5 stars (The Basics of Color Design) - I found this book to be extremely useful in learning the principles behind choosing color schemes. As with anything, application and practice will fine tune one's abilities, but C.i.I.D. proved to be an excellent resource guide. Highly recommended! 4 stars (Extremely useful.) - I'm a do-it-yourself homeowner, not a professional, but I found this book to be a great resource as I plan out my house. "Scientific" enough to let me understand why color combinations work as they do (and help me design my own schemes) while still completely clear to the lay person. If you're serious about understanding color, this is an extremely useful book. ... McGraw-Hill Professional :: Architecture & General :: Interior Design - General :: Interior Design :: Decoration & Ornament :: Color in interior decoration :: Architecture :: John Pile :: :: Color in Interior Design
5 stars (The Wonderful Mr. Pile) - History of Interior Design is great. I study interior design and, without John Pile's books, this wide-ranging subject would have been far more difficult. Studying the subject "history of interior design" would have been such a struggle for me without having this book at my side. I just couldn't find all I needed on the internet. Apart from the high quality paper and excellent images, John Pile has a writing style that gets his point across very clearly. That makes for rapid reading and faster absorption of information. ... John Wiley - Sons :: Architecture & Interior Design :: Interior decoration :: Interior architecture :: Interior Design - General :: Interior Design :: History :: Decoration & Ornament :: A History of Interior Design
5 stars (Outstanding Book -Dont miss it) - This is an outstanding book, with plenty of pictures - great insider material on furniture and architecture. And I already have a design MA with my own firm. 2 stars (NOT SUCH GREAT BUY) - I AGREE WITH THE PREVIOUS TWO REVIEWERS, THIS BOOK IS GREAT ONLY IN THE WRITTEN INFORMATION, IN THE PICTORIALS IT IS INDEED SORELY LACKING. I HONESTLEY SAY THIS WITH FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE, BECAUSE I MYSELF AM CURRENTLY A DESIGN STUDENT, AND I HAD TO PURCHASE THIS BOOK FOR A MAJOR PART OF MY INTERIOR DESIGN EDUCATION. I RECOMMEND THAT THIS BE A BOOK THAT YOU CHECK OUT FROM THE LIBRARY FOR REFERENCE AND NOT ONE YOU PURCHASE. 2 stars (Underwhelming and overpriced) - The text of this volume is decent and well organized but in the area that most designers are interested in, visual examples, it is sorely lacking. A very minimal section of color photographs (which jump from Roman to the Renaissance. No sign of the Gothic)and a series of low contrast black and white ones are augmented with a series of uninspired drawings. All of this might still be helpful and useful were it not for the price. There are many volumes on furniture and decor that have come on the market recently which are superior in their content and priced more reasonably. ... Wiley :: Interior design :: History Of Art & Art & Design Styles :: Furniture & cabinetmaking :: Architecture & Decoration & Ornament :: Interior decoration :: Interior :: History of Interior Design and Furniture - From Ancient Egypt to Nineteenth-Century Europe
5 stars (should cherish the style as Japanese too) - I am a man that lives in Tokyo, the metropolitan of Japan. Recently in about thirty years, Japanese living styles have changed extremely, that is, the styles are getting to be foreign styles, the windows: not Syouji, tables: not Tyabudai, floorings: not tatami and so on. Especially in big city like Tokyo, Oosaka and Nagoya the tendency is plain. Though there will be the many reasons that recent Japan have gotten to be such situations, recent Japanese especially young men may wish such cool design like European style, for instance, a data was reported a few years ago, the length of foots per over-all body height of Japanese students have gotten to be long, some specialists of the genre say that the cause will be that young men use chairs of styles that stretch their legs, not the Seiza style that have existed from long ago. Off course the cause may be by other aspects like abundant foods. But I approve about the opinion of specialists too. Certainly though the old Japanese living styles are disappearing in big cities, if we go to local towns or villages, there will be many traditional style house. Now, some people (especially the adults over 40 years old) who are living in big cities like Tokyo lived and sent in such traditional house style of local towns for their boys or girls age. After all when they got to be about 20 years old, they went out from the towns and went to Tokyo etc because they yearned for the fashions or convenience of Tokyo. They become businessmen, when they take long vacations of summer or new-year some of them go back to their towns or villages of their home countries. And they say then "the most comfortable place is my hometown and house after all". Off course the their saying may be because they are released from daily stress like hard working, but I think that another reason exists, that is, Japanese traditional house styles may give the influences to such feeling. For instance, when th... Periplus Editions :: Residential Interior Design :: International Architecture - Asian :: Interior Design - General :: Design & Construction :: Decoration & Ornament :: Architecture :: The Japanese House- Architecture and Interiors