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101 Things I Hate About Your House
Ever wish you could have a nationally known interior designer walk through your home and save you from your very own decorating disasters? Now is your chance! With his 'take-no-prisoners' approach to home design, James Swan shares his spot-on observations about mistakes we all make as we try to decipher the world of home décor and design. His fresh, frank way of looking at rooms liberates us from the safe, predictable edicts we all grew up with and gives us permission to fall in love with our homes all over again.
* Top ideas to make your living room ready for company—today
• Quick, practical projects to add pizzaz to your dining room
• Valuable tips to make small spaces multifunctional
• Secrets to creating a bedroom sanctuary From entryway to mudroom and everything in between, whether you're a big-city singleton on a teeny-tiny budget or have plenty of space with cash to spare, this room-by-room design guide has everything you need to create a home that dazzles. Now that's beautiful.
* Top ideas to make your living room ready for company—today
• Quick, practical projects to add pizzaz to your dining room
• Valuable tips to make small spaces multifunctional
• Secrets to creating a bedroom sanctuary From entryway to mudroom and everything in between, whether you're a big-city singleton on a teeny-tiny budget or have plenty of space with cash to spare, this room-by-room design guide has everything you need to create a home that dazzles. Now that's beautiful.
260 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2011
5 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
July 21, 2012
I picked up this book at the library because I generally enjoy perusing books on home decor. This one was a hot mess. Most of the tips I had heard before, and the author's tone was irritating. I don't like to be talked down to as if I'm a moron. The author chooses to belittle those that don't agree with his decorating style. Maybe he thought it would be cute, but I found it completely annoying. I also didn't like the lack of pictures. The author is a designer, but there were only a handful of actual photographed areas included in the book (either of clients' homes or his own.) The rest of the book was illustrated. I was looking for ideas, but didn't get any from this book. I don't recommend this book to anyone unless you just have the urge to be annoyed by a designer who thinks he's better than everyone else. A huge disappointment.
July 27, 2012
The author's chatty loquaciousness started out amusing but got rather grating & hugely time & space wasting. Some good pointers, mostly obvious, but too much aimed at people who entertain all the time; almost everything was from the guest's perspective. The proofreading must have been done by computer spellcheck: boarder for border, buy for bye, suburban track-home for tract home, causalities for casualties of war (!), wash'in and dry'in for washin' and dryin', etc., and hit/miss use of commas. For a final insult he continually refers to more info available on the website; it isn't.
In the last few chapters he seemed to reduce the silly comments & speak to the actual denizens of the home & I enjoyed them more, which raised my rating.
In the last few chapters he seemed to reduce the silly comments & speak to the actual denizens of the home & I enjoyed them more, which raised my rating.
December 1, 2011
Decent advice, but annoying and glib tone with too many typos. Far too many typos.
February 25, 2012
The author's humorous tone felt a bit overmuch, so I just scanned most of the book.
September 7, 2016
If approached as a humor book this is OK for a quick read, but skip it if you are looking for real decorating help or inspiration.
June 16, 2020
James Swan and Carol Beggy take us on a tour of the different rooms of a house and point out the most important things we should fix about our house. A lot of these tips aren’t just going to make the design better but also make it more functional by default.
A few examples from the Media section of the website:
#1. Dreary Little Mess: Nothing screams “dreary little mess” quite like a front door masquerading as last winter’s snow tires. Clean it up. Wipe it down. Patch it, paint it, stain it, wax it, but just get the door to your home speaking a civilized language that is perfectly synchronized with the impression you want to make.
#71. Age-Appropriate Design: Mom and Dad, it’s time to get over your heels dragging on the subject of the kids growing up before your very eyes. They will grow whether you want them to or not, so make the best of a maturing problem and match their chronological age with the furnishings in their rooms. A teenager (13 and older) should be sleeping in a double bed, not in a childish twin. The progression from twin to double is a rite of passage. Make it memorable for your young lady or gentleman.
#25. A Room without a Soul: If the gods of decorating are to be found lurking in the details of your home, what do your details say? Take a critical look at the small things that fill your table tops and shelves. Do they tell a beautiful story, the story you want told? If not, then it’s time to edit and rewrite your story.
So who are these people telling us what to do with our house?
ABOUT JAMES SWAN: Author James Swan has built a twenty-year career crafting classically influenced interiors across the United States for clients who have included captains of industry, movie studio heads, investment bankers, and real estate developers. He is consistently in the media spotlight with speaking engagements, regular guest spots on national radio programs, and appearances on HGTV’s Homes across America. He is a featured design partner with Ballard Designs, which is releasing a line of Swan’s custom-designed furniture in early 2011.
ABOUT CAROL BEGGY: Contributor Carol Beggy is an award-winning journalist who left the Boston Globe in 2008 after more than ten years as a writer and editor. She is a senior consultant with Saragoni & Company and has collaborated with photographer Bill Brett on four books about Boston. She was also part of the team behind Ted Kennedy: Scenes from and Epic Life.
The book often mentions the website for product ideas in the Resource Section.
The back of the book has a spot to fill in the blanks and make your own list of the top things you need to fix in each room and what you are going to do about it. This is perfect as reading all these ideas is good but you won’t remember to actually do it. By making a list you have something you could cross out or check off as it gets done.
I appreciate that the authors don’t assume we all have tons of money and huge houses. Although all the sample photos and many of the tips apply to big houses, they do make suggestions for small houses and small budgets.
A few examples from the Media section of the website:
#1. Dreary Little Mess: Nothing screams “dreary little mess” quite like a front door masquerading as last winter’s snow tires. Clean it up. Wipe it down. Patch it, paint it, stain it, wax it, but just get the door to your home speaking a civilized language that is perfectly synchronized with the impression you want to make.
#71. Age-Appropriate Design: Mom and Dad, it’s time to get over your heels dragging on the subject of the kids growing up before your very eyes. They will grow whether you want them to or not, so make the best of a maturing problem and match their chronological age with the furnishings in their rooms. A teenager (13 and older) should be sleeping in a double bed, not in a childish twin. The progression from twin to double is a rite of passage. Make it memorable for your young lady or gentleman.
#25. A Room without a Soul: If the gods of decorating are to be found lurking in the details of your home, what do your details say? Take a critical look at the small things that fill your table tops and shelves. Do they tell a beautiful story, the story you want told? If not, then it’s time to edit and rewrite your story.
So who are these people telling us what to do with our house?
ABOUT JAMES SWAN: Author James Swan has built a twenty-year career crafting classically influenced interiors across the United States for clients who have included captains of industry, movie studio heads, investment bankers, and real estate developers. He is consistently in the media spotlight with speaking engagements, regular guest spots on national radio programs, and appearances on HGTV’s Homes across America. He is a featured design partner with Ballard Designs, which is releasing a line of Swan’s custom-designed furniture in early 2011.
ABOUT CAROL BEGGY: Contributor Carol Beggy is an award-winning journalist who left the Boston Globe in 2008 after more than ten years as a writer and editor. She is a senior consultant with Saragoni & Company and has collaborated with photographer Bill Brett on four books about Boston. She was also part of the team behind Ted Kennedy: Scenes from and Epic Life.
The book often mentions the website for product ideas in the Resource Section.
The back of the book has a spot to fill in the blanks and make your own list of the top things you need to fix in each room and what you are going to do about it. This is perfect as reading all these ideas is good but you won’t remember to actually do it. By making a list you have something you could cross out or check off as it gets done.
I appreciate that the authors don’t assume we all have tons of money and huge houses. Although all the sample photos and many of the tips apply to big houses, they do make suggestions for small houses and small budgets.
March 1, 2020
I borrowed this book on a whim. I’m always looking to spot areas that might be lacking, so I checked this out. It was a really easy, quick read. However, the content of the book left a lot to be desired. His tone is so condescending and wreaks of elitism. How did this book make it to print? With his attempt to be cutesy and outspoken, I was cringing the entire way through it. His advice was not timeless; in fact, it hasn’t aged well.
March 7, 2015
The subtitle claims, “A Premier Designer Takes You on a Room-by-Room Tour to Transform Your Home from Faux Pas to Fabulous.”
Swan and Beggy’s breezy style - and the double-spacing - make this an ideal book to borrow from the library and flip through during the commercials of your favorite television show. The illustrations are cartoonish drawings by Stanley A. Meyer, with only a few photos.
You might disagree with some of their edicts. For example, they dislike both open floor plans (Don’t expose the mess or the labor of preparing a meal for guests.) and glass-front cabinets (Homeowners need storage, not display space, in a kitchen.), yet those are two major trends shown in design magazines.
July 4, 2016
I wouldn't normally review something like this, let alone list it on my Goodreads account, but I was entertained by the language and delivery. He's snarky and witty, and I think it does wonders for revamping a topic that is just about as dated and nearly as irrelevant as a Miss Manners etiquette guide.
Does this book have design and organization ideas that you've heard before? Yes. Will these design and organization ideas apply to everyone? No. Will it give you some ideas about improving your own home? Probably, yes. Is the author's voice funny and engaging? Without a doubt.
3 stars for readability, 4th star because he hates open floor plans just as much as I do.
Does this book have design and organization ideas that you've heard before? Yes. Will these design and organization ideas apply to everyone? No. Will it give you some ideas about improving your own home? Probably, yes. Is the author's voice funny and engaging? Without a doubt.
3 stars for readability, 4th star because he hates open floor plans just as much as I do.
January 15, 2017
Picked up this book randomly while visiting my grandmother. Thought it would be good for some laughs and a few tips as I choose new paint colors.
Unfortunately, rather and amusing I found the author to be snooty and pedantic. While he constantly mentioned that small burgers and small spaces were fine, he would quickly follow that with you-must-but-this-thing-for-guests-that-you-would-never-use-otherwise. I understand it's satire and the arch tone want to be taken seriously. My problem was more with the suggestions themselves, most of which seemed unrealistic and stupid for sane normal people with an actually budget. I found him to be more obnoxious and out-of-touch than funny.
Unfortunately, rather and amusing I found the author to be snooty and pedantic. While he constantly mentioned that small burgers and small spaces were fine, he would quickly follow that with you-must-but-this-thing-for-guests-that-you-would-never-use-otherwise. I understand it's satire and the arch tone want to be taken seriously. My problem was more with the suggestions themselves, most of which seemed unrealistic and stupid for sane normal people with an actually budget. I found him to be more obnoxious and out-of-touch than funny.
partially-read
May 11, 2012In an amusing/snarky voice, James Swan conveys his opinion on all things that should (not) be in your house, and how. I was a little intrigued by the title (that's the point of it), enough to read the first few sections. Most of it is common sense (have a doormat; use frosted glass bulbs instead of clear; cloth napkins are nicer than paper ones), though some is over the top (never-to-be-used decorative hand towels). If I had more time I would have finished reading, but other books are clamoring more loudly for attention.
August 30, 2015
I was prepared to overlook the repeated misspelling of certain words near the beginning of this book. I also quite enjoyed the humour in some parts. However, this photo on one of the pages reduced the author's credibility to zero for me:
Yes - that, is a picture of one of the rooms in the author's house, with 4 huge panels of Chinese calligraphy... hung upside down!!! (He doesn't realise this.) I showed this to my friends and we all had a good laugh!
Yes - that, is a picture of one of the rooms in the author's house, with 4 huge panels of Chinese calligraphy... hung upside down!!! (He doesn't realise this.) I showed this to my friends and we all had a good laugh!
August 4, 2011
Swan may have an audience, but I'm not part of it. Nothing new design-wise, although he gives decent basic advice. The drawings left me cold -- too cutesey with no real content -- and he's far too prolix for my taste.
I wished he'd cut to the chase, but thar's not his style -- he meanders! I'll probably take to heart 3 of the 101 things he proposes; some others I already do, and others I've no intention of doing.(Get rid of my vast collection of indoor houseplants? Never!)
I wished he'd cut to the chase, but thar's not his style -- he meanders! I'll probably take to heart 3 of the 101 things he proposes; some others I already do, and others I've no intention of doing.(Get rid of my vast collection of indoor houseplants? Never!)
December 29, 2015
I appreciated the room-by-room chapters. They make it easy to tackle your home makeover, one area at a time. The author's suggestions are useful, classy and timeless. He also addresses challenges such as a room with small floor space.
The only disappointment with the book is that a lot of the advice wasn't new to me. Yet a good reminder is always helpful; otherwise, we all get too busy at times to remember to take time to take care of some of the details that he recommends.
The only disappointment with the book is that a lot of the advice wasn't new to me. Yet a good reminder is always helpful; otherwise, we all get too busy at times to remember to take time to take care of some of the details that he recommends.
February 22, 2014
Wish it had real life before and after photos rather than drawings. I liked the clever somewhat sarcastic tone except after a while it was a bit too much. Humour would have went over better with me if used more sporadically.
May 24, 2011
Amusing-I like a book with a strong POV and the author is pretty humorous. But nothing new said here. Cute drawings.
August 10, 2011
Easy reading with fun illustrations and some helpful, practical home improvement ideas. Humorous in parts, but got a bit old at times.
May 12, 2013
I found this book to be condescending, and, in general, I pretty much disagreed with the advice.
November 1, 2013
Learned a few things about making a space welcoming. His verbosity got a little old after a while. I started skimming the superfluous adjectives.
September 18, 2013
Lots of the things in this book are not practical for a normal person. But, there were also some things that I found very informative.
January 10, 2013
It was ok - some good points.
April 6, 2017
I loved this book! I didn't expect to. I thought this book would be too high-fashion for me, but it turned out to be all about making your home practical, beautiful, safe, and comfortable. Plus, it had a lot of humor and was fun to read. To me, this book makes a lot of sense. I borrowed this book from my town library, and now I plan to buy it to use as a kind of home design reference book. I read this book gradually, sometimes taking a break to read other books.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews