Lauri Ward

I've had this one a while and it is a life-saver! Absolutely love it! Interior decorating for those on a budget! Simple principles of color and arrangement really do let you use what you have to put the finishing touches on your house. Whenever the house needs a 'fresh' look, I pull this baby out and go to town! Much cheaper than shopping therapy. Friends actually comment to the effect 'you've done something different and it looks so much better.' And it does :-)
If you're an Interior Decorator, it's probably too basic for you, but if you're the average homeowner, it's a blessing!… (meer)

I found this book to be readable and inspirational. It gives 25 short case studies of re-designing rooms, focusing especially on making the most of what furniture and accessories the occupants already had. Lauri Ward gives ten basic mistakes that people make in laying out rooms, then lists which apply in each study. She describes the rooms before the consultation, immediately after, and what she recommends for further improvements. Also, she uses multiple descriptions in the before and after of each room: photos, floor plans, and text descriptions, although her left and right sometimes seems backwards to me. She is a little predictable in places (track lighting and Duette shades) but at least she prefers these for lighting flexibility. All of this helps to give some idea of her thought processes.

Some things that would make this book better would be some kind of index (whether according to her ten mistakes or to various aspects of the rooms in the book) and some palettes or flowcharts of options for troubleshooting or brainstorming (so that you can choose the best one for your budget/ownership/decor/etc.). Perhaps I will look for her Trade Secrets book to see if this material is included.… (meer)