Book Review: Design Rules by Elaine Griffin

First, let’s get the housekeeping out of the way. I was asked if I wanted to review a copy of Design Rules – The Insider’s Guide to Becoming Your Own Decorator by Elaine Griffin, which hit the book stores this week. I am not receiving any compensation to review this book - all opinions are my own.

Design Rules – The Author

Some background: Elaine Griffin is a New York interior designer, a contributing editor to Elle Decor, and ranked in House Beautiful’s list of the Top 100 American Designers. She has countless articles and magazine credits, which you can find on her website here.

Design Rules – The Book

As the introduction says, “This is the secret stuff your decorator would have told you were hiring one.”  Perfect summation – and it’s true.

         The good:

In an epiphany that will shock no one -- Elaine has very extensive knowledge and experience and it shows. I give bonus points for the simple explanations everyone can understand.

Design Rules discusses everything from how much space you need in the laundry room design to fold your clothes to letting your bathroom footage determine the sink style. It continually talks about size, scale, and proportion, while giving you numbers you can work with: “Why do people put tiny little lamps on their bedside tables is beyond me! Standard–size (22 to 27 inches tall, with shade) table lamps look so much better!”

My designer mother and I poured over the book, nodding at almost every other page. It’s a nice easy-to-read layout, with pretty illustrations throughout. I loved the section on window trims and wall decoration – not something I get into, yet my clients ask all the time. It’s explained far better than I could.

Also? The tips on the laundry room are worth the price of the book – there’s so little out on laundry rooms and the advice is very good.  (The only scratch-my-head moment I have is on page 180 where it’s stated that most washer/dryers are about 37” wide. I’ve never had a washer/wider than 30” – is this a commercial washer/dryer or perhaps a misprint?)

It’s all here, everything from bedrooms to foyers to bathrooms to basements. Two separate chapters are on the window treatments and color, with a few “break the rules” advice.

 The amusing:

• The regional differences – the foyer as a separate entity. She would cry if she saw the foyers of an average home on the West Coast. Big, separate entities they are not.
• She can level with us: she's never specified laminate counters in her life.*grin*
• Her bio says she’s from Georgia - is that why she keeps addressing us readers as “sugar”? I’ve only met three people from Georgia my entire life. Love the spoken drawl but it feels a tad over the top in print. (I can just hear all the people from Georgia reading this, “Seems normal to us, sugar. What’s your problem?”)

 The could-be-better parts: 

Design Rules feels to me like it’s trying a bit too hard to be all things to all people. Elaine’s not only a high-end designer, she’s a regional big-city designer and some of the tips reflect that.

For instance, page 109: engineered quartz is only half the price of granites. Er, sure - when one is dealing with the exotics and  higher-end specialty granites; otherwise, there is not much difference cost-wise between common granites and quartz counters (assuming same thickness and counter edges).

Her design tip on page 92 - “let a big box store become your bestest friend the very minute your first new kitchen thoughts occur…” and “…if you’re not on a budget (sigh), you can also work with a kitchen specialist” – is…well. She’s clearly never heard you readers in the forums, nor heard us say there’s not much difference in cost between the box stores and many design studios or firms. Again, regional. Your mileage may vary.

You know I was going to focus on the kitchen and bath, didn’t you?

• “Sitting the range next to a tall cupboard…is another don’t—if you can’t spread your arms from side to side while standing at the stove, you’ll feel like the kitchen is closing in on you.” Amen.
• To be fair, she’s covering a lot – but there are a few areas where she didn’t go far enough, which could lead someone to making a mistake. There’s a design tip for using 42” high wall cabinets in a 96” high ceiling. No good if the ceiling is not level, or there’s can lighting trim in the way – a frameless door will bind or scrape across the ceiling – not to mention we’ll run into code issues with a gas range unless the width of the hood fan is wider.  
• “When considering your layout, the first thing to know is the work triangle…is the kitchen’s golden fleece.”  Um, we need to talk. 

The final verdict?

The minor diversions aside, this is a good book to add to your shelf, especially if you’re a beginner. If you’re more advanced, it’s still good -- I’ll bet you’ll find a tip or two that will more than pay for the cost of the book. If you want details on how to order, click on the photo above which will take you to Elaine’s website.  But wait! There's more! (I've always wanted to say that...)

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 WIN A COPY -- THE “DESIGN RULES” GIVEAWAY

The nice publicist for the book said there was a copy of Design Rules: The Insider’s Guide to Becoming Your Own Decorator for one of you lucky readers. (Unfortunately, the offer is limited to the U.S. and Canada only, sorry.)

• Finish the following sentence “I really wish I knew the design rule for …” with your name in the comments below. (Don’t worry if someone has already said it.)

All comments will go into the fishbowl and one lucky name will be drawn on lucky Friday, November 13th, 2009 at 12 noon (PST) . Good luck!

~*~

The winner has been selected - thanks to all who left a comment!

Comments

[Anne Morrison]

I wish I knew the design rule for installing one sink or two in a small main bath for a house without a master bath.

[Laurie]

I wish I knew the design rules for so many things: choosing paint colors; updating a 50's pink bathroom with minimal funds; mixing and matching furnishing; window treatments....can't you see that I REALLY need this book. LOL

[Paul Anater]

I wish I knew the design rule that makes the work triangle the kitchen's golden fleece.

[Bri]

I really wish I knew the design rule for getting a paint color right. I try three or four (or more) samples, none of them look right to me and I end up giving up on repainting. I've got a 6 year old splotch of horrid purple paint in my guest room as evidence. I covered it up with a print, but I know it's there on the stark white wall and it bugs me!

[Susan R.]

I really wish I knew the design rule for walking/clearance space amongst furniture pieces in a private residential setting. I hate tripping on my own furniture and would hate to condemn someone else to this fate.
Susan R.

[Sonya]

I really with I knew the design rule for laying out a really teeny bathroom, including a claw foot tub in it.

[Johnna]

I wish i knew the design rule for neither over- nor under-doing my house remodel.

[Paul Lesieur]

I wish I knew the design rule for where to put a bad designer.

[Lisa Albert]

I wish I knew the design rule for maximum and minimum distances between kitchen sink and dishwasher.

(pick me, pick me, pick me, pick me ;-)