Bedrooms: Creating and Decorating the Room of Your Dreams (The Small Book of Home Ideas series)
It’s been a while since we heard from English interior designer and prolific author (more than 40 books, including English Style)  Gilliatt. With this collection of elegant photographs and straightforward pragmatic advice, she proves that her publishing absence should be no matter for concern. Start with four-color illustrations to salivate over. At least two (usually more) populate most pages, showcasing traditional, contemporary, or eclectic sleeping rooms that reflect up-to-the-minute tastes. Add a very prescriptive narrative that lays out choices and steps for decorating, along with her occasional opinions. Pillows, she insists, can make or break the quality of an individual’s sleep. Accessories should be added at the end, emphasizing the unexpected rather than the expensive. And finally, feature a few “practical ideas” sections, from drawing up a room plan to fashioning a four-poster. Welcome back, Mary—and thanks for the eye-sumptuous feast. --Barbara Jacobs