Product Description

Melanie Molesworth shows you how to create an individual look in your home by using discarded objects. Pieces are chosen for their intrinsic beauty, whether derived from quality of workmanship, quirky styling, or the colors and textures created by the patina of age. The look is neither too coordinated nor too precious: things can be mismatched, patched, or frayed.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #806487 in Books
• Published on: 2006-01-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 144 pages

Amazon.com Review
For those who have always had--and used--junk, the juxtaposition of the words junk and style is an acknowledgement of what they've always known: useful and attractive objects don't always have to come straight from the furniture showroom. Melanie Molesworth enumerates the ruling principles of Junk Style on the back cover:

1. It doesn't have to match.

2. Don't get attached to an object's original function.

3. Use junk as an accent.

4. If you frame it, it's art.

5. White cures all ills.

6. One is an eyesore; five makes a collection!

Though some of the "junk" pictured wouldn't be out of place in an uptown antique shop and the designer practices rule #5 so assiduously that some of the shots call to mind the sterile interior of an idealized World War I-era hospital, practitioners of secondhand chic will still find Junk Style a useful guide. In particular, there's a good range of interiors pictured, from some that look like funky converted garages to the expensively spacious and light-filled. Not too surprisingly, Moleworth's junk looks great in both. --Barrie Trinkle

Review
Carbooters and charity shop frequenters already know junk style. That shabby elegance that can so become someone else's outcasts. 50s aluminium cookware with its gentle battering has a homely, lived-in look. A chair kicked by many feet has a worn patina unfound on modern pieces. Curtains and tablecloths with their gentle, frayed appearance. The range of items that comprise junk style is unending. Whatever appeals to you can be turned into an unusual addition for your home. So what if it's chipped, scratched or slightly rusty? This is the appeal and stylist Melanie Molesworth, in conjunction with photographer Tom Leighton, shows you all the tricks of the trade to use and display your finds to perfection. Every room, inside and out, can provide homes for these old items and often the most mundane of articles can be transformed into something extra special with a little guidance. Once you've read this no skip or antique market will be safe - you'll find all sorts of individual treasures out there which Melanie will tell you how to make the most of. - Lucy Watson

About the Author
Melanie Molesworth worked at House & Garden before becoming a freelance stylist. Her distinctive creations appear in magazines such as Woman's Journal and Homes & Gardens.

Customer Reviews

Beautifully photographed with great ideas
I love this book! As an avid junk collector (much to the humour of my family!) I found this book to become one of my favourites.
I have read this book so many times- there are just so many inspiring pictures in this book. The book contains many different interiors and all different types of junk style. A great book.

chock full of fabulous ideas
IF YOUR HEART BEATS JUST A LITTLEFASTER WHEN YOU HEAR THE WORDSGARAGE SALE, BARN SALE OR YARD SALETHEN YOU MUST HAVE THIS BOOK. FULLOF WONDERFUL WARM COUNTRY DECORATINGIDEAS. ONE OF MY FAVORITES!

Beautiful photos!
There are a couple of things that could have made Junk Style better and appeal to a broader audience. Most of the pictures are set on a stone or hardwood floors, and I can only think of one that was set on carpet. I'm not a big fan of carpet, but that is what I have to work with in my house and would have liked to have seen what other have done with junk finds in carpeted rooms. I would also like to have seen more pictures with colored walls. The author seems to have a strong bias towards white walls, at times making the rooms seen somewhat lifeless and sterile.

With the criticism out of the way, I'd also like to say that Junk Style was very inspriational to me. I read through it twice in the first day that I received it. The photos are gorgeous and some of the finds inside are quite worthy of jealousy. I would recommed this to anyone who enjoys spending time at yard sales, flea markets, and other second hand stores.