Product Description

This text, which accompanies a television series, explores all kinds of styles from Gothic to Egyptian to high Renaissance. All kinds of living rooms are transformed.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #122542 in Books
• Published on: 1999-08-13
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 192 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
This striking and indulgent book accompanies the BBC television series of the same name. Flamboyant Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen here urges the British public to stop being so "appalling at letting their hair down" and indulge in their wildest DIY fantasies. These designs are not for the faint-hearted: Laurence goes the whole hog by transforming a dining room into an Egyptian chamber, a bedroom into a glitzy Ritz salon and brings Ancient Rome into a Basildon living room. He leads us through each project from inspiration to realisation giving an historical perspective on each theme and highlighting the key images and motifs from which the styles are generated.

In spite of its extravagance this book never loses sight of the practicalities of interior design. Each chapter includes an overview of the home-owner's needs and ideas and Laurence's own evaluation of the space in which his designs are to evolve. The transformations are broken down clearly explaining the steps towards the finished room. But if you don't know how to put up a shelf this is not the book to tell you--some basic DIY experience is required.

Illustrated with fabulous photography, including close-ups of individual features, Fantasy Rooms is as visually lavish as you could hope for. Intended to inspire and bring out the Laurence in us all, this book will show you that an Englishman's home should be his fantasy castle. --Nicola Hollins

Customer Reviews

great!
Laurence simply excells himself in this superb array of designs and ideas from the hit television show 'Fantasy Rooms'. The book is packed full of detailed plans, paint effects and original ideas included in the program and helpful hints from behind-the-scenes. The book also includes sketches, photographs and detailed background information to the designs. The designs are bound to influence any wannabe interior designer or even just someone who simply wanted to redecorate. Superb!

Inspirational!
Well-written, fun, and useful in teaching techniques for designing offbeat rooms. Features tons of photographs and diagrams. If you have basic experience at things like painting and putting up shelves, this book will be useful to you (it doesn't teach the bare basics, assuming you have a bit of DIY experience). Bowen explains how he researched the various fantasies (Egyptian, Art Deco, Roman, Heaven) and worked them around the spaces. This book is not only practical, it's inspirational.