The New Apartment Book: Inspiring Ideas and Practical Projects for Decorating Your Home

by Michele Michael and Michele Micheal

From an enlightening discussion on such basic principles as function, style, and color to a straightforward look at issues of budget and time, Michael covers all the essentials of creating a dream apartment easily and affordably. A winning blend of creative inspiration and practical guidance, The New Apartment Book provides "tricks of the trade" that new home decorators need. Full-color photos.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0517887592
• ISBN13: 9780517887592
• Release Date: November 1996
• Publisher: Potter Style
• Length: 207 Pages
• Weight: 1.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 8.6" x 11.1"

Customer Reviews

Say Goodbye to Navajo White

Apartment living can be so frustrating. Your surroundings are unchangable, so they tend to dictate your life. It's tough to express your personal style within the confines of Navajo White walls and tan spreckled Linoleum! There is also the issue of storage -- rather the lack of it. Additionally, your furnishings have to be easily broken down and carried, since a move is always imminent. To sum it up, the act of decorating one's apartment has its own set of problems and "Architectural Digest" does not have the answers.Michael and her friends, on the other hand, do. This book is rich in photographs of apartments of various sizes, styles, and income brackets. On the surface, there are many different styles of decor pictured: from Chinois to French Flea to Deco to Space Age. But this book is not just a sum of pretty pictures; Michael includes tips on decorating, space planning, storage, entertaining, and so on. She also sprinkles in some great "before and afters", my favorite being the miniscule kitchen with the disgusting 1970's laminate cupboards transformed into a sweet, bright 1950's cutie with not much more than fresh paint and new fixtures. She also offers instructions for making a few of the decorative elements found within the photography, such as minimalist box shelves for your collectibles and a theatrical cornice. If you grow weary of apartment dwelling and need some instant and inexpensive inspiration, I highly recommend this book. I keep it handy for when things get stagnate around here and, as another reviewer wrote, my 2 year old copy is dog-eared. I just hope that Michael comes out with a new edition... and soon!

Great Ideas that Are Easy and Practical

This is not just another decorating book full of pretty pictures. It is filled with easy and practical solutions for the unique problems one faces in apartment decorating. The apartments used in the book are REAL apartments--the kind normal people live in, not the fancy penthouse apartments feautured in design magazines that were done by high end designers. The looks are stylish, up-to-date and can be achieved by almost any amature decorator. There is a variety of styles and alternatives presented for any budget. This book has spurred my creativity. I keep going back to it for more and more ideas and projects. I HIGHLY recommend it.

Best decorating book that I've read

I bought this book 2 years ago when I was decorating my first apartment and have referred back to it a number of times, especially now that I'm buying my first house. Most decorating books are either books that are simply pretty pictures with no information, simply text that provides information with no pictures, or just contains decorating projects. This book manages to successfully combine all three. The ideas and looks are both stylish and very practical. The main thing that I like about this book is that it assumes that you want a great looking home but don't have a fortune to spend. It offers many many tips on how to achieve a stylish home without breaking your budget. Most books that I have read, assume that we all can buy brand new top of the line furniture. I highly reccommend this book for anyone decorating, whether you are in an apartment or a house.

refreshing and realistic!

I have an entire library of interior design books (I'm an architect) and this is my absolute favorite! I'm an extremely urban person, but this book works no matter what your style is. The photos and ideas are fantastic and very inspiring!