101 Things I Hate About Your House







		Design a New Way of Living and Learn to Love Your Home… 101 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOUR HOUSE A Premier Designer Takes You on a Room-by-Room Tour to Transform Your Home from Faux to Fabulous James Swan with Carol Beggy illustrations by Stanley A. Meyer In 101 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOUR HOUSE: A Premier Designer Takes You on a Room-by-Room Tour to Transform Your Home from Faux to Fabulous (Health Communications, Inc. March 2011), nationally renowned interior designer James Swan shows readers how they can feel right at home in their house. After twenty years of working at the highest echelons of the design industry, Swan has seen it all and has observed virtually every mistake homeowners make. Throughout his career he's learned this: We all make design mistakes and every house is a growing, evolving entity that asks for attention, care, and consistent nourishment. Our living space provides a rich tapestry of opportunities, experiences, and memories in the making. 101 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOUR HOUSE teaches readers (and their houseguests) to truly enjoy the place they call home. Swan provides readers with the basic principles they need to create a beautiful and gracious living space. Regardless of the state of their estate—be it massive or minuscule—or a person's Style IQ, the principles of gracious living outlined in 101 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOUR HOUSE delivers a framework for a more beautiful and gracious home. This book is for all readers, regardless of whether their house is inspired by an English cottage, a French farmhouse, an Italian palazzo, or last month’s Design Within Reach catalogue -- or if they have a lot of money to spend or very little. What does matter is that readers genuinely want to experience their home in a more beautiful way and that they are prepared to make easy, low-cost fixes to common mistakes. 101 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOUR HOUSE starts at the street, moves through the front door, and doesn't stop until it has taken a peek into every room of the house. Swan numbers the “101 Things” that make up this book so readers can easily reference items they find helpful, painful, or just too funny to forget, including the following: #1. Dreary Little Mess: Nothing screams "dreary little mess" quite like a front door masquerading as last winter's snow tires. Clean it up. Wipe it down. Patch it, paint it, stain it, wax it, but just get the door to your home speaking a civilized language that is perfectly synchronized with the impression you want to make. #71. Age-Appropriate Design: Mom and Dad, it’s time to get over your heels dragging on the subject of the kids growing up before your very eyes. They will grow whether you want them to or not, so make the best of a maturing problem and match their chronological age with the furnishings in their rooms. A teenager (13 and older) should be sleeping in a double bed, not in a childish twin. The progression from twin to double is a rite of passage. Make it memorable for your young lady or gentleman. #25. A Room without a Soul: If the gods of decorating are to be found lurking in the details of your home, what do your details say? Take a critical look at the small things that fill your table tops and shelves. Do they tell a beautiful story, the story you want told? If not, then it’s time to edit and rewrite your story. #83. A Closet Case: Follow these three easy steps and win big in the game of small closets. One: edit out things you’ve not touched in more than nine months. Two: divide and win. Divide your wardrobe by season and, three: high and low. Extra storage can be found high on shelves and beneath beds. #15. Soap Soup: Toss the gooey, goopy bar of soap and the dish too. Upgrade your powder room with this simple A-list trick; nothing says luxury like a beautiful bottle of spa-style hand soap and a small tray displaying its matching wrapped bar soap. You’ve just elevated a mundane moment and made it memorable. #8. Smelling a rat: Beside the look of the house, a homeowner should consider another layer of impression with which to astonish and astound unwitting guests…take a deep breath and try not to choke on the aroma of musty wet dogs, acrid cat boxes, marinating gym clothes, and damp, moldy laundry. To put it succinctly: Buy a candle. Swan also offers top ideas to make the living room ready for company -- today; quick, practical projects to add pizzazz to anyone's dining; valuable tips to make small spaces multifunctional, secrets to creating a bedroom sanctuary (tip: lose the TV!), and much more. Swan has partnered with veteran journalist Carol Beggy and award-winning set designer Stanley A. Meyer in 101 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOUR HOUSE to create a dazzlingly illustrated road map for navigating the subjective world of home design and decoration. Swan's "take-no-prisoners" approach to home design offers fresh, upbeat and spot-on observations. Swan says, "Here it is, the 'Cliffs Notes' for a more beautiful home. Quibble if you must about your own personal style and artistic vision; or sit quietly by, knowing that you’ve single-handedly raised the bar for the stylishly impaired. It matters not. There is room for all." When the goal is to elevate our living experience from the ordinary to the exceptional, when we've taken steps to educate ourselves away from the faux pas and toward the fabulous, then we are well on our way to a more beautiful, gracious way of life. The plan that 101 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOUR HOUSE offers is simple: for readers to laugh, learn, and, most important, come to love their home as they've never loved it before. Now that’s beautiful. ### ABOUT JAMES SWAN: Author James Swan has built a twenty-year career crafting classically influenced interiors across the United States for clients who have included captains of industry, movie studio heads, investment bankers, and real estate developers. He is consistently in the media spotlight with speaking engagements, regular guest spots on national radio programs, and appearances on HGTV's Homes across America. He is a featured design partner with Ballard Designs, which is releasing a line of Swan's custom-designed furniture in early 2011. ABOUT CAROL BEGGY: Contributor Carol Beggy is an award-winning journalist who left the Boston Globe in 2008 after more than ten years as a writer and editor. She is a senior consultant with Saragoni & Company and has collaborated with photographer Bill Brett on four books about Boston. She was also part of the team behind Ted Kennedy: Scenes from and Epic Life. ABOUT STANLEY A. MEYER: Illustrator Stanley A. Meyer has more than four dozen credits as a scenic and production designer that have earned him numerous awards and nominations. He has designed in every genre from Disney's Beauty and the Beast on Broadway to the Steve Miller Band Bingo! Tour. 101 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOUR HOUSE: A Premier Designer Takes You on a Room-by-Room Tour to Transform Your Home from Faux to Fabulous James Swan; Carol Beggy (contributor); Stanley A. Meyer (illustrator) Health Communications, Inc.; March 2011 978-0757315671 http://www.ohio.com/lifestyle/117452883.html Radio Interview Wednesday, March 9th at 12:00PM ET (11:00AM CT)/Syndicated Radio Interview by Telephone Walking on Air with Betsy and Sal Contact: Claudia Schwartz at 847-748-7513 or 7514; email: betsyandsal@walkingonair.org NOTE: The station will call you at 207-677-2441. Please allow up to 25 minutes for this interview on topics from 101 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOUR HOUSE. Betsy Brint and Sally Higgison are sisters who host this edgy,smart and somewhat irreverent show, with subjects ranging from the topical to the personal. It is nationally syndicated that airs on numerous stations across the country and is heard online. Walking on Air with Betsy and Sal Two Parts Chaos, One Part Spandex Streamed live weekdays Noon - 1 PM Central www.WalkingOnAir.org 877-417-9666 Mention in Blog: http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/design-sense/whywhat.html Blog Mention @ St. Louis Mag http://www.stlmag.com/Blogs/Secretary-of-the-Interior/March-2011/Swan-039s-Song/index.php Confirmed Media: HomeStyle/Feature Interview//Nationally syndicated insert in daily newspapers across the US and select online editions (The Chicago Tribune ran this story in their insert, circ. 452,145) The Chicago Tribune/Feature interview/Date to come (circ. 452,145) (Our Apologies, Audio Link Unavailable) Every Day Parenting/Radio Ear Network/Radio Interview via the Telephone/July 8th (Our Apologies, Audio Link Unavailable) Conversations LIVE/Blogtalk Radio and 92.3 in Arkansas/Radio Interview via the Telephone/June 2nd The Kim Pagano Show/KKZZ Radio (Ventura County)/Radio Interview via the Telephone/May 13th Danny & Niki Morning Show/Kelly 95.3/ Radio Interview via the Telephone/May 3rd Yours By Design blog/Book review/May 1 Home Furnishing News/Book feature/May issue (circ. 20,000) The Coastal Journal/Feature piece by author in Home & Garden section/April 29 (circ. 15,000) http://freepressonline.com/main.asp?SectionID=50&SubSectionID=72&ArticleID=12359 News/KIDO/Radio Interview via the Telephone/April 27 Morning News/1130/ Radio Interview via the Telephone/April 28th "Dr. Alvin Jones" show/The Paradise Radio Network on WCBQ-AM/Radio Interview via the Telephone/April 29th *Sabjimata* blog/Book mention/April 24 http://www.sabjimatablog.com/2011/04/24/weekly-round-up-5/ Stuff magazine/Q & A/April 18 (circ. 234,000) http://stuffboston.com/good/archive/2011/04/18/design-by-the-book.aspx (WFNX Radio blog also posted the interview) Creative Home Expressions blog/Book review/April 17 http://creativehomeexpressions.blogspot.com/2011/04/book-review-giveaway.html The Morning Call/Book feature/April 15 (circ. 109,000) http://www.mcall.com/business/realestate/mc-real4-17-fix-20110417,0,1915402.story The Beehive blog/Book metion/April 15 http://thebeehiveblog.net/2011/04/queen-bee-picks-of-the-week-tulip-festival-photobucket-i-hate-your-house-more/ Man Wife and Dog blog/Book mention/April 15 http://manwifeanddog.com/ Chic Little House blog/Book review and giveaway/April 14 http://chiclittlehouse.blogspot.com/ Home Goes Strong (NBC website)/Slideshow andExcerpt/Posted April 7, 2011 (Life Goes Strong, the parent site, gets 1.5 million unique visitors a month and targets baby boomers.) http://home.lifegoesstrong.com/entryway Home Spa Chat blog/Inclusion in giveaway contest/April 7 http://artofthespa.net/2011/04/homespachat-419-un-homespachat-the-un-comfortable-chair-party/# St. Louis AT HOME/Feature story/March 28 http://www.stlmag.com/Blogs/Secretary-of-the-Interior/March-2011/Swan-039s-Song/index.php Decorating Picks.com/Book feature/March 28 http://decoratingpicks.com/2011/03/read-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/ Akron Beacon Journal/Inclusion in article/March 15 (circ. 92,856) http://www.ohio.com/news/first/117452883.html ) Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Feature in the paper's "Ask the Expert" column in the Saturday HomeStyle section/ March 12 (Circ; almost 200,000) (Access limited to subscribers) Walking on Air with Betsy and Sal/Nationally syndicated radio show/March 9th James Swan - 101 Things I Hate About Your House - Part 1 James Swan - 101 Things I Hate About Your House - Part 2) Gorgeous Darling blog/Posting on the book/March 7 http://gorgeousdarling.com/2011/03/101-things-i-hate-about-your-house/ ) Chicago Now blog/Mention of book in posting/March 1 http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/design-sense/2011/03/whats-wrong-with-this---old-trend.html) *Well Dressed* blog/Interview/February 28 http://welldressed.blogg.se/2011/february/interview-with-james-swan.html SheKnows.com/Book giveaway in the "Prize & Points" section/post date to come (one of the top 10 online properties for women, generating over 150 million page views each month) End of April -- date to come