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Made By Yourself: 100% Handmade Designer DIY Projects for the Home, from Furniture to Accessories
DIY is becoming highly popular and fashionable once more as handmade objects guarantee not only sustainability but also add an individual touch to the home. Readers looking to personalise their house can follow the easy step-by-step tutorials in the book, as well as sketches and patterns. Made by Yourself is a practical and inspirational book filled with sophisticated and creative ideas. It combines many different kinds of materials, from traditional stone and wood to more imaginative metals, leathers and textiles. Filled with sophisticated and creative ideas, Made By Yourself is guaranteed to thrill its readers. Expertly guided by a professional designer and stylist, readers, both beginners and established designers, will feel confident and inspired to start their own projects. The book is targeted at interior designers, design fans, and anyone who wants to be the creative designer of their home.
- GenresNonfictionCraftsArt
144 pages, Hardcover
First published February 20, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
August 2, 2014
Perhaps if I hadn't just enjoyed both entries in the DIY Furniture series from Christopher Stuart this hideously offensive book might not have looked quite so tacky but as it is, I condemn Peter Fehrentz to the bowels of hell for an eternity for offences caused to my eyes and the minds of sensible people everywhere who make the mistake of picking this up thinking it might have something new and interesting to say.
First up, it pretends to have a simple, easy to follow instructional manner, everything can be made in only 4 steps! except each step is actually three steps squished in to one bullet point to make it look straight forward to the casually wandering eye.
Second, some of the ideas contained in this book are either plain stupid, or don't really need a book to tell somebody what to do, for example the painted table which requires an old table and a tin of paint (colour optional) or the decorated plates which require a plate and a decal sticker of your choosing! This is akin to a cookbook that tells you that you need two slices of bread, butter and some slices of cheese (flavour of your choosing) to make a cheese sandwich!
There's more but look, I'm overusing exclamation marks I'm so enraged with this pathetic excuse of a book and complete waste of precious natural resources!
I'll leave it here, are you a) Fearne Cotton AKA an idiot, b) Zooey Deschanel AKA trying really hard to be quirky and different or c) a really boring person incapable of coming up with their own simple, Ikea copycat, interior design ideas? Then this book is for you!
First up, it pretends to have a simple, easy to follow instructional manner, everything can be made in only 4 steps! except each step is actually three steps squished in to one bullet point to make it look straight forward to the casually wandering eye.
Second, some of the ideas contained in this book are either plain stupid, or don't really need a book to tell somebody what to do, for example the painted table which requires an old table and a tin of paint (colour optional) or the decorated plates which require a plate and a decal sticker of your choosing! This is akin to a cookbook that tells you that you need two slices of bread, butter and some slices of cheese (flavour of your choosing) to make a cheese sandwich!
There's more but look, I'm overusing exclamation marks I'm so enraged with this pathetic excuse of a book and complete waste of precious natural resources!
I'll leave it here, are you a) Fearne Cotton AKA an idiot, b) Zooey Deschanel AKA trying really hard to be quirky and different or c) a really boring person incapable of coming up with their own simple, Ikea copycat, interior design ideas? Then this book is for you!
March 6, 2014
This is one of those books that fills your head with ideas on how to make your house new and fun in an afternoon! Very modern and colorful style. And with the diversity in materials there is sure to be some new skills and techniques to learn and try.
January 30, 2015
An attractive book that I got from the library. That was good because there was nothing that made me feel "I've gotta make that!" even though the book design was lovely.
For me, it was a 5 minute look through. ymmv.
For me, it was a 5 minute look through. ymmv.
August 17, 2025
I admit that ultimately, I didn't end up making anything from this book. Many of the projects required too specific of materials. However, I appreciate that it encouraged me to consider some basic materials in new ways. I wouldn't have thought to make a vase out of cardboard, for example, but the medium is flexible and plentiful, which means there are quite a few other ways one could use it. I also liked getting to see tools being optimized. I'd never thought to use wood glue on fabric, for example, but it worked really well when I attempted a knitted basket.
I'd advise taking this book as inspiration. Most of the projects won't be right for you, especially exactly as they are shown in the book. But if you're looking to be inspired and to consider materials in a new way, this book might help.
I'd advise taking this book as inspiration. Most of the projects won't be right for you, especially exactly as they are shown in the book. But if you're looking to be inspired and to consider materials in a new way, this book might help.
August 9, 2025
2025 me gives this three stars because my tastes have changed as the years have gone on, but 2013 me would have had SO MUCH FUN with a lot of these projects! I do feel the instructions left much to be desired and felt more like a jumping off point than anything I could follow. The photography is fun and reminds me of the 2010s when my personal taste was so neon and geometric. Almost wish I could have found this book then to soak it all up.
February 4, 2018
Cute book, good for a quick look through. More details could probably be found on the internet, as some of the instructions are a bit simplistic. In fact the book actually recommends looking on the internet e.g. it features fabric origami but doesn't show the actual folding techniques in the book.
September 30, 2019
Clear and very well presented. I'll be having a go at a couple of these projects.
December 2, 2020
Lots of inspirational pictures and ideas!
February 29, 2024
Clever and doable upcycling decor ideas.
September 3, 2015
It's like Special Agent Oso for DIY-ers. I think all the projects could be found on the Internet for free in more detail. It's probably worthwhile if you are looking for something easy to do and are just going to flip through, but at that point you will either have the experience to do it and won't need the instructions or you will want to google the instructions for more details. This book makes me sad.
July 23, 2020
I had flipped through this book and was done before I knew it but I actually wanted more because I hadn't really seen anything new yet! Nice, sometimes beautiful, photography but the step-by-step instructions (what little I read) were sometimes so abbreviated it would be better to just Google how to do it. Fun to look at but there are much better resources out there.
June 30, 2014
This book has more modern diy projects.
July 22, 2014
A great book with lots of fun and straight forward projects!
September 15, 2014
Lots of interesting projects I haven't seen anyplace else. Highly recommended!
October 1, 2014
Lots of original ideas.
January 12, 2015
Some unique ideas. I really like the author's style... minimal and industrial, with a touch of funky color. I am planning to try some of the projects in this book.
June 29, 2015
The directions could be much clearer. Pinterest probably has more, though this one is organized by material used.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews