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From Concept to Reality

by Kelly Hoppen
Photographs by Vincent Knapp
Text by Helen Chislett

Kelly Hoppen is a British interior designer, and one of the current crop of hip young designers. Although the premise of this 3 pound book (weight, not cost!) is that anyone can achieve her style and flair, no matter what their budget, I found that it really speaks to the high end price range for chic design. The photography is terrific, and the designs are both trendy and modern. Although it showed us Ms. Hoppen's panache, without really giving us "ordinary" folk any practical advice on making our rooms look like hers, it is a delightful book to browse and dream through.

The cleverness and usefulness of the book lies in the implementation of the way the material is presented. Five sections take us through the be-your-own-interior-designer approach. Part 1: The Design Process. Part 2: Design and Decoration. Part 3: Furniture and Furnishings. Part 4: Feeding the Senses. Part 5: Room by Room Overview.

For most people, decorating is an intensely personal and taste-motivated subject. Not being able to afford pricy designers, we are left to our own devices, relying on our own likes and dislikes. Ms. Hoppen gives us a blueprint to guide our steps in focusing our likes and dislikes, using our present furniture and knick-knacks, and our own personal perspective. By following that blueprint, even the most inept can get a grasp on the ideas. Again, the photography is delightful - we see many close-ups of patterns in carpet, counters, individual pieces of furniture and materials. Architectural drawings are included, as are "room boards" which pull together the fabrics, colors and dynamics of each room design.

Whether it is beds and headboards, storage or tables, the pages of this 190+ page 11.1 x 9.5 x 1 inch book are packed with ideas and models to inspire you. Even though most of us can never hope to own homes that are over 4,000 square feet of elegance, Kelly's own home, and the pictures of other homes she has created designs for, give us all hope that we can live with style and grace, no matter what the budget.