[.uk] Christopher Lowell's If You Can Dream It, You Can Do ... (ISBN 060960970X)

Tap Into Your Inner Decorator:
This was my first encounter with Christopher Lowell and his energetic decorating. I'd recommend starting with his Seven Layers of Decorating book first. If You Can Dream It builds on that earlier book. This is not just a collection of pretty room photos. It really makes you think about how decorating relates to your inner feelings and dreams. He gives the reader a great tool in the Dream Questionnaire, then explains how your answers can be applied to home decorating. His own questionnaire reveals his love for things tropical/water/organic/bamboo, etc. That explains the dramatic rooms pictured in the book which may be overly theatrical for some people. The martini lounge and the retro room put me off, but I fell in love with his down-by-the-sea bedroom and some of the others. Sandwiched in are projects (usually 2 pages each). These include making a circular pouf, a saucer fountain, a bookshelf room divider, an ottoman, modular bookshelves, a nautical bedside table, deco sconces, a bed/storage combo, refacing kitchen cabinets, and finally a car bed for a kid's room. Well, worth a look.

If not familiar with his shows, his books are virtually useless....:
Don't get me wrong, I love his shows, although I think his rooms are somewhat overfilled with stuff. His built-ins and projects are great! However, unless you've taped his shows, the instructions for the few projects he did include (l really would have liked the instructions for the desk in the kid's race car room but it wasn't there--looked very "Jetsons") leave a LOT to be desired. And instead of nice pictures of the entire room and full furniture layouts, you got a lot of his drawings over the color pictures. So, bottom line, you cannot just pick up this book and hope to do this stuff without watching the particular episodes he's referring to. I hope future books are written to correct this problem (present in all the books except his entertaining book), and also that he puts out a book with ALL of the projects he builds in it, with good instructions and lots of pictures.

Loved It!:
I love this book! Christopher's rooms are always excellent (even those featuring my not-so-favorite color schemes). But, no matter which color he chooses, I always find several things I like about each room - which is more than I can say for most books of this type! This particular book is a must have for anyone who likes zen, moroccan, or coastal/nautical designs. There is more, of course, but those are my favorites.

Not really my dream rooms:
I've seen his show a few times and really like how he envisions things and carries them out. This book is about the same thing, only with more description and instructions - plus you get to see how he did his bedroom. I liked the fact that he has you take a "personality-type quiz" and take those elements into your decorating. But if you're not a creative person, it may be harder to make the transition. Though I admire his ability to transform rooms, none of them were really my "style." Lots of great ideas, but this book just wasn't for me. My house is just your normal 70's style split level so any of these ideas would take a lot of imagination and a bit of money. This book would be better for someone who has a larger home with character. Also, this book is filled with posed pics of Christopher - can be annoying if you're not a huge fan.

Love this book!:
Christopher Lowell is one of the best decorators around. This book helps the layman to understand how to put a beautiful room together!