"Curtains, Cushions, Covers and Blinds" will be the one-stop reference guide to making every kind of soft furnishing for the home. Inspirational image galleries will provide hundreds of ideas for fabric, shapes, design details, and more. Every category will have practical workshops which will give step-by-step instructions for techniques and items, plus essential trouble-shooting and design advice. Also included are no-sew and minimum sew options which include customizing store-bought items. There is a review of window shapes and what options you have for covering them.

Judging from the wealth of TV programs dedicated to room redos, Americans are mad for home makeovers. The idea of a home makeover is seductive, but not everyone has scads of cash to spend revamping a room. With 200 full-color photos and 50 color illustrations, Budget Makeovers reveals how do-it-yourselfers can attain a professional polish at an affordable price. The book features 12 real-life makeovers, showing how to transform boring or outdated rooms - be they kitchens, baths, family rooms, dining rooms, living rooms, or bedrooms - into fresh, beautiful, and livable spaces. Each room featured includes color before and after photographs (200 in all), a description of how the room was updated, a list of what the owners loved and hated about the space, the tab on how much was spent, and a breakdown of how long each phase of the makeover took. How-to projects specific to each room, valuable trade secrets, decorating shortcuts, full color illustrations, and design ideas are included with each redesign.

This comprehensive collection offers a wealth of fast, fun home decorating ideas that can be accomplished in two days or less on a budget. With step-by-step instructions and 250 photos and illustrations, the book guides readers through projects that can increase the convenience, beauty, and value of a home. Both seasoned remodelers and inspired novices learn how to revamp a wall or find a new solution for a simple window treatment, how to decorate a lamp or skirt an ottoman, or even double storage space with clever wall-mounted racks. Here are clear, concise plans for everything from bordered draperies and piped Roman shades to stenciled floor cloths and glazed walls to refurbished bar stools and crackle-finished sideboards. With both substantial projects like slipcovered headboards, and super-easy accents such as ribbon-trimmed lampshades, "52 Weekend Decorating Projects" shows readers how to transform every room in the home without a decorator and on a budget.

We all want beautiful homes that reflect our personal style. But the happiest homes don't just look good-they also feel good. Ideally, they support the way we live, keep us healthy and safe and enrich our net worth, too.
So how do we create homes that truly make us happy?
In "The Happy Home Project," author Jean N ayar looks not only at the material things that contribute to the beauty and style of a house, but also explores the hidden elements and intangibles that add to its substance and soul. Brimming with beautiful photos and filled with expert advice from architects, designers, organizing experts, and contractors, the book offers easy-to-follow guidance on how to create inspiring, stylish rooms as well as practical tips on how to invest wisely in furniture and improvements that will add value to your home-and your quality of life. Focusing on comfort and harmony with nature, the book taps into the wisdom of poets, philosophers and social scientists-as well as experts of the ancient Asian building philosophies of "feng shui," "vastu shastra," and "wabi-sabi"-to reveal some of the subtler steps that anyone can take to turn to an ordinary, impersonal house into an uplifting, personal sanctuary.
With helpful hints on everything from corralling clutter, picking paint and arranging furniture to refinishing floors, replacing windows and remodeling a kitchen, "The Happy Home""Project "is a great go-to guide for home improvement projects, large and small. Whether your home needs a major makeover or just a little fine-tuning, the ideas, solutions and tips in this book will help you increase its happiness quotient-and let you live well in any dwelling and at any stage of life.

Amid a mood of collective belt-tightening, instead of moving out or moving up, Americans today are staying home and staying put. But just because they're keeping the homes they have, doesn't mean they have to compromise the way they live. In fact, now that new home construction is down, suppliers, contractors and craftspeople are more available and more amenable to negotiating their rates-even for small projects-than ever before. So, if you want to upgrade your home and improve its value without spending a lot, now is the perfect time to do so.
Clearly organized room-by-room, including outdoor spaces, and filled with evocative before and after photos, the book shows readers how they can change the spirit of a room at various budgets, either with DIY decorative changes or modest remodeling efforts that transform their spaces for contemporary lifestyle needs. This sequel to last year's popular title Staged to Sell (or Keep)" will contain a selection of DIY project ideas with how-tos in each chapter, as well as sidebars including practical tips on space-saving ideas and storage solutions. Appendices will include a section on informative tips on Choosing a Contractor and advice on Creating a Punch List and Establishing a Budget.

The economy may have stalled but life goes on - chair legs break, pillows lose their puff, painted walls get scuffed and sheets get torn or go out of style. From Jean Nayar, and the gurus at PointClickHome, comes this fundamental guidebook on DIY decor that's brimming with ideas for repurposing, reusing or replacing your accents and furniture. This collection of easy, appealing projects is illustrated with lively photos and simple how-to's. The book is divided into sections that offer multiple approaches for inventive and thrifty ways to renew and brighten up your home, including dressing up walls and sewing simple soft furnishings; recycling old furniture and brightening tamps and accents; making multipurpose furnishings and storage; sprucing up floors and ceilings; and, much more. Dozens of photos include inspiring ideas that you can interpret and emulate to revamp your living space. Sidebars with simple solutions on topics such as displaying your collections, easy vintage fabric finds and small space ideas enrich each chapter with additional tips and illustrate how "Real-Life Decor" is the most rewarding way to smarten up your home.