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Christopher Lowell's You Can Do It! Small Spaces: Decorating to Make Every Inch Count
Christopher Lowell has done it again! In response to thousands of letters requesting a book on small-room decorating, the Emmy Award-winning star of the Discovery Channel's most popular decorating show applies his innovative thinking to the challenge of turning cramped quarters into a comfortable, stylish home. He takes the Seven Layers of Design system introduced in his first book one step further by applying it to small spaces and inspiring readers to create extraordinary rooms out of the ordinary.
With his trademark energy and innovation, Lowell guides us through two modular homes, one designed in a traditional style, the other in a more modern decor, but both intended to offer the reader a myriad of design options and ideas. The traditional home features a Nantucket-style master bath, a sunroom with faux stone walls, a French-influenced guest bedroom, and a separate dining room. The modern home contains a kitchen finished in sophisticated stainless-steel paint, a living room-guest bedroom partitioned with sliding bookcases, and a Zen master bedroom with a space-saving platform bed.
Room by room, Lowell tackles such problems as how to make the most of tiny master bedrooms, how to create several rooms from one, what to do with narrow hallways, how to conserve space by creating multipurpose rooms, and how to renovate a guest bathroom for under $100. Before and after pictures show how anyone can perform miracles just by "thinking outside the box." Once again, Christopher Lowell inspires readers to dream big, no matter how small their space.
With his trademark energy and innovation, Lowell guides us through two modular homes, one designed in a traditional style, the other in a more modern decor, but both intended to offer the reader a myriad of design options and ideas. The traditional home features a Nantucket-style master bath, a sunroom with faux stone walls, a French-influenced guest bedroom, and a separate dining room. The modern home contains a kitchen finished in sophisticated stainless-steel paint, a living room-guest bedroom partitioned with sliding bookcases, and a Zen master bedroom with a space-saving platform bed.
Room by room, Lowell tackles such problems as how to make the most of tiny master bedrooms, how to create several rooms from one, what to do with narrow hallways, how to conserve space by creating multipurpose rooms, and how to renovate a guest bathroom for under $100. Before and after pictures show how anyone can perform miracles just by "thinking outside the box." Once again, Christopher Lowell inspires readers to dream big, no matter how small their space.
- GenresNonfiction
176 pages, Hardcover
First published September 9, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 7, 2010
Although I have lived in small spaces for most of my adult life, I have never been very good at maximizing the space that I have. In an effort to embrace the small-space lifestyle I chose, I am looking to a number of books on small spaces for guidance and inspiration. My goal is attractive and highly functional spaces.
"Attractive" is relative. I have to be honest: Lowell's aesthetic does not match my own. I know there are people who highly enjoy his designs and I feel like I am objective enough that I could glean ideas from his book even if I don't want to copy his rooms exactly. However, for a book on small spaces I felt like there was way too much going on in most of the rooms. His ideas would not help me meet my goal. There was not enough practical advice or innovation with regards to storage. I saw lots of bold, bright color and rich-looking upholstery, but all of the example rooms seemed brimming with stuff. I find that form does NOT follow function in Lowell's design. I also question whether or not the rooms he was dealing with were actually "small spaces," or at least find "small" to be a relative term. He has some ideas for a 10'X10' space that some might consider a "throwaway" or wasted space. I certainly would not as two of my home's bedrooms are that very size. Finally, even though this book was written less than a decade ago, I have to wonder if some of the elements are a little bit dated. I was very surprised to see wall-to-wall carpeting installed in most of the rooms as a deliberate design choice.
I can't give this book one star because I am certain that some will love and feel inspired by these designs, even if they aren't my cup of tea. However, I have to call the author to task on not really tackling "small spaces" as the book claims to do. The suggestion to get rid of all of one's extraneous things is a helpful one, but once you've done that, what's the next step for someone who is truly trying to live, work, play and make the most of fewer square feet.
"Attractive" is relative. I have to be honest: Lowell's aesthetic does not match my own. I know there are people who highly enjoy his designs and I feel like I am objective enough that I could glean ideas from his book even if I don't want to copy his rooms exactly. However, for a book on small spaces I felt like there was way too much going on in most of the rooms. His ideas would not help me meet my goal. There was not enough practical advice or innovation with regards to storage. I saw lots of bold, bright color and rich-looking upholstery, but all of the example rooms seemed brimming with stuff. I find that form does NOT follow function in Lowell's design. I also question whether or not the rooms he was dealing with were actually "small spaces," or at least find "small" to be a relative term. He has some ideas for a 10'X10' space that some might consider a "throwaway" or wasted space. I certainly would not as two of my home's bedrooms are that very size. Finally, even though this book was written less than a decade ago, I have to wonder if some of the elements are a little bit dated. I was very surprised to see wall-to-wall carpeting installed in most of the rooms as a deliberate design choice.
I can't give this book one star because I am certain that some will love and feel inspired by these designs, even if they aren't my cup of tea. However, I have to call the author to task on not really tackling "small spaces" as the book claims to do. The suggestion to get rid of all of one's extraneous things is a helpful one, but once you've done that, what's the next step for someone who is truly trying to live, work, play and make the most of fewer square feet.
July 2, 2008
We live in a small home and although it had some great ideas - none of them would work for our house. After flipping through the first couple pages, I remembered seeing a his show that featured almost all of the ideas too. There were some good ideas just not one that would work for me.
But the book had clear pictures of how to get started looking at areas to use in small spaces. It had good before and after pictures. But I don't think there were enough actually step by step projects. Just overviews.
But the book had clear pictures of how to get started looking at areas to use in small spaces. It had good before and after pictures. But I don't think there were enough actually step by step projects. Just overviews.
June 11, 2011
Mostly unhelpful, because it was about small houses that are actually gigantic compared to real small spaces, and also because it was about moving into a house and building and buying everything, not about how to re-design, decorate on a budget, etc. This one was a fail in my pursuit of having a decent studio.
May 8, 2013
Cute projects. An older book; some very unpleasant color combinations. Much like the show, highly focused on making your own stuff out of MDF, etc... I'm not a big DIY person (no space to work!) but I enjoyed how he laid out his process for layering the room and the inventiveness of some ideas.
His idea of a "small" kitchen is funny to me. Overall a fun read.
His idea of a "small" kitchen is funny to me. Overall a fun read.
August 8, 2012
I loved the multi-functional furniture that was showcased in this book for small spaces. Some of the makeovers were too busy but it's easy to pick and choose the elements that you like in many of the rooms. This book gave me the idea of an Asia style guest room.
March 3, 2008
I just love Christopher Lowell and his decorating ideas.
August 10, 2009
Good ideas about what to do with the beach house.
May 1, 2013
Great ideas.
May 10, 2014
Not the right style for me. Projects looked over complicated for what they were supposed to achieve.
May 28, 2015
General ideas with specific projects.
August 13, 2016
Loved the show! The book gives great before and afters.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews