Book Review: "Domino: The Book of Decorating"

First, before I start my second decor book review, expect a Bookshelf Makeover Part 2 coming soon! (sometime this week!) So excited - Trent and I were able to finish painting them due to the amazing weather we had, and soon I will get to style my new WHITE bookcases! Just waiting for the paint to fully dry. So stay tuned for that post soon!

Now, onto other things...I'm all the way through the second book on my Home Decor Book Reading List! The second book I decided to check out was Domino: the book of decorating, by domino editors Deborah Needleman, Sara Ruffin Costello, and Dara Caponigro.

Image from Here

Of course the first book I read was that of bloggers John and Sherry Petersik of the blog, Young House Love - See my review of this book here. The domino book was very different than John and Sherry's. Why? Well, first, it was written by the domino editors in a very similar style to the magazine (which is no longer in circulation, although I believe they've come out with a special issue for this spring - check out their website for more details). And instead of providing you with hundreds of do-it-yourself projects for your home, it takes you room by room, giving you tips and tricks ("Rules" if you will) on how to decorate your home.

Since I love home decor magazines, I did like this book a lot - it has plenty of eye candy, as almost every other page has glossy pictures of professionally decorated rooms. 

Unlike John and Sherry's book though, a lot of the pieces mentioned in the book aren't really things you would find at Target or Lowe's. They are mostly designer items, and a lot of the "rules" in this book are geared toward people who have money to spend on such items, or who send their furniture to the upholsterer's to get it recovered, or hire out someone to custom-make their drapes.

Even though I loved some of the rooms in the book, I guess I found it a little harder to relate to since I think I'm more of the do-it-yourself kind of gal. I'd much rather pick up the materials I need and take on the project myself, or find something that looks super stylish at Target for half the price of the designer brand.


Don't get me wrong, though. I'm definitely glad I bought this book. For one, it helps a lot with decorating, if you're a little challenged in that area or need some help putting a room together. And I love the eye candy - even though it is full of so many different rooms in so many different styles (some of which I'm not really drawn to) - there is bound to be some rooms in here that make you think, "I want to live there!" or "I could do something similar to that!" Much like a House Beautiful mag, or even one like Vogue or InStyle, just because you can't afford that $2,000 chair or $600 pair of shoes, you still love it, and you can certainly find something just like it for much less.

The book is about giving you inspiration and guidelines to make your home look attractive and a place you want to spend time in. It helps you to mix styles and tells you why rooms and the pieces in them work together well. And it's a quick read, due to the many photos and magazine-like format. I know I feel as though I gained some knowledge and inspiration from reading it. 

If you're searching for your style and trying to find pieces that you love, this will definitely help, too. My personal style seems to be a mix of a few different ones - kind of traditional meets contemporary, with a little eclectic mixed in. I love the classic pieces, yet I also like to mix in new styles and pops of color. I even like a little girly flowers and vintage items mixed in there, too.

This book is definitely worth the read, although I think it's more of a reference-type book that would be useful to keep handy when you're redoing a room, or hanging curtains, etc. The back even has a list of home sources and a complete guide to window treatments and upholstery.

So if you're in the mood to be inspired, or are remodeling and need some quick tips, definitely check out Domino: the book of decorating. It will definitely help you out!

...Plus, it's pretty too :)