A disconcerting look, a gasp, or a simple catch in the throat were the common responses I received from my friends when they heard the title of this book: 101 Things I Hate About Your House. Some people would nervously laugh and ask with trepidation, 'Is my house in there?' or, more rarely, defensively say, 'My house better not be in there,' as if a gauntlet has been thrown down in preparation for a bloody duel. I usually pause, for effect, and reply as though searching for redemption from a particular decorating transgression, 'No, not necessarily.' My response is true enough, though admittedly vague; its ambiguity either masks a sustainable truth (what were they thinking with that shag sofa?) or conveys my mood, which most likely is dependent on the day of the week, the direction of the wind, or whether my new sweater makes my butt look big. Someone once gave me this bit of wisdom: 'The act of creating is fueled by the total of life experience.' Truth, regardless of how we come to it, is just that truth. So, in an indirect way, every room I've entered, looked at, dreamt of, or ran screaming from has influenced this book. Instead of gossipy storytelling or a 'kiss and decorate' mentality, this book will provide you with my keen observations and bits of learning gleaned from years of study, practice, and mistakes I've made while pursuing the art of beautiful living. And lest anyone take this book, me, or themselves too seriously, please know that as much as I love the work that I do, I also understand that no lives will be saved by my fabric selections and no wars averted as a result of a deftly shaded lamp. For me, it seems the writing was on the wall early in my life. As a child, I was told I had 'champagne taste on a beer budget.' This was confusing for me because I was neither interested in the cost of champagne nor beer; rather, I was very concerned about the poor furnishing choices I saw around me. With one leisurely detour that included an undergraduate degree in theology and a minor in music, I made my way to the study of design and architecture and have created classically influenced interiors ever since. I have spent more than twenty years working for clients who have included captains of industry, movie studio heads, investment bankers, and real estate moguls. My work has put me on yachts and private jets, in luxury high-rise towers, and mountaintop retreats. I've done the great auction houses, been to the openings of the world's finest antique shows, and tromped through muddy barns on back country roads in far away countries all in search of just the right piece. I've worked on homes built from scratch and on those expanding on an already beautiful idea. I've survived temperamental architects, contractors, craftsmen, and artisans (not to mention the occasional testy client) and live to tell the stories. I've made huge mistakes, had resounding successes, and tried to carry the battle scars of this wild and wonderful profession wi Excerpted from 101 Things I Hate about Your House: A Premier Designer Takes You on a Room-by-Room Tour to Transform Your Home from Faux Pas to Fabulous by James Swan All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
