Christopher Lowell's Seven Layers of Design

Buy This Item Christopher Lowell's Seven Layers of Design by Live / Artisan  Available from Amazon  $14.98  on 11-26-2008     He lisps, he indulges in drag queen humor, he gives great decorating strategy. The Discovery Channel's Christopher Lowell has created one of those cable niches (and his own home fashion line at a major store chain) by paring things down to the basics for the design challenged. In the first half of this 98-minute video he demonstrates his seven-layers philosophy (walls, floor, upholstery, rugs/fabrics, surfaces, accessories, and plants/lighting) by filling an empty living room layer by layer. You may disagree with some of his premises--for instance he abhors white walls and patterned sofas--but by following his organizational scheme, large projects will seem more doable. Along those lines, the second half of this tape, "The Seven Psychological Layers of Design," focuses on breaking down the fear and lack of confidence that prevent so many people from daring to change their homes. He uses the same room from the first half, augmenting the segments with Zen-like advice on "mental interiors" ("Where there is fear, there is no creativity" and "Choose something rather than nothing"). <I>--Kimberly Heinrichs</I> Reader Reviews When I heard Christopher talk about his "Seven Layers of Design" I couldn't wait to try it out. He was speaking to me! His book was extremely helpful, but being a visual learner, I thought the video would help all the more. I hate to say I was disappointed, but I was. It was redundant. I would have liked more examples with different rooms. The one room he uses is great, but the tape shows the same clips twice! Once about decorating and again about the psychology of seven layers. I found myself fast forwarding instead of listening. It will be a good reference tape, but I will probably use the book more.

Christopher Lowell's Seven Layers of Design Available from Amazon Price: $14.98 Updated on 11-26-2008.

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