Design Rules: The Insider's Guide to Becoming Your Own Decorator

I thought this book was very helpful, I only wish they had photos included along with the design schematics.

I love the tone and style of the writing. Charming and approachable, Elaine Griffin explains timeless design principles that helped me reorganize my house. I’m making better use of the space and all of a sudden the same rooms look much better.

If you are looking for a book to make decorating more approachable, then this might be a good book for you. If you are looking for more advanced guidance - beyond "wallpaper looks great in X room" to "the best sources for wallpapers are A, B, C" - beyond "mix two or more stains [for wood floors]" to "this mixture looks great on white oak: XYZ" then this book will not be satisfying. I have read countless decorators say that mixing several stain colors produces better results, but which colors? Which brands of stain? What percentages of each color?I was excited about this title because I saw it reviewed - very positively - in two shelter magazines I read, but it is disappointing because it is so very basic. This book may be useful if you have never decorated a room before and have no intuition for how to do so, but it lacks depth. I have read it cover to cover, and I have not learned anything I did not already know (and I am not a professional decorator). Perhaps because I was expecting the book to be a resource, I was also annoyed by the "we're close friends having coffee" tone of the book (the reader is "sugar" "doll" and "honey" throughout). The conversational tone makes weeding through the chit-chat for the information even harder.

Love Elaine Griffins work, love this book, think she's a genius. I refer to this book all the time, and I have hundreds of design books that I read once and never refer to again, ever. This is good practical advice from someone who is clearly one of the best in the business. How far apart should your coffee table be from your sofa? Elaine tells you. What are your best window treament options for your style windows, and why? Elaine tells you. What details in your home should you "play up" or "play down" in your home... yep, she tells you that too. She addresses things in this book that I have not seen brought to attention before. And her writing style is fun too.I just wish she'd write another book!

Love this book! It was just what I needed and wanted to help me know how to go about decorating my home. This book takes the mystery and confusion out of every aspect of decorating every room in the house- even the basemen! I will refer back to it over and over again. I really enjoyed Elaine Griffin's writing style!

I am loving this book! It makes decorating so easy and simple. I actually like that the design layouts are sketches and blueprints because then its easier to imagine your own style in the space. I am not bothered by her "flavored" speech...its not over the top in my opinion, just sprinkled throughout. It does help make it a little more fun, and not so technical. However, she does NOT skimp on the technical details...she gives measurements and ratios for EVERYTHING under the sun. I will definitely be taking this along with me before I buy furniture again. If you are decorating for the first time, this is a GREAT book to purchase!

I love that there is no fluff, she gets to the point very quickly and does give you rules instead of pinterest-like "look-what-I-dids".However, I do NOT appreciate condescending "honey" and "doll" on every page! That gets annoying very fast!

I don't buy the writing style, which is only mildly amusing for me, but the information and advice given are great. The booked is packed with tips, explanations, and graphs, showing what to and what not to do to your home. Just as the title says, it points ourt Design Rules, not trends or style, how long should your curtains be, not what color or pattern.

I adore this book. The decorator really describes the design techniques in a comprehensive manner without jargon. It's very easy to understand and follow. I used this book as a part of a decor course I was doing and I still use it as a reference if I need for a project. She is very funny at times in her writing and advice which makes it very fun to read, definitely not boring. There are diagrams and sample floor plans in her chapters which help you visualize what she is describing.

A simple overview of design rules, a nice place to start.

Great book