfortable conversation area, identifying a room's focal point, and using light correctly, for transforming homes into livable, attractive spaces. She devotes a chapter to each of these principles with before-and-after pictures of clients' homes, identifying what the problems are and how to correct them. In each case, she includes a list of what was eliminated, borrowed from other rooms, or bought. Focusing on living and dining rooms, Ward concludes with a brief discussion of kitchens, bathrooms, and bedrooms. Never advocating a particular style, except for an uncluttered look, her book will be a practical purchase for public libraries.

Nikki Amdur