How to Zoom Your Room: Room Rater's Ultimate Style Guide

by Claude Taylor, Jessie Bahrey, Chris Morris (Illustrator)

Overview

The ultimate users' guide to curating your Zoom background from Room Raters, Twitter's foremost experts in on-screen décor.

From the virtual office aficionados and Twitter superstars who brought the world the dreaded embarrassment of “cord violations,” comes a fun, informative guide for everyone who now finds themselves having to endure the endless onslaught of digital meetings and calls.
 
Packed with beautiful how-to illustrations that demonstrate visually stunning set-ups and tips from celebrity zoom rooms, Room Rater packs an amusing punch while offering advice on how to up your game and not be embarrassed by your surroundings. Included in the book are examples from TV host Jonathan Capehart, former Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett, Senator Mazie Hirono, historian Michael Beschloss who takes readers on a tour of historic presidential rooms, and many more.
 
Chockfull of practical advice that speaks directly to the home office user, the book offers guidance on how to create good lighting, use the perfect camera angle, get rid of clutter, add aesthetically pleasing touches, and avoid appearing as if you are in a hostage video. Whether we like it or not, the remote workplace is here to stay and this book serves as an essential guide to navigating that new normal. It’s a valuable tool for everyone who wants to appear professional, competent, and composed.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316428125
Publisher:	Little, Brown and Company
Publication date:	06/21/2022
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	636,915
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 7.60(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Claude Taylor has worked as a professional travel photographer and a political operative. He served on Bill Clinton’s White House staff. From 1998 to 2016 he also worked as a gallery owner. For the last several years he has served as Chair of a political action committee, Mad Dog Pac. He currently resides in Maryland.

Jessie Bahrey has worked in telecommunications and as an editor for a PI company. She currently manages a commercial greenhouse/nursery in Port Moody, BC.

Chris Morris is an award-winning illustrator based just outside Cleveland in Rocky River, Ohio. He has long worked as an editorial illustrator for a number of newspapers and his freelance clients include The New York Times, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, LA Magazine, and ESPN among many others. He also teaches as an Adjunct Professor in the Illustration Department of the Columbus College of Art & Design.

 

Table of Contents

Introduction 3

Setup Style #1 The Basic Bookshelf 7

All About Books 13

Bookshelf Styles 21

More About Books: The Power Broker 23

Room Rater Reading List 27

Art Styles 33

A Few of Our Favorite Things: Kids' Art 45

Wall Treatment 47

Covid Cabins 53

Best Use of Small Space 57

Setup Style #2 The Living Room 63

The Couch View 69

Pillow Talk by Latosha Brown, Activist 71

Beams: To Beam or Not to Beam 77

Home Office 79

Maps Are Art 85

Plants vs. Succulents 89

Flowers 93

Keeping It Real: Fake Plants 99

A Few of Our Favorite Things: Knitted Succulents 99

Presidential Room Rater: by Michael Beschloss, Presidential Historian 101

Alternative Setup Style #1 The Porch 109

Violation #1 The Cord Violation 113

The Animals of Room Rater: Fluffy Rooms 117

Setup Style #3 The Kitchen 125

Claire's Recipes by Claire McCaskill, Former US Senator 131

The Classic Chair 141

Alternative Setup Style #2 The Fireplace 145

Musical Instruments 150

The Emergency Setup 153

Room Rater Checklist 155

The Great Holiday Decoration Debate 157

The Pineapple: A Fruit Story 165

Kids and Photobombs 168

Alternative Setup Style #3 The Attic 171

Violation #2 The Lamp Seam Violation 175

Globes by Richard Haass, President, Council of Foreign Relations 177

Room Rater Pick-a-Style 181

More on Lamps 185

O Canada, Eh? 187

Alternative Setup Style #4 The Bedroom 191

Violation #3 The Ring Light Violation 193

Setup Style #4 The Two-Room Setup 197

Top 25 Decor Items 200

Window Treatments 203

Add a Classic Touch 208

The Hostage Video 213

Alternative Setup Style #5 The Finished Basement 215

Camera Height 218

Alternative Setup Style #6 The Hotel 221

Lighting 225

What to Wear 230

Alternative Setup Style #7 The Beach House 233

Clutter 235

Get Organized 237

Conclusion 241

Acknowledgments 243

Editorial Reviews

04/18/2022

Zoom backgrounds get a serious consideration in this compendium of simple but effective decorating principles. Taylor and Bahrey, who run the Room Rater Twitter account (which judges web-meeting backgrounds on a scale of 1–10), aim to help readers create a room that looks beautiful on a group video chat. They hold forth on making small spaces look bigger (get lighting “off the floor” and use mirrors) and using plants to enhance a backdrop (White Phalaenopsis orchids will brighten things up). “Room Rater Top Tips” come along the way from notable editors, politicians, and podcasters: Sen. Mazie Hirono eschews large works of art for decorative quilts, and Boston Globe columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr urges readers to not “be afraid of color.” Those feeling intimidated by design will appreciate the authors’ collection of room-specific setup templates for various areas, whether the porch, attic, or living room. The occasional odd side trips­— into the history of gnomes, for example, should readers want to add them into the scene as Bloomberg columnist Tim O’Brien did—are fun, and the authors keep things approachable for amateur stylists. At-home workers looking to spruce up their screen presence would do well to start here. (June)

Publishers Weekly

At-home workers looking to spruce up their screen presence would do well to start here.”—Publisher's Weekly

From the Publisher