The Paris Apartment: Romantic Decor on a Flea-Market Budget

Amazon.com
If you love chandeliers, flowing draperies, and bric-a-brac--if you believe you were a Roman senator, a Gothic queen, or Madame de Pompadour in an earlier life or have fantasies of La Belle Époque or the Golden Age of Hollywood--The Paris Apartment is the decorating book for you. Claudia Strasser includes before-and-after pictures of real people's apartments, transformed from dark cracker boxes to intriguing showplaces. She gives shopping tips on finding the best furniture, how-to instructions on distressing and painting your flea-market finds, and ideas for choosing the period and colors that best suit your personality. Best of all, Strasser estimates the average cost of a no-holds-barred transformation to be $1,800 for an entire apartment, including furniture--less if you already have the furniture, are clever with your hands, are somewhat restrained in your taste, or live near the best flea markets. The Paris Apartment is the perfect combination of inspiration and instruction for budget-conscious glamour mavens on a budget.

Book Description
The Paris Apartment is a popular shop in New York's East Village, where visitors can step back in time and immerse themselves in the beauty and romance of antique furnishings. Reflecting an unusual mix of design influences (Baroque, rococo, neoclassical and Art Deco) and personal taste, its style is luxurious, playful, and wholly original. In The Paris Apartment, Claudia Strasser, the founder and owner of the shop, offers readers the quintessential guide to achieving this romantic Parisian look without having to spend a fortune. With easy-to-follow instructions and helpful advice, she shows readers how they can transform their homes into a living environment that reflects both their personal style and timeless French elegance. Laid out in the form of an entertaining diary, the book helps Francophiles define their fantasy home, find inspiration, select a color palette and use light creatively. She also includes instructions for making canopies and valances; advice on dyeing fabrics and restyling furniture; tips on budgeting; guidance on shopping at flea markets and auctions; and a glossary of terms. Color photographs throughout illustrate the ideas and techniques shown in the book. As interest in the home experiences a resurgence, and as Americans become more careful about their spending, nesting has become the pastime of the '90s. People want luxury homes without spending a fortune. With its unbeatable combination of style and solid practicality, The Paris Apartment  is a home-decorating guide to treasure and draw inspiration from for many years to come. 

About the Author
Claudia Strasser is the founder and owner of The Paris Apartment and lives in New York City. This is her first book.


Buy from Amazon     Compare Prices

In the Paris Apartment, Claudia demonstrates how anyone can create an opulent yet comfortable living environment that is an exciting mix of personal style and fantasy. Every Paris Apartment starts with a fantasy - Moorish palace, Parisian cabaret, medieval tower, Victorian parlor. Once you find your fantasy, then you can let your imagination run wild. To show you how simple it is to turn a boring, blank apartment into a romantic haven, Claudia takes you through seven Paris Apartment transformations, working with real people and real apartments. While the Paris Apartment truly is a place of wonder, Claudia demonstrates how easy it is to create your own world of mystery and glamour - and it doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg. Step by step, Claudia shows you how to reupholster chairs, do your own rinceau, refinish furniture, paint walls, dye fabric, create drapes and valances, restore chandeliers, and use other fascinating techniques that do not have to be done by professionals. Half the fun of creating your apartment is in the hunt for the right table, chair, vanity, or knickknack. Calling upon years of experience, Claudia shares her flea market savvy, providing useful information on how to tell if your flea market find is a diamond in the rough or truly a dud.


Buy from Barnes & Noble     Compare Prices