Customers say
Customers find the book’s design inspiration inspiring and informative, offering a wealth of knowledge. They find it an awesome reference book that offers a way to use antique elements to make a house fresh, peaceful, and elegant. The author has impeccable taste and is described as charming and fabulous. The writing style is described as beautiful, interesting, and crisp. Many readers consider it a wonderful gift idea for anyone who loves modern design. However, opinions differ on the narrative quality – some find it lovely and full of stories, while others feel it lacks depth.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Past meets present in Soul of the Home, a stylish guide to decorating modern homes with heirlooms and antiques.
“With light and airy interiors filled with patina, history, and one-of-a-kind furnishings, this New Orleans designer and antiques dealer reveals that anything old can feel new again.” —Southern Home
Tara Shaw is a respected supplier of French and European antiques for a host of AD100 and Elle Decor A-listers, including Bobby McAlpine, Mary McDonald, and Bunny Williams. In her first book, she helps readers understand how to select the best antiques and how to use them in a variety of decor schemes. Soul of the Home presents never-before-published spaces from Shaw’s portfolio and reveals her favorite antique-hunting spots throughout Europe. Chapters include: The Importance of AntiquesStarting an Antiques CollectionCultivating a Home with HeartLake House LivingLet Architecture Lead the WayBringing the Outside InAntiques in a Modern WorldGuerilla AntiquingAnd more! Shaw writes in her introduction, “Throughout my life, books have been indispensable teaching tools, spiritual guides, and invaluable methods of escape. There are stacks of them in nearly every room in my house, and without them, I’d never have been able to tell Louis XIII from Louis XIV, much less build an entire career on the love of antiques. My hope is that this volume is one such tool for you.”
Anecdotes from years of treasure hunting are accompanied by color images of rare and precious finds, with text that decodes just how to choose the right pieces and display them in a contemporary interior. Readers will be able to look at each space and take away ideas they can apply to their own homes, to create personalized rooms full of provenance and beauty.
From the Publisher
The Importance of Antiques
Something that’s withstood the centuries is necessarily made extremely well. Their flaws, scrapes, and bumps are hard-earned and make interiors more forgiving.
Antiques in a Modern World
How do you combine disparate eras and styles so they feel cohesive? Look for patterns and themes that they have in common and try to connect the dots.
Cultivating a Home with Heart
Always feather your nest with things that are meaningful to you. You should be able to “read” a great house just like a biography.
Publisher : Abrams Books; Illustrated edition (April 21, 2020)
Language : English
Hardcover : 272 pages
ISBN-10 : 1419742957
ISBN-13 : 978-1419742958
Item Weight : 3.95 pounds
Dimensions : 9.5 x 1 x 11 inches
by Kara
A treasure of a book
This book is so so lovely. If you love antiques and design, there is no one who does it quite like Tara. Her style is so effortless yet so elegant and restrained while also exuberant and inspired. This book will teach you so much but is also such a treat just to drink in all of the images. She is a master. While she deals with exquisite and expensive pieces, there is no snobbery or exclusivity in her approach. She invites you in, to learn and explore and play with the things you love. Iâm obsessed and feel so lucky that she has so graciously and generously shared her expertise with us all.
by Donna M. McGrath
The last book on design youâll ever need!
This book is probably the last design book that I will ever buy! Tara Shaw has a gift for designing that is truly timeless and needed in a culture where so many are following the latest trend. She has travelled the world to find one of a kind pieces for her home and the homes of her clients. She believes in quality over quantity and teaches you to do the same, even if that means just buying one antique a year or in my case once every 5-10 years! I learned a lot about period pieces and the art of mixing your antiques with modern furniture and art. She offers her readers a wealth of information on buying and negotiating and even shares her resources! What designer will do that?! Even though she has designed the homes of many famous people, has travelled the world, has designed furniture with Restoration Hardware and has a resume too long to mention here, I found her to be so relatable even to a small town southern girl like me. I devoured every page of this glorious compilation of her work. Iâm so grateful she has shared her giftedness with the world. I plan on buying copies as gifts when more are available.
by Bisby
In this case, you can judge a book by itâs cover! Beautiful inside and out
If you are interested in antiques or beautiful homes, this book is the one to purchase. I usually buy decor books to sit on my coffee table as lifts to different pieces, after I quickly flip through the pages, but that was far from the case with this book…although the cover of this books is beyond stunning and makes for a perfect addition to my collection, after cracking open the first page of this book you will be quick to realize this book is more than just a show piece. The detail, e information, and the pictures are simply captivating. I picked this book up and could not put it back down until i reaches the end! Tara Shaw inspires you to create a beautifully collected home that includes interesting and unique pieces. Tara takes you on an adventure and shows how every style can incorporate beautiful antiques into their design.This book is a must purchase and must read. I donât tend to leave reviews but this book has become one of my New favorites and With all the beautiful decor books out there, this is one thatâs stands out from the rest!
by LCBG
omg, so BEAUTIFUL!!!
Tara Shaw is the epitome of fabulous. Her style is just so awe-inspiring. No designer has inspired me more. This book is gorgeous and everything Iâd hoped for. I first read the kindle version. Iâm purchasing a hard copy now. Itâs a keeper and will have a place alongside my other books of Louisiana design. Love this book so much!
by Debra
A MUST HAVE Design Book to get Excited About
I have been so excited waiting for Tara Shaw’s The Soul of the Home to be released. I’ve followed her designs in magazines, etc so I was already familiar with her beautiful & inspirational aesthetic..The book arrived today & needless to say it does not disapppoint. The photos are beautiful, the designs gorgeous & the text reveals Tara’s tremendous passion for her work. Successful designs encompass an intangible element by provoking our emotions & pulling us in. Tara is a Master at making this happen….I can imagine stepping into any of these rooms & not wanting to leave. The gorgeous Antiques in these designs are intriguing & help bring these exquisite rooms to life. …Tara’s advice & tips on types & styles of antiques, periods and “the hunt” are easy to understand & very insightful. I LOVE this book & know I will go over and over and over its fabulous pages
by student
What an inspiring book. And what a wealth of information!
I. Love. This. Book. What a perfect delight! Not only does Tara Shaw have an incredible eye for selecting antiques, but the absolute best part about this book is that her gift extends to teaching what to look for, and how to recognize different periods and styles. A course to sharpen your own eye! And her âteachingâ style is so friendly, approachable, and inviting. I love that she shares some of her own personal background, as well as the things that nudged her talents in this direction. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to enjoy a friendly, encouraging course in recognizing what to look for in selecting antiques, how to identify them, as well as ways to make the best use of said antiques in your own home or decorating projects. This will be a book I refer to through the years, and one which I recommend without reservation! Hope this is only the first of many books by Tara Shaw! So glad I bought it!
by Chyanne
My #1 Choice as A Designer to Suggest Everyone to Purchase.
This was absolutely the Best Book I have ever purchased on Interior Design ! Tara shows how mixing Antiques and Modern Furnishings leads to aPerfect outcome.Tara Shaw is an Amazing Designer, Antique Dealer who also has a furniture line of fine ReproductionPieces for the home.This Book is A Tribute to her talent and experience and full of information and advice on making your home your favorite destination.I have purchased copies for my friends who are Antique Dealers and Designers like me because it is so full of good information to make us all better at what we do!It is definitely going to be part of my gifts to all my clients this year a perfect reference for themFull of fabulous photos and an excellent read!Do not miss the opportunity to purchase Soul of the Home you will be thrilled with it!
by JG
Doesnât even list Victorian or Early American as types of antiques
Pretty much as other reviewers say that this is a picture book reflecting only the authorâs taste. She has a lovely taste but I canât afford European antiques. There is some good advice for designing with any antique but nothing I thought unique.
by Susan
Insightful and informative. Great photo and content. I will keep in my library for many years to come. Excellent book.
by costas
Excellent book ! I love it !A classic you will never get bored of it !
by FGHM
Would have given 4.5 stars if I could.4 stars: Bought this hoping to learn how to select and incorporate modest budget antiques, but most of the antiques used in the book are those one would see prominently displayed in top end antique shops. They have been highly curated according to contemporary tastes and therefore would quite easily and naturally fit in many homes. I donât think Iâd struggle too much to use these antiques if I had the budget to buy them in the first place.5 stars: Overall the interiors in the book are uniquely beautiful. The author obviously has very good taste to be so successful in her profession. I also appreciated that she explained âwhyâ on many occasions, which is strangely not that common with interior design books in my experience.
by Annette Gomez
I just absolutely love this book. Quality photos with Tara Shaw’s passion for her love of furniture showing through so much..It is the perfect coffee table book, however unfortunately once I pick it up I find it hard to put down again. It has really helped me focus on the items I will personally be looking very carefully for in my home.
by Amazon Customer
i own hundreds of books. I am a Designer, a R.E. Agent and a stager — this book ranks among the finest i own! Absolutely lush, gloriously presented and i am weak for Tara’s approach. A phenomenon!