Christopher Lowell's One-of-a-Kind Decorating Projects

Do you want a designer look for your home—right now, for no money? Christopher Lowell hears you. The king of “let’s don’t and say we did” is at it again with more than fifty super-simple decorating tricks from the designer’s little black book. One glance and you’ll be inspired to make your home feel like you—modern, fresh, and in sync with today’s hypertasking lifestyle.

But who’s got time to make things from scratch? Christopher gets that, too. He’s done the work for you, scouring the mass-market stores in your neighborhood to find hidden gems you might have already passed by. With his ingenuity and award-winning designer’s eye, he shows you—step by step—how to use these conventional items in one-of-a-kind ways. The result is a home that looks totally custom designed for you. Are these projects easy? As Christopher says, “If you can get up, get dressed, put on makeup, do your hair, and drive in busy traffic, you are already overqualified to do the tasks in this book.”

These “chic cheats” are universal concepts that can be adapted to any home anywhere. Buy the drapes, then add a border. Use freestanding bookcases to create a sleeping niche that looks like a bedroom at a five-star hotel. Turn a boring corner of the kitchen into a country bed-and-breakfast nook. Make a creative work center with a breezy, beachy feel out of an unused hallway. If Christopher can do it, so can you! No project will take you more than a weekend, and in most cases you’ll spend only a few hours—that you’ll actually enjoy! Christopher tells you exactly what you need and where to get it, and provides cool variations to adapt any of the projects to your individual taste. Best of all, you can always depend on Christopher’s voice to keep you motivated in a way no other designer can.

So what are you waiting for? It’s never been easier to make the place you call home reflect your taste, style, and personality.

Christopher Lowell's Seven Layers of Organization

We’ve let clutter creep up on us. Perhaps it started with a pile of magazines we still haven’t found the time to read, or with a sentimental favorite furniture set that has long outlived its usefulness. Then, the papers and books and gadgets pile up…Soon, it’s hard to find the floor—not to mention our peace of mind! The truth is, seven out of ten Americans are living in overcluttered homes. It’s no wonder that millions of us tune in to do-it-yourself television or flock to home stores looking for ways to organize our unruly dwellings. But putting it all together—deciding what to keep, what to dump, and how to reclaim our living spaces—can be daunting without an overall plan of attack. Emmy Award-winning design guru Christopher Lowell provides the perfect solution in his much-anticipated Seven Layers of Organization.

Christopher takes you through the organizing process step by step, breaking each layer down into simple tasks that anyone can make time to do. You’ll learn to: Assess & Schedule, Detach & Purge, Reclaim & Update, Sort & Contain, Design & Build, Arrange & Display, and Cease & Maintain. Along the way, Lowell shows how to plan ahead for better, faster, longer-lasting results; how to decide whether or not an item is worth updating; and how to store or show off your beloved possessions for maximum function and effect. You’ll also see how each layer works in several fabulous room makeovers by Lowell, from a ship-to-shore nautical bedroom to a fabulous Hollywood glam hallway to an inviting his and hers office space.

It is possible to reach organizational nirvana, and to stay there! In just seven easy steps, this colorful, no-fuss, hands-on guide will teach you how to streamline your home and unclutter your life !

Christopher Lowell's Seven Layers of Design

Now on sale, the soft cover re-release of Christopher's proven Seven Layers of Design system provides a process for home decorators to avoid costly disappointments and learn inexpensive tricks for changing the personality of a room. He lays the groundwork for simple yet stunning home design and demonstrates how color is the foundation of a room, why decorating a room around a favorite upholstery fabric is a recipe for disaster, how to create fabulous fakes using paint and plywood, why you should never paint a ceiling white, and how to deal with an interior designer. A must-have book for understanding Christopher's design basics, demystifying and reassuring the first-time home decorator.

Christopher Lowell, The Hassle-Free Host

For would-be hosts and hostesses, entertainer extraordinaire Christopher Lowell shares his secret for unforgettable parties: the perfect marriage of sumptuous, quickly prepared food and festive décor. Christopher shows anyone how to turn an impromptu get-together, a cozy dinner, or a wedding reception into an absolutely fabulous soirée. With detailed how-to instructions for creating dramatic tablescapes and recipes for super-simple and tasty meals, Christopher channels his you-can-do-it approach to party planning. Invaluable entertaining tips and essential shortcuts transform even the most harried person into a party-planning savant. The book is brimming with countless ideas to turn common household objects into sensational party props. Dozens of delicious recipes, including Chilled Avocado Soup, Grilled Beef Salad, and Frozen Key Lime Pie with Macadamia Nut Crust are perfect for the fussiest guests and are organized into convenient menu options. Made from mostly on-hand ingredients and time-saving convenience foods, the recipes are fast, adaptable for any number of guests, and completely foolproof. Mix and match them with any of the tablescapes, for any kind of party, in any room of the home, for an endless number of combinations.

Christopher Lowell's Seven Layers of Design

Christopher outlines his proven Seven Layers of Design system, a process for home decorators to avoid costly disappointments and learn inexpensive tricks for changing the personality of a room. He lays the groundwork for simple yet stunning home design and demonstrates how color is the foundation of a room, why decorating a room around a favorite upholstery fabric is a recipe for disaster, how to create fabulous fakes using paint and plywood, why you should never paint a ceiling white, and how to deal with an interior designer. A must-have book for understanding Christopher's design basics, demystifying and reassuring the first-time home decorator.

Christopher Lowell's If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It!

Christopher takes the process one step further, encouraging readers to discover their own hearts’ desires so they can turn their dreams into unique realities. Christopher starts with his own experiences of self-discovery as a guide for the dreaming process. Next he provides a questionnaire that helps you identify your own sources of pleasure and fulfillment. Finally, he illustrates the process with exciting design projects built on particular themes. No matter what your budget, no matter what your talents, if you begin to understand the relationship between the interior of your mind and the interior of your home, you can create beauty in both.

Christopher Lowell's You Can Do It! Small Spaces

Christopher has done it again! In response to thousands of letters requesting a book on small-room decorating, he applies his innovative thinking to the challenge of turning cramped quarters into a comfortable, stylish home. He takes the Seven Layers of Design system introduced in his first book one step further by applying it to small spaces and inspiring readers to create extraordinary rooms out of the ordinary. Christopher guides us through two modular homes, one designed in a traditional style, the other in a more modern decor, but both intended to offer the reader many design options and ideas. Room by room, Christopher tackles such problems as how to make the most of tiny master bedrooms, how to create several rooms from one, what to do with narrow hallways, how to conserve space by creating multipurpose rooms, and how to renovate a guest bathroom for under $100. Before and after pictures show how anyone can perform miracles just by "thinking outside the box."