From Vogue to Value: Making the Most of Your Interior Design Investment

Blair, a third-generation interior designer based in Westchester County, N.Y., educates consumers in making smart design choices that reflect both style and value. Immensely useful for novice home planners, this basic guide counsels an activist's approach. On planning a room, Blair urges: ""Don't just dress it up, whip it into shape."" Each chapter considers a design situation, e.g., ""Windows and Doors,"" ""Color and Pattern"" and ""Soft Furnishings,"" and suggests practical courses for each. Once a realistic design plan is in hand, Blair helps consumers recognize--and urges them to buy, within budget limitations--quality goods that are appropriate to each room's needs, e.g., track or recessed lighting affords good direct light for family rooms; a thick pile carpeting, even of high quality, is not a wise choice for a dining room. Suggestions for selecting a designer and establishing a monthly maintenance routine round out this guide. In an environment of mass-produced home-decorating items marketed by chain stores, Blair urges consumers to seek out well-crafted goods that, in spite of their often higher cost, make a more cherished and valuable long-term investment. Photos not seen by PW. (Oct.)