Flea Market Fabulous: Designing Gorgeous Rooms with Vintage Treasures

by Lara Spencer, Jonathan Adler (Foreword), ChiChi Ubiña (Photographer)

Focusing on nine different rooms (including her own recently purchased Manhattan apartment), Lara Spencer shows readers that all it takes is planning, shopping know-how, and a little imagination to create beautiful and comfortable homes that reflect their personal style. She takes readers through the step-by-step process of overcoming the challenges of the room, offering helpful tips and lessons along the way. She identi­fies the design dilemma; comes up with a decorat­ing plan; makes a mood board for inspiration; compiles a shopping list; scours flea markets for furniture and accessories that fit the bill; restores, repurposes, and reinvents the pieces she finds, giving them new life; and brings all the elements together in the gorgeous, finished space. With illuminating before, during, and after photographs of her DIY projects and the room installations, Lara demystifies the decorating process and allows readers to envision endless possibilities for what they can do in their own homes.

Genres: Nonfiction, Design, Interior Design, How To, Crafts, Adult, Art

184 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 2014

About the author

Lara Christine Von Seelen (known professionally as Lara Spencer) (born June 19, 1969) is an American television journalist. She is best known for being the co-anchor for ABC's Good Morning America. She is also a correspondent for Nightline and ABC News. Previously, she was the host of the syndicated entertainment newsmagazine The Insider from 2004 to 2011, and was a regular contributor to CBS's The Early Show. Before then, she was the national correspondent for Good Morning America and spent several years as a lifestyle reporter for WABC-TV. She also hosted Antiques Roadshow on PBS for the 2004 and 2005 seasons, and Antiques Roadshow FYI, a spin-off of Antiques Roadshow, during 2005. She hosts the show Flea Market Flip on both HGTV and the Great American Country channel.

Reviews

[Jess the Shelf-Declared Bibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

BRILLIANT is all I have to say about her and her team. So many tips and tricks for completely making things new! She also really enforced a love for painting dark wooden furniture, it really does brighten up a space!

[Milton Public Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone who loves a good flea market, looking at projects on Pinterest, or up-cycling different things will enjoy this book by Good Morning America's Lara Spencer. Lara walks you through updating different rooms in your house by using different vintage finds in miraculous ways. Along the way, she gives you tips and tricks to help you think about updating a space to utilize its full potential. I could feel my creative juices flowing as I read through the book. She has a lot of ideas I would like to try that aren't difficult to execute. Definitely check this out if you are a DIYer!

Find it today: https://ent.sharelibraries.info/clien...

Ashley C. / Milton Public Library #CheckOutMPL

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I will definitely admit to writing down a bunch of great ideas, this book was somewhat of a disappointment. I didn't love any of the rooms on their own, just bits and pieces of them. I also was very glad I got it from the library and didn't purchase, since it is really just a glorified magazine (think Better Homes and Gardens, which I love, and can bend down the corners of the pages I like). Also disappointed that it was just a documentation of a TV show Lara did, and not even an original "book only" concept. Makes me feel like she's double-dipping, getting paid for the show and for the book. More power to her, I guess, but one of my pet peeves are celebrities who write books and get them published simply because they are celebrities, so put this one down in that column. That all said, I'll reiterate that there were some great ideas.

[SouthWestZippy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy most of the book. I found some neat new ideas on how to redo things to make them your own. What drives me crazy about the whole idea of designing a room to look fabulous is it leaves little room for practical use. So many times (not always) designers seem to want you to first remove the fact that kids, men, and animals live in the house too. This includes one of the rooms in this book. I am fan of many of Lara Spencer's shows and love getting DIY ideas from them. I am all for reinventing, redoing, recycling and make it your own, just sometimes wish some of the beautiful wood work could be left alone. Not everything needs to be painted.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great pictures and details from 9 room remodels from a television show hosted by Good Morning America's Lara Spencer are the basis of this book. Highlights are the incredible flea market finds that her team transforms. Overall I was not impressed with the final rooms, they are over decorated to the extreme with barely an inch of wall or floor space not jammed with furniture, art or chotchkies but the use of new and recycled items is impressive. Not worth a buy, but an inspiring glimpse of repurposing in redecorating.

[Tayler K.M. · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's a big difference between "a good deal" and "affordable/feasible for the average person" which Lara seems to either forget or not understand. For example, $45 to refinish a single closet door? NO! Going across the country or even to France for the biggest flea markets? NO! Getting every piece of furniture reupholstered? NO!

A good reminder about looking at the structure of things and seeing their potential, but overall this book is not relatable for the (lower-)middle class.

(I actually read this in two days, exactly a month apart.)

[Monica Tomasello · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been a fan of Lara Spencer since I started watching Flea Market Flip so I appreciated learning all about her personal design process. It gave me some great ideas on how to tweak my own process and hone my shopping skills.

[Marathon County Public Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone who loves a good flea market, looking at projects on Pinterest, or up-cycling different things will enjoy this book by Good Morning America's Lara Spencer. Lara walks you through updating different rooms in your house by using different vintage finds in miraculous ways. Along the way, she gives you tips and tricks to help you think about updating a space to utilize its full potential. I could feel my creative juices flowing as I read through the book. She has a lot of ideas I would like to try that aren't difficult to execute. Definitely check this out if you are a DIYer!

Ashley C. / Marathon County Public Library
Find this book in our library catalog.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book from the library to look at the pictures and get a couple of ideas. I ended up reading it cover to over. I found the author's thrift store finds interesting and her use of them very creative & inspiring. It was well written enough to hold my interest.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute. Lots of typos

[Denise Kruse · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found the photos too small and the designs outdated, not what I consider flea market fun.

[Susan White-Riggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have enjoyed both of her books, interesting and not to preachy

Second time around, rooms designs a bit stuffy, but some interesting things

[Snazzyjan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this from the library after watching Flea Market Flip. She has some neat ideas I picked up on. Especially about finding items with"good bones" but there's no insider tips on "how to". I wish there where. Especially curious about DIY upholstery since it's mentioned in the TV show so much. Also she never gets dirty in these photos! There's a photo of her squatting in heels when using a hand drill. I never drill in heels! It all looks a little too "staged" for me. Way too many patterns too. So good for ideas...especially how she broke down ideas from concept to completion. Why she chose what she did. Creating a feeling for a space. All that was there. I just don't know if I'd feel comfortable living in those spaces.

She also lists a bunch of great Flea and vintage markets in the back for those in the NY/Fairfield County, CT areas.

[MHP · Rating 2 out of 5]

Errors in this edition, typographical and reference of page numbers.

Not very practical unless you have a gjillion dollars to spend upholstering every piece you purchase and/or have a team with lots of space, paint, and tools. However, it was worth the $.25 I paid for it. Her style appears a little busy and cluttered for my taste.

-Turn hollow objects into lamps with a lamp kit from a home supply store.

-Paint furniture white or black if substantial piece. If less substantive, treat and paint a bold color.

-Cover shelves and backing of furniture with wall paper or fabric.

Nothing earth-shattering here. Great scheme to buy a piece of real estate in NY and “allow” your book deal to cover the decor process, if not foot the entire cost.

[Jonii · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book to me is Mary McDonald look (or as close to as you can get it with flea/thrift items), HGTV Budget. It's an attainable mix of classic/glam styling with a really great layout where Lara Spencer guides you through different room design projects from beginning to end. It's not comprehensive but you really get a great sense of how she changed the items she bought from flea and the rooms she made over with those items. I really appreciated that each room had a mood board and how she shared what she changed and how much the items were. My favorite idea was cladding foam board with linen and using brass tack pushpin to create an upholstery effect on a feature wall. Inexpensive, renter friendly, and it looked amazing. Recommend.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like watching Lara Spencer on TV so I was excited to read this book. Lara renovates 9 rooms including a small studio apartment of her own. She uses mostly flea market/thrift finds along with items from the homeowner. Of course, the rooms are stunning when completed!
Lara takes the reader through each step in the process. There are lots of pictures to show before, during and after. Also lots of advice is included that applies to any DIY. Professionals are involved with the design as well as the implementation so some of the ideas might be difficult for less experienced people (aka me!) There are lots of easy ideas too.

[Ladytal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a good garage sale or flea market! This is the perfect book for those of us who like to see how flea market finds can transform a space into something really special. It also makes me want to run out and buy lots of crap I don't need to see what I could do with it [my husband shudders at the thought!] So it is a potentially dangerous book but worth the risk if you can restrain yourself and just live vicariously through the author's exploits. More please!

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, well illustrated book. It's amazing how a little paint, fabric, etc., will change a flea market purchase. I am sure that I do not have the time to search for usable bargains or the talent to rehab them, but I enjoy looking.

[Aria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stumbled upon it in library. A few interesting and inspiring ideas here and there as to giving old pieces new life. But overall not liking her room design. Too many decorative ‘extra’ pieces just for the ‘theme’ but no emotional ties which I think is important to a home.

[Susan M Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great information

I've used some of the techniques used in this book, but learned many more. This book kept my interest (I finished it in one setting). And I know I will refer back to it .

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the finished product isn't always my choice, it is really interesting to see how Lara and her team create new products from old ones and pieces as well as how they put a room together.
Plenty of inspiration and ideas for those looking to design a new space.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book for those who missed the show or are fans of Lara.

[Patti · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are a fan of Flea Market Flip and it's effervescent host Lara Spencer, you'll enjoy this.

[Billie York · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keep it on my coffee table! Gives me and my guests inspiration.

[Sarah Ehinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't always care for the styles shown, but I appreciate the method Lara outlines throughout the book

[Lisa Huettl · Rating 4 out of 5]

For fans of Flea Market Flip this is a great book. Only wish there had been more projects but I would recommend it.

[Vleigh · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a review of the Kindle version which was disappointing on my Kindle with tiny photos that didn't enlarge much by double-clicking.

[Laura Bowman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned many things reading this book. Photos of projects from start to finish and suggestions on how to get from here to there.

[Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great ideas, how-tos, pictures

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of fun ideas and inspiration!