Nina Campbell's Decorating Secrets: Easy Ways to Achieve the Professional Look

Nina Campbell's signature design is "layering," which means every element--the furniture, wall coverings, carpet, lighting, accessories--should complement each other and the overall scheme of the room. She starts with the hall, the first impression of your home, then moves into the drawing and sitting rooms, the dining room, the kitchen, the study and library, the bedrooms, and then the bathrooms. Campbell uses her own home and other posh London residences as her examples, but you may not have this many rooms, the wallet, or the will to acquire them; however, you can still come away with ideas for your own home. The style she prefers is lush, rich, and elegant but some may find a Campbell-decorated home overstuffed and ornate. Whether or not you're a fan of chintz, you can still find inspiration from her thoughtful process, her emphasis on harmony between function and aesthetics, and her insistence on a comfortable home in which you can have both private retreats and areas for entertaining. "Your home is an extension of your personality," she says, "and it is this that you want to capture when putting your decorative scheme together." --Dana Van Nest

Product Description
Interior decoration has never been more popular, yet at the end of the day few people achieve the look they envision when they start a room. Now renowned English decorator Nina Campbell shares the secrets that have brought her world acclaim, offering a step-by-step design strategy that will help turn your original ideas into a beautiful reality.

Nina Campbell's Decorating Secrets is a practical decorating guide based on Nina's unique "layering" approach of combining the different elements in any given room -- from furniture and lighting to pictures and flowers -- to create a unified scheme. The first section covers such basics as determining what you want out of a room, how to assess a particular space with an eye toward natural light and existing architectural details, and why rooms need focal points and how to create one. Next, she walks you through the main rooms of a home and addresses the key decorating decisions for each one, such as choosing the right colors and fabrics to create a certain mood, deciding what to put on the walls and floors, and how to properly position the furniture. This is the heart of the book and where her "layering" philosophy really takes effect. Finally, the last section examines the all-important finishing touches, such as display items and soft furnishings, that add a personal feel to any room.

Lavishly illustrated with two hundred stunning full-color photographs and written in a lively anecdotal style, Nina Campbell's Decorating Secrets is an enjoyable and practical resource.

This book is more than just tassels and fluff. Firstly, Nina makes it clear that she is a traditionalist. "...I am not advocating the minimalist approach - anyone who knows my look would realize how alien that is to me..." Secondly, her sage advice is for appropriate for every designer, regardless of budget limitations. If the photographs are not your speed, then pay strict attention to her words, you can adapt the ideas presented to a home of any size.

In essence, what makes this book stand out head and shoulders above the others is the combination of Nina's elegant writing, her down-to-earth presentation, inspiring ideas and -- the details, details, details! She deftly explains what a novice designer needs to know before tackling a project, and then walks through the process room by room. She also addresses small spaces, a topic usually covered under separate titles. Most of the photographs are close-ups, which enables readers to catch specific details and replicate the looks most inspiring to them.

If you are confused by the myriad of decorating books on the market today, and are looking for that one book that you can use over and over again as a quick reference guide, this is one I would recommend hands down. I also suggest that you check out Nina's other book entitled The Art of Decoration. My copy is two years old and very tattered.

Cris Cunningham


Excellent tips and strategies   July 4, 2001
Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA)
10 out of 11 found this review helpful

The very basics of decorating are covered in Nina Campbell's Decorating Secrets, a guide which offers step-by-step strategies to designing and decorating every room in a home. From assessing a room's light and qualities to understanding design focal points and the trappings which separate professional from amateur results, Decorating Secrets provides excellent tips and strategies.


best advice   June 24, 2003
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

I just started reading decorating books and so far this has been the best one. It gives advice on what you need to think about before decorating and the specific elementS a room needs to successfull. This book gives you the underlying principles that can be applied to many differnt styles.


Wonderful Decorating Reference Book!   February 25, 2008
Belle (Boston, MA)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

I love this book! Who wouldn't? I'll tell you who won't like the book, people whose taste lean toward modern, contemporary or minimalist. That said it is a wonderful resource for those interested in traditional or English style. I love both and find it hard to get enough. I have owned the book for several years and still pull it off the shelf to refer to the great pictures or decorating suggestions. There is a section in the book that reviews how to approach a decorating project...that is by the use of the room first and foremost (practical advice no matter what your decorating style) to make sure that the room will meet your needs. I refere to this book often for window treatment ideas and wall decorating (placement of pictures, mirrors). I study the pictures to figure out why things look so beautiful. Careful study of this book is a good lesson in best use of space, spatial relationships, balance, color, textures, light and dark. I can't say enough of Nina's talent. Wonderful!