What Color Is Your Slipcover?: How Discovering Your Design Personality Can Help You Create the Home of Your Dreams

A decorating book with no pictures? What? There are a few sketches here and there, but the whole point of this book is finding out who you are, and what makes you happy. She has some great, incredibly informative activities (buy a little notebook and do them all. They are wonderful.) I've been pretty confident about my design style and what I like, but this book added so much understanding to my taste. I just moved to a new house and am starting completely from scratch in decorating. I've been so grateful to have my binder and notebook with me to remind me what I like and what makes my heart sing. This book is too deep and thought-provoking to just be about "decorating". I've recommended it to everyone I know. No matter what your style, this book will help you!

This was a very practical way for me to discover my blind spots when it comes to decorating and arranging my home. Denny has made lots of interesting exercises that are a lot of fun and occasionally surprising. I also liked her playful and inspiring tone throughout the book. I feel very confident and prepared to reinvent rooms that haven't been changed in many years.

Finally, decorating makes sense! While some decorators approach decorating piecemeal, this author takes a much broader view. The author's premise is that you must understand what you want before you start actually decorating. The book then takes you on a journey of discovery. There are several wonderful exercises in the book, from a completely new perspective. For example, many decorators will tell you to cut out pictures of rooms you like. But what if all the rooms you like don't fit your house, or your budget? Or what if you can't find pictures of rooms you like? Denny's approach is different. She has you create a picture journal, not simply of rooms you like, but of anything you like--rooms, jewelery, scenery, clothing, etc. Then, you look through and find themes which you can then translate to, and make come alive in, your home. Typically when I read a book with exercies, I find them burdensome or dull. These are different; they are easy and fun. Many exercises are aimed at discovering your hidden desires, likes, and needs. What's the point in designing a beautiful room if it doesn't meet your specific needs? This book helps you dig, and uncover what you want and what may have been missing in your home/life for years. There's also a wonderful section devoted to clutter. It's hard to believe that a decorating book can work so well for an individual. But it does. I read the book somewhat quickly then started again and did (most of) the exercies. This book is great for anyone interested in a fresh, individualized, fun approach to decorating.

Do you ever look around a room in your house and think: I never liked this room; it's too ___________ (fill in the blank!). That's how I was, but I was never sure what to do about it. This book is wonderful for helping you discover the styles and atmosphere you want your room to have and then how to create it. I love how the author emphasizes that your home should be decorated with what makes YOU happy, not what the latest trend is. She has a very straightforward approach for helping you come up with your design. Her many examples of past clients' "problems" and their solutions makes the book fun to read as well as informative. Her book never gets bogged down in technical jargon. I highly recommend this book. My husband and I used this process in one of our rooms and we love the result; it's one of our favorite rooms in the house. We are now eagerly working on another one!

Thank you Denny for writing a book that makes a connection between my home and my joy, my creativity, my spirituality and my love of family and friends. In What Color Is Your Slipcover, Denny Daikeler gently showed me a process of self-discovery that brings beauty to my life inside and out. Denny writes: "I will attempt to lead you to yourself and to the home life your soul deserves." And it is easy and fun. I did the Picture Journal Exercise and discovered that almost every one of my picture had circles. I still cannot believe the impact of knowing this. Because here I am, walking through my home filled with a wonderful sense of comfort, a feeling of "I am home" as I look at the sloping backs of my dining room chairs, the rounded corners of the dining room tables, the wrought iron swirls at the base of my husband's desk, and the unusual round chair in my living room. The roundness somehow touches my spirit. I am home. BONUS And What Color is Your Slipcover is good for relationships too. Tony (my dear husband) and I did the process together. We have never discussed furniture or colors. It really is not an interest to him. But he loves his map desk and our living room filled with music. Last year, he gave me the most beautiful anniversary card. I am going to frame it. He said to me: "I knew you would love the card." I placed in on my mantle. It was the exact color of the walls and furniture, with swirls of course.