Jane Seymour's

Making Yourself at Home: Book Review

By: J.A. Young

Jane Seymour, the one-time Bond girl and television’s Medicine Woman, has put together an effective decorating book based on her Malibu home.  Fans of celebrity style and homes will find a lot of decorative inspiration from Seymour’s home, but the book also presents a delightful portrait of the star’s personal life.

Interestingly, Seymour is no decorating novice.  Besides being an acclaimed actress, Seymour is a superb artist and many of her works have appeared in galleries across the country.  While lots of celebrities try to cash in on their fame with book offerings, this one actually does a good job of offering down-to-earth decorative style.  Although Seymour’s Malibu home seems like paradise on earth (the oceanside pool is jaw-dropping), the décor is surprisingly welcoming and altogether charming.

The theme of Seymour’s decorating advice revolves around individual creativity and channeling one’s artistry into the home to create one’s own personal world as opposed to a well-decorated house.  In this way, Seymour demonstrates how she has literally used her own art to help transform her home.  A particularly elegant use for her art—a picture of a golden hibiscus flower—was transposed onto china for a unique table setting. 

Not surprisingly, much of the décor has a definite California feel; Seymour has taken decorating cues from the nature around her.  Consequently, the ocean provides an important theme for many areas of the home.  Her daughter’s room boasts a subtle seascape touch—silver seashell and starfish drawer pulls.  The colors of the sea provide an elegant palette that is also strikingly natural and could easily be mimicked by everyday people.

So, even as Seymour’s mansion seems out-of-reach for ordinary people, her decorating touches are truly attainable.  A home that exudes personal taste and interests lies at the heart of Seymour’s decorating vision.  Anyone interested in interior design would find this book a delight.

Of course, any of Seymour’s fans may simply want to page through this pretty coffee table book simply to catch a glimpse of her family life.  Lots of pictures of the lovely lady along with her husband and children give the volume its personal appeal.  Her young twins round out the book with their youthful exuberance.  Seymour has a gracious approach to living and decorating that is certainly evident in this book.  Of course, if this house showcase proves a success, perhaps the star will consider a similar decorating tour through her other more notably home in Bath—the 14th century manor house!

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