Product Description

In this luxurious new book, best-selling author and acclaimed interior designer Betty Lou Phillips presents fresh and inspiring design ideas from France, Italy, England, Portugal, and beyond, bringing old-world artistry to uptown European glamour.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13397 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-11
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 208 pages

From the Inside Flap
French flair and Italian panache combine exquisitely in these rooms that are rich with quality furnishings and well-chosen colors. Beloved author and interior designer Betty Lou Phillips shows how favorite objects gathered from around the globe can be artfully blended in one's home to create a beautiful international setting that is both personal and inviting. Setting one well-appointed space apart from others is a distinctive way of defining style, which invariably communicates the thoughts, needs and feelings of those raising families, welcoming friends and celebrating meaningful occasions in these spaces. That these interiors owe more than a little to French and Italian influences, and sometimes England or Portugal, is noticeable. However, the images also illus-trate that inspiration can readily come from other far-flung cultures, including American shores. One picture offers a wealth of bright ideas.
This eighth book in Betty Lou Phillips' series on European design is filled with 200 color images that dismiss polarized notions about what understated elegance means or doesn't mean as Phillips urges readers likewise to fashion their own unmistakably swank empires, of sorts, whether furnishing a town house, chateau, palazzo or villa by the sea. Aware that old-world artistry is not enough for a sizeable and growing number of design aficionados, Phillips caters to today's tastes, revealing that satisfaction comes from creating uptown European glamour-a chic blend of the traditional and edgy with a bit of attitude apt for an era with more choices than ever.
Betty Lou Phillips is the author of the award-winning Villa Decor, plus The French Connection, Secrets of French Design, Unmistakably French, French Influences, French by Design, and Provencal Interiors: French Country Style in America. A professional member of the American Society of Interior Designers, her work has appeared in Southern Accents, Traditional Home, Decorating, Bedroom & Bath, Window & Wall, Paint Decor, and more. Additionally, she has appeared on the Christopher Lowell Show and the Oprah Winfrey Show. She lives in Dallas, Texas

About the Author
Betty Lou Phillips is the author of Gibbs Smith, Publisher's incredibly successful line of French style and design books, including the award-winning Villa Decor, as well as Unmistakably French, French Influences, French by Design, and Provencal Interiors: French Country Style in America. She is a professional member of the American Society of Interior Designers.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Much has changed since Louis XIV (1643-1715), Louis XV (1715-74) and Louis XVI (1774-93) unabashedly drenched the palace of Versailles in gilded excess, provoking a revolution that brought the monarchy tumbling down and prompted habitues of all economic levels-poor, middle class and rich-aspiring for better lives to famously proclaim "liberte, egalite, and fraternite!" the national mantra.

Customer Reviews

Redundant and uninspired? I don't think so.
This is a beautiful book as are all of the books by Betty Lou Phillips. I did not find it uninspired or anything like a furniture showroom nor did I find it redundant because it has many new ideas and unusual color schemes. I was afraid to order this sight unseen after reading a couple of unfavorable reviews so I went to the book store to see it in person before I ordered it and was so relieved to find it every bit as good as her other books. There is no accounting for taste but I feel very confident in saying that if you like her other books you will like this one as well or maybe even better.

Men Love This Book
This is the best book yet in a very interesting series. The illustrations, easy to understand and helpful captions and the historically interesting and practical text combine to make this a welcome guide and reference. Best of all, it describes the kind of home and furnishings most men should love. It is not foo-foo French. It is fun French, with a little Italian flavor thrown in for excitement. Every man should buy this book for his wife or equivalent in the hopes that some day he might enjoy living in such an enjoyable setting.

Long Awaited
I have all of her books and was looking forward to this one! Unfortunately it seems redundant and almost monotonous... I kept waiting to turn a page and be inspired, but that didn't happen!! It is, however a lovely and well photographed book which I'm sure will be appreciated by her many fans...