The New Smart Approach toŽ Window Decor offers consumers the latest ideas in window dressings and design. Whether changing the look of a room with window treatments or adding privacy while maintaining the view, the reader will be able to accomplish his or her design goal with the ease of a professional. An abundance of rich color photographs and illustrations offer inspiration and design ideas for curtains, draperies, blinds, and shutters. Accents such as valances, swags, and cornices, as well as decorative and functional hardware and accessories, are also included.
Date Published 4/1/2004
Ratings
Rated By: T. Rubin
From: Philadelphia, PA
Rating:
Comments: Great Photo Reference This is a great book if you need ideas for what kind of window treatment you want. It has beautiful photos of all different types of living spaces and treatments. However, if you are looking for a book that tells you how to make the curtains that you see, this not the book for you. There are not how to instructions provided. This is purely a photo book with brief descriptions - but worth having to get ideas!
Rated By: Sonya "readaholic"
From: Dallas, TX
Rating:
Comments: More of an Idea Book and there are better ones out there I am reviewing an older edition "The Smart Approach to Window Decor" which I did not find on Amazon site, I guess because there is a new edition out.
I was expecting a book that included many how-to's since this is part of the Creative Homeowner series, but alas, there were few. There is a chapter called "Make Your Own Curtains", but it was only 7 pages. This chapter showed illustrations of: ~how to sew a corner of a curtain ~what the different tops of curtain look like (rod pocket, bow tie, tab, button top) but NO photographs or illustrations on how to make them, just brief text. ~how to make a rosette but no details of tips of integrating it into the valance.
There is a photo of a scarf valance with a rosette, but there is no info on how to attach the one they illustrated to the scarf seamlessly. The photo shown seems to be a rosette that was created with one length of fabric, not two separate pieces.
The pictures were nice, but some of the treatments were quite unattractive. For example, on page 144 there is a dormer window where the illustration shows floor length curtains. The top is on a rod above the window and another curtain rod is at the base of the short window ACROSS the middle of the curtain! On page 140, there is an illustration of a circular window and a straight swag was hung above it! UGLY.
Hopefully, there are improved suggestions for odd-shaped windows in the "New" edition of this book. I am so glad I borrowed it from the library and did not purchase it. I did give it 3 stars because some of the windows were very nice.
The New Smart Approach toŽ Window Decor offers consumers the latest ideas in 
