cover image Rooms: Creating Luxurious, Livable Spaces

Rooms: Creating Luxurious, Livable Spaces

Mariette Himes Gomez, Mariette Himes Gomez. Collins Design, $39.95 (256pp) ISBN 978-0-06-008370-0

The simple title of this volume matches the serene appeal of most of the rooms described and pictured in its pages. It belies, however, their sophistication, and the complexities involved in designing them. Gomez, named one of Architectural Digest's Top 100 Decorators Worldwide, offers readers her take on the necessary steps to creating beautiful rooms in her distinctively elegant yet soothing style. She begins by explaining how she applied her design principles in her own homes. Then, using rooms she has designed as examples, she illustrates the design process in chapters that proceed from""Getting Started"" to""Finishing Touches."" The book boasts more than 200 enticing color photos. It's not quick or easy--one must, she says, consider countless details and be patient--but""a tastefully decorated, gracefully comfortable home is accessible to anyone with the will to edit, the energy to move furniture around, and the openness to absorb some simple lessons."" Those lessons are outlined in this book, and include everything from tips on choosing rugs and selecting color palettes to hanging artwork, balancing patterns, and much more. The rooms pictured--all obviously found in opulent homes--might intimidate some readers, and the time necessary to achieve her exact look might prompt some readers to hire their own designer, but her general principles and ideas can inspire anyone to make a home lovely.