Bright Bazaar: Embracing Color for Make-You-Smile Style

by Will Taylor

Dive into a refreshing take on color from one of the world's leading interiors bloggers, Will Taylor of Bright.Bazaar, West Elm's "go-to blogger for color inspiration." What began as a popular blog attracting over 400,000 readers a month is now a gorgeous, color-popping book sure to delight and inspire all. And as one of Pinterest's top influencers with over 2.4 million followers, people are taking note.

Praised by design star Jonathan Adler as "a true talent with a keen eye," Will guides you through making the most of the cornerstone of your life – where you live. He starts by giving you jumping-off points for considering how to use color. Next, he arms you with the know-how needed to replicate the looks through using ten color cocktails, from soft and delicate pastel hues to bright and bold color statements.

Each color scheme begins with Will sharing his personal photographs and the memories that inspired each palette. He then goes on to show how these inspirations can be used in real-life decorating via easy-to-translate examples, complete with color checklists, swatch scrapbooks, illuminating room analyses and nuggets of Will's color secrets.

More than 350 brand new color photographs invite you into homes both big and small across the world. Bright Bazaar 's take on color is packed with personality and heart, playful but informative, and brimming with useful decorating ideas to make any home more beautiful.

Genres: Nonfiction, Interior Design, Design, Adult, Coffee Table Books

192 pages, Hardcover

First published April 17, 2014

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some women like Vogue, some crave Cosmo. Me? I'm a sucker for decorating magazines. It's true. I am a nosey person and I like looking at pictures of other people's homes. I'm particularly fond of seeing homes decorated in a style similar to my own, which I guess I'd have to term "Mid-Century Modern Shabby Flea Market Chic." While I can admire someone else's minimalist decor, EVERYTHING I love is on my walls and shelves.

One thing I hate seeing is white rooms with white furniture and white accessories. Seriously? Do these homeowners never get the urge to eat spaghetti with marinara or toast with great gobs of raspberry jam while sitting on their white sofas?

Taylor's book is a feast for the eyes, well, my eyes, anyway. It's all about color - big, bold, slap-you-in-the-face COLOR!







Each chapter offers tips for "colorizing" your home using paint, fabrics and accessories. There are some suggestions for unusual color combinations that actually work quite well together. I was particularly fond of chartreuse and azure. (That's lime green and turquoise for the rest of us.)



Only the most Blandy McBlandingtons could feel uninspired after gazing upon the candy-hued pages in this book.

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was looking forward to reading this book & expected to love it but I just don't. None of the advice is groundbreaking & actually I ended up slightly disliking Will Taylor, despite loving his blog of the same name. This book reads more like a diary of his relationship with colour than an advice guide for those looking to experiment with their own interior design and most of the actual tips are recycled several times throughout the book. The wording even goes as far to to imply that he even came up with colour combinations by himself, including black & white: "it was this unplanned dash of colourful wit that led me to create The Monochrome Magic". I just found it all a bit self-indulgent. The photography is beautiful though & if you're brand new to interiors & don't read design blogs or use Pinterest I'm sure you'd learn something. This wasn't for me, however. Sorry.

[Susan White-Riggs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots and lots of COLOR!!! It's funny to see how styles change, move up and down the "popular" scales. One designer will be touting neutral, neutral, neutral and then here is another, with enough color to satisfy anyone with a penchant for bright spaces.
I just like reading, and most of all, looking at the pictures. The photography is usually great in these types of books, and it is fun to see all of the colors, ideas and designing come together.

[Hannie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Een prachtig vormgegeven boek. Ook een heel kleurrijk boek, maar zonder dat het over the top is. De vele interieurs die getoond worden zijn allemaal kleurrijk, maar wel op een rustige manier, door voor een bepaald kleurenpalet te kiezen. Het is ook leuk om te lezen waardoor de auteur geïnspireerd raakte en welke keuzes hij in zijn eigen huis heeft gemaakt. Het was echt een feestje om dit boek te lezen.

Er staan ook veel tips in om hoe je zelf kleur kunt toevoegen in je huis. Wat ik ook fijn vind is dat hij je geen dingen oplegt. Zo schrijft hij zelf ook op pagina 170: ‘Ik ben de tel kwijtgeraakt van het aantal artikelen waarin wordt beweerd dat een witte ruimte een kalmerende ruimte is - en dat klopt ook vaak. Maar dat soort ontwerpen voelen ook vaak koud en klinisch aan, als er niet de juiste textuurelementen aan zijn toegevoegd.’ Daarnaast draait het in zijn boek niet om trends, maar om wat bij jou past. Ik heb de afgelopen tijd veel interieurboeken gelezen en deze is zeker een aanrader.

[Ligaya · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know the blog nor the author and selected this book because GoodReads suggested it to me. Nothing new here, though. I found the text a bit snooty and enjoyed the book much more when I ignored that, and just looked at the photographs. Interesting, but if you are creative, you'll know all this stuff intuitively.

[Patricia Gmitrovic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Color is your friend!

[Relyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Totally not my style, but I love peeking into the living spaces of people with a clear sense of style. I just love shelter books and I always find at least a little inspiration.

[Mrs.Bee.17 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful book with a unified organizational structure and good idea!

[Chaplain2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this beautiful book as a Goodreads first-reads giveaway. Many thanks to Goodreads and the author and publisher for choosing me as a recipient of "Bright Bazaar."

I enjoyed the photography and organization of the book, especially the color palettes and why they work.

I always get exciting ideas from reading decorating books and magazines, and "Bright Bazaar" is no exception. However, its approach and text are exceptionally helpful. It both explains why and how color combinations work so well together, and encourages the reader to try out the inspiring ideas.

Although it is with regret that I'll be donating this lovely book to the library where I work, I'm excited to share it with other readers rather than simply keeping it for myself -- and of course, it will be practically at my fingertips at the library any time I need a refresher taste of Mr. Taylor's "color cocktails."

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as a Goodreads first-reads giveaway.

The title takes you right to the point--a Bright Bazaar. It is like a bazaar, busy (almost cluttered), hard to focus. More like wandering through Pier I Imports than rooms in an actual home. Fun, but would I actually do any of these things? The answer is "yes, but not all in the same room."

I especially liked the ideas for the little nooks and crannies in a room, the interesting things to do with the awkward spaces under or next to stairways, and the narrow spaces in halls.

The subtitles tells that it will "Make-You-Smile" and it did. A few combinations made me laugh out loud. Not so much at the color combinations, but rather at the mixes of geometric patterns.

Still, if we are looking at decorating books to get ideas this one has plenty.

[Jennifer Heise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Checked this out really just to look at the pictures, and they were definitely amusing for the armchair interior decorator. A lot of the advice was pretty standard (pair black with two bright colors for punch, etc.) but the use of color combinations that only designers are usually brave enough to try was a great visual primer. If you lack the courage of your (decorating) convictions to try unusual color combinations of the same saturation, this book is for you.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

So very pretty-pretty to look through, but all in all, don't think it was that helpful. Hooray for my addiction, Pinterest, at least! I love the bright colors and how he implemented them, but after awhile it was all just rainbow *meh*.

[Am Y · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good colour inspiration, but some repeated photos and ideas here and there (the author thinks you won't remember because it was mentioned earlier in the book perhaps?!). Some of the colour/pattern combos were downright jarring.

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent reference for those of us who have been stuck in beige worlds for too long. This helps you remember how to mix colors appropriately, and gives great design ideas. Everyone will find something to pull from this guide.

[Mary Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another blog to book design title. Check it out from the library unless you're a huge fan of the blog.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought it was beautiful.

[Francine Chu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Will Taylor is a true color maverick.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. Great photos and layout, although some repeats of the same rooms just from a different angle. Some ideas but a little too out there for me color wise in my house.

[Jaime K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cheerful & gorgeous. Everything I want an interior design book to be. Mix of high and low end to create liveable and inspired spaces.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

So gorgeous and fun. Loads of ideas from this!

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE everything about this book. I want every room in my house to look a bright and cheerful as the rooms featured in this book.

[Suki_Elle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bright and Inspirational. For whimsical, fresh almost Scandinavian style.

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't familiar with this book/blog, but the bright colors on the cover enticed me to pick it up. Again, pretty standard for a design book -- some of it I liked, some I didn't.

[Corinnagoodwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the use of color, of course that is what the book is all about. my problem is I like the mood board, but them look at the over all room and feel Overwhelmed.

[Nola · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great resource book for those people who like colour.

[merlin513 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hard to believe this came out in 2014. Proof that some design is timeless. Extremely well photographed. A Happy, Fun book to inspire!

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cool book about finding color in everything.

[Nadia · Rating 5 out of 5]

fantastic, inspirational, and colorful!