Mary Gilliatt's Complete Room By Room Decorating Guide

Book cover to Complete Room By Room Decorating Guide. (SHNS photo courtesy Watson-Guptill Publications)

At first glance, this book appears to be another one of those pretty coffee table books full of pictures of rooms you could never afford to decorate. But take the time to read some of the print that goes with these pictures, and you'll get some good, solid decorating advice. Unfortunately, a lot of this great advice is hidden between treatises on the history of interior design, which might not be helpful to a homeowner just looking to spruce up a room.

A few of the book's unearthed gems:

• Don't get taken in by design fads, Gilliatt warns: "The difference between what is au courant and what might be a constant pleasure for years to come (is) the difference between good and bad design."

• Not sure about your own design style? Collect stacks of design magazines, rip out the pictures you like best, and look for a theme between them. The book offers a handy "to do" list of things to have on hand when shopping for furniture.

• Be practical. Think about the function of the room before you decorate. If kids and pets are around, you want furniture and wall coverings that can handle abuse, for example.