Good Design Can Change Your Life: Beautiful Rooms, Inspiring Stories

by Ty Pennington

This home design manual by Ty Pennington, combines inspirational stories with practical advice to show readers how good design can change their lives.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0743294742
• ISBN13: 9780743294744
• Release Date: September 2008
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 1.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 7.4" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

The Guidelines For Designing a New Room

This book was phenomenal!! It really showed me the guidelines to creating a masterpiece room. I now have now have a lot of good ideas for designing my new bedroom. I even asked my Mom if I could fix some other rooms in our home. I now have a lot more inspiration and confidence for creating new rooms!! Thanks Ty!!

Good Design Does Change Your Life

This is a fun book, easy read with lots of good ideas and stories that tell it all. I bought it for my daughter who is teaching her kids decorating techniques and design concepts so this will be read by more than one person in their household. Wonderful gift idea for Christmas or anytime.

great book

Loved this book! Gave me a lot of great ideas and made me think there's hope for my house after all!

Charming and Informative

This is a nice book. The photos and the stories about Extreme Makeover Home Edition are really great, and the information Ty gives is fresh. Ty is right--sometimes all it takes is changing a room to give everything a fresh perspective. Some of the ideas in this book are really simple and easy. But the best thing by far is the hilarious quiz.

Host of Extreme Makeovers Shares His Secrets

As a designer, I read all the new home decorating books, and I really enjoyed this. Ty Pennington, the host of Extreme Makeovers, shares his talent and enthusiasm for makeovers and design in Good Design Can Change Your Life: Beautiful Rooms, Inspiring Stories. This full color book is sure to inspire. In the introduction, Pennington writes of his heartwarming successes at making over homes on Extreme Makeovers for people in need: "The experience of creating warm, inviting sanctuaries for families who really need them has made me a true believer in the power of positive thinking." He believes that a makeover can transform your life. He is also adamant about decorating to suit your own sense of style. Good Design concentrates on the bedroom, living spaces and work spaces. Part I The 12 steps to take to prepare for a makeover include smart ideas like taking before photos of the space. In Prep Work, he has a quiz to take to discover your style. The styles include: minimalist, traditionalist, maximalist, ethnologist, naturalist, and "You're Me" (all of the above.) There is a very good section on color and how it affects mood. Part II Sleeping Spaces Includes a section on art as a focal point, rooms with high contrast, the importance of lighting, and natural features. About recycling, Pennington writes that he employs "Reincarnation," which is "giving something that you might otherwise throw out or give away a completely new life." One example he shows takes posts from a front porch and using them for the posts for twin beds. Brilliant! There is also a nice section on kid's rooms. Part III Living Spaces Pennington writes about the importance of the flow of traffic, especially for the entryway, which should always be inviting. He says in Feng Shui the flow of energy is importance, but his flow is that furniture should be positioned so that people have plenty of space to walk around. (Another terrific design book that also discusses the importance of energy flowing is the award winning book, HARMONIOUS ENVIRONMENT: BEAUTIFY, DETOXIFY & ENERGIZE YOUR LIFE, YOUR HOME & YOUR PLANET. Read these together and see some magic happen!) He also writes about accessorizing. Part IV Working Spaces He impresses the importance of having a clean and simple office. In the appendix, he includes projects for reader to make, including a stacked bench, shade lamp and a cool shelf. If you need to be inspired to makeover your home or part of it, this book will do it!