Decor Galore by Laura De Barra
Written by Ashley Kelmore, Posted in Reviews
Three Stars
Best for:
Those just about to move into a new home (ideally one they own); those who are looking to make some changes to their existing home.
In a nutshell:
Author De Barra offers ideas on how to improve spaces throughout one’s home, whether by making just a few changes or completely overhauling the room.
Worth quoting:
She refers to DIY as She-IY and that’s just not for me.
Why I chose it:
We’ve been in our flat for nearly a year now, and some areas still are empty (e.g., pretty much every single wall) and I was looking for some inspiration.
Review:
De Barra breaks down her book into each room, offering some very detailed ideas about decor, but also things like lighting, fabrics, and ‘zones.’ The book has some great tips and explanations about things like different types of couches, beds, and rugs, It’s a handy guide for things that one might not really think about or think one needs to know until they find themselves needing to buy a mattress and not really sure what the different options mean.
For each room, De Barra offers a ‘Min’ option – which is basically just playing around with what one already has in the house. Then there’s the ‘Tszuj’ (which is I had to look up, and then realised I knew what she was saying but that’s not how I’d spell it) – this is about making some changes without spending a ton of money, and then the Overhaul, which is what one would expect, and involves a lot more in terms of money, time, and work.
I kept a little notebook and wrote down some ideas (a couple of which I’ve already incorporated), and the illustrations are great. Now I just need to re-read the parts that talk about art on the walls, as that was kind of the main point of purchasing the book.
What’s next for this book:
Keep to refer to next time I’m updating a room.
