Book Description
Decorating with style and creativity "no matter what challenges real life may bring" is a Mary Emmerling trademark. In her last book, Mary Emmerling's Quick Decorating, she proved that beautiful rooms could be put together in hours and even minutes; now she brings the same ingenuity and panache to decorating on a budget in Mary Emmerling's Smart Decorating. The secret of her system for avoiding expense is keeping the big-ticket furnishings simple, focusing instead on the movable feasts of accessories and flowers, pictures and fabrics. It is a strategy that works every time.

Hundreds of full-color photographs present ideas from which any home decorator can draw inspiration or improvise. Chapters are organized by price, from "Pennies" (using produce and fresh flowers placed in interesting "found" containers, for example) to "Dollars" (such as covering books with a uniform paper to create an instant library) to "Bigger Bucks" (a vintage tablecloth artfully hung as a contemporary window treatment).

In addition to ideas for every room of the house, Mary offers strategies for shopping smart, salvaging old pieces, incorporating objects from nature into a decorating scheme, and creating new uses for everyday objects, as well as a directory to her favorite home stores and antique shops.

Throughout, Mary's inimitable approach makes decorating itself fresh and fun. Perfect for the beginner and seasoned decorator alike, Mary Emmerling's Smart Decorating is an invaluable resource for finding great style without great expense.


From the Inside Flap
Decorating with style and creativity -- no matter what challenges real life may bring -- is a Mary Emmerling trademark. In her last book, Mary Emmerling's Quick Decorating, she proved that beautiful rooms could be put together in hours and even minutes; now she brings the same ingenuity and panache to decorating on a budget in Mary Emmerling's Smart Decorating. The secret of her system for avoiding expense is keeping the big-ticket furnishings simple, focusing instead on the movable feasts of accessories and flowers, pictures and fabrics. It is a strategy that works every time.

Hundreds of full-color photographs present ideas from which any home decorator can draw inspiration or improvise. Chapters are organized by price, from "Pennies" (using produce and fresh flowers placed in interesting "found" containers, for example) to "Dollars" (such as covering books with a uniform paper to create an instant library) to "Bigger Bucks" (a vintage tablecloth artfully hung as a contemporary window treatment).

In addition to ideas for every room of the house, Mary offers strategies for shopping smart, salvaging old pieces, incorporating objects from nature into a decorating scheme, and creating new uses for everyday objects, as well as a directory to her favorite home stores and antiques shops.

Throughout, Mary's inimitable approach makes decorating itself fresh and fun. Perfect for the beginner and seasoned decorator alike, Mary Emmerling's Smart Decorating is an invaluable resource for finding great style without great expense.


About the Author
One of the best known names in American decorating, Mary Emmerling is the author of seventeen books, including Mary Emmerling's American Country Cottages, Mary Emmerling's American Country Details, and Mary Emmerling's Quick Decorating.
She is creative director of Country Home magazine, and host of the Country At Home television show on HGTV. She lives in Des Moines, Iowa; Santa Fe, New Mexico; and Phoenix, Arizona.

FROM THE PUBLISHER