A Premier Designer Takes You on a Room-by-Room Tour to Transform Your Home from Faux Pas to
James Swan (Author), Stanley Meyer (Illustrator), Carol Beggy (Contributor)
James Swan
Did you 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. Discover:
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.
Overview of Chapters:
- Entry Way
- Powder Room
- Living Room
- Dining Room
- Kitchen
- Family Room
- Library
- Guest Bedroom and Bath
- Children’s Bedroom and Bath
- Home Office
- Mudroom
Sample Review
What James Hates About Your House !
“While on Twitter the other day, I laughed out loud when I saw the title of this new book, 101 Things I Hate About Your House, by nationally-acclaimed interior designer James Swan, with award-winning writer Carol Beggy and illustrator Stanley A. Meyer. The red “door” cover made me want to click the book’s brass knocker NOW and walk right in and see…you guessed it…what James might hate about my house! (Oh, the pressure!)
From page one, I was laughing all the way to my little…uh…”powder room” where James lets all us home dwellers firmly know: “If I’ve got to “go” then the last thing I want to see is the collection of cover-sticks, deodorants, and hair products that went into pulling you together for either day, evening, or both. I love you dearly, but I don’t love you that much. Put your stuff away.”
Well James, the organizer and decorator in me says I’m with you so far on this sage homeowner advice! . . . ”
–Kathryn Bechen
About James Swan
ames Swan is head of New Wall Enterprises, a Beverly Hills-based design and lifestyle group focused on delivering smart-design daily to consumers across the country and around the world. As a lifestyle leader he has been featured in House & Garden magazine, House Beautiful and the Los Angeles Times. He wrote a “Trends & Shopping” column for House & Garden magazine, and continues the dialogue on his own design blog, The Design Quotient (www.designquotient.com). Adding author (as a contributor to Curbed.com and other sites) and speaker (NeoCon West) to his accomplishments has further broadened his influence. A Facebook page (http://is.gd/aYq5r) features many of the principles discussed in 101 Things I Hate About Your House with inspired interaction from a growing following of Swan’s work.
Swan’s career took off back in Northern California at a noted San Francisco architecture firm, where he managed residential interiors. After that, Los Angeles beckoned, specifically the prestigious firm of Frank K. Pennino & Associates, where as senior designer he managed high-profile projects, and earned a reputation for refined classical design that succinctly reflected his clients’ lives. In 1999, Swan opened his own firm in Beverly Hills. His talents earned him Vox Vodka/Out Magazine’s Designer of the Year Award. In 2009 Ballard Designs (www.ballarddesigns.com) announced their collaboration with Swan, their first with a nationally known designer. From 2005 to 2009, Swan was a member of the Executive Board of Directors of the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund. His other community commitments include PAWS/LA, which assists with the care of pets for people living with disabilities, and KidSmart, an art education foundation for inner-city youth. In his free time, Swan may be found indulging his passion for gardening, skiing and travel. He divides his time between Beverly Hills, Boston and Pemaquid, Maine.
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