Let's Ask Michael: 100 Practical Solutions for Interior Design Challenges

HOME SWEET STYLISH HOME

Michael Payne –popular host of the HGTV's hit series, Designing for the Sexes – brings his unique talents and expertise to this beautiful and practical reference designed to help homeowners find stylish solutions to today’s most challenging home design dilemmas.

REAL LIFE QUESTIONS ASKED BY REAL LIFE PEOPLE:

Utilizing a vibrant full-color format, Michael answers such questions as:

* I want a classic Victorian theme in my family room, where do I begin?

* Our new living room has 20-foot ceilings and makes furniture look miniature, what should we do?

* We want color in our room, but have no idea where to start, what do you suggest?

Michael Payne’s ingenious—and beautiful—answers will give you ideas you’ll want to try in your own home. Whether you’re married or single, you’ll appreciate the exciting decorating solutions in Let’s Ask Michael. This book —

* Puts 100 complete design answers in front of your eyes in gorgeous 4-color, 2-page spreads

* Answers questions on all the rooms in your home

* Follows a logical room-by-room sequence

* Is packed with Michael’s unique tips on lighting, upholstery, accessories, storage, and more

YOU ASKED HIM, NOW HE’S ANSWERING

Through emails, internet chats, and attendance at his seminars, Michael’s fans have directly asked him to solve their most difficult interior design dilemmas. This beautiful reference delivers the answers they seek in a style that captures Michael's trademark wit and charm. Questions range from the common to the outrageous, providing always informative — and often amusing — reading.

PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS IN AN INNOVATIVE FORMAT

Michael Payne is the host of the weekly Home & Garden Television (HGTV) series, Designing for the Sexes. He is a certified Interior Designer in the state of California and the founder of Michael Payne Design, Inc. Mr. Payne has been featured on a number of network TV programs, national radio, and in various publications. He is a frequent speaker at design events, conferences, and museum colloquiums. He also hosts a popular weekly online chatroom on HGTV's Web site.

Publishers Weekly

Devotees of Payne's HGTV series, Designing for the Sexes, will welcome this richly illustrated user-friendly guide to interior design. Payne, a California interior designer, has compiled frequently asked questions he has received from viewers since his show first aired in 1998. Divided into sections by rooms, the author addresses design issues such as color, space, light and budgetary considerations. For example, a stay-at-home working mother who is using a guest bedroom for an office wonders how to make the room most attractive and efficient for both her and sleepover guests. The author suggests purchasing a "Murphy" bed that can be housed behind wall cabinetry with shelves that can be closed when the bed is not in use. Payne is also adept at resolving conflicts in taste between two people who are living together. He helps a husband and wife who are planning to remodel their living room in order to reconcile the husband's love of new design trends that emphasize light metals with his Japanese wife's desire to incorporate elements from her culture. Since both tastes begin with simplicity, Payne demonstrates a design marriage between traditional Asian simplicity and geometric lines. The color photos complement and strengthen the author's solutions. Although Payne does take budgetary and space constraints into account, this manual will be most useful to upper-middle-class families who live in houses rather than apartments. (Apr.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Michael Payne is the host of the weekly Home & Garden Television (HGTV) series, Designing for the Sexes. He is a certified Interior Designer in the state of California and the founder of Michael Payne Design, Inc. Mr. Payne has been featured on a number of network TV programs, national radio, and in various publications. He is a frequent speaker at design events, conferences, and museum colloquiums. He also hosts a popular weekly online chatroom on HGTV's Web site.