Review: Become Little Miss Fix-It with a bit of help from the experts
A Girl's Guide to Decorating Abigail Ahern
Published by Quadrille, 16.99
In these days of financial constraints, it pays to learn how to do your own decorating, put up shelves and get down and dirty with a drill.
The problem is that many DIY books are so dry and dull you've glazed over before the end of the third paragraph and lost all enthusiasm by the fourth.
That's why Abigail Ahern's new book is such a refreshing change.
While she hasn't reinvented the art of hanging wallpaper or installing tongue and groove panelling, she has come up with a format that excites and inspires.
Abigail – trend spotter, stylist and owner of the much vaunted Atelier Abigail Ahern store in London (www. atelirabigailahern.com) – brings her presentational skills and designer's eye to publishing.
The photos are inspiring and there lots of them, the print is large and there are plenty of good ideas to help you transform your home.
The latter include how to make Perspex shutters and how to create stair runners using a staple gun and inexpensive rugs.
There are step-by-step guides on everything from space planning and sanding and painting floors to putting up a ceiling rose and making new kitchen cupboard doors.
Abigail also encourages her readers to be bold in their use of colour, texture and pattern.
In all she has created a jolly useful and attractive book that would make an ideal present and may also act as useful hint from husbands who are fed-up with being Mr Fix It.
Better still, ladies, bypass the middleman (if you have one) and buy it yourself.
The message is in the title of this book.
We know we can if we try. We just need a bit of inspiration.
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Sunday 12 February 2012
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