Book Description

Inspiration for interior designers today, this book showcases the work of a legendary interior decorator.

The career of Frances Adler Elkins (1888-1953), the sister of the renowned Chicago architect David Adler, spanned more than three decades. An avant-garde decorator and arbiter of taste, Elkins was celebrated for inspired designs that integrated various periods and styles, from country French to chinoiserie to art deco, and featured furnishings by such modern designers as Alberto Giacometti and Jean-Michel Frank. This book offers a tour of twenty-nine luxurious Elkins interiors, including several collaborations with Adler. Elkins's illustrious clientele extended from coast to coast and as far afield as Hawaii, including many private and public commissions in northern and southern California and the Midwest. Generously illustrated with 160 stunning color and black-and-white photographs, the book includes a list of selected clients and a visual inventory of selected furniture, fabrics, wallpapers, and accessories favored by Elkins. 100 color and 60 black-and-white illustrations. ... Read more

Book Description

What defines an Arts & Crafts bungalow? What makes it different from other small, one or one-and-a-half story houses?Many say that it's hard to describe, but you know one when you see it. And knowing one when you see it is all about knowing how to spot the details. With Arts & Crafts homes, it is often the way the details are combined, and the philosophy they represent, that makes a house an authentic Arts and Crafts bungalow. It is not just knee braces in the gable, nor a river rock column, or a three part front window.

In their latest book, bungalow experts Jane Powell and Linda Svendsen identify the finer points and visual characteristics that make a bungalow a bungalow, and show how to incorporate these important details into your bungalow. The authors skillfully explain how to identify the details and the ways of blending them, and offer insight into the Arts & Crafts philosophy behind their use.

A sleeping porch, a pergola, an exposed rafter tail, an extensive use of wood, stone, and brick: none of these things by themselves characterize a bungalow. With Bungalow Details, however, anyone can become a bungalow expert, and be able to confidently "know a bungalow when they see one."

Jane Powell is the proprietor of House Dressing, a business dedicated to renovating and preserving old homes. She is a frequent lecturer and consultant, and is the author of Bungalow Kitchens and Bungalow Bathrooms.

Linda Svendsen, a graduate of Music and Art High School and Parsons School of Design in New York, has been a renowned photographer for more than thirty years. Her work is showcased in numerous magazines and books; she is the author of Bicycle: Around the World. ... Read more

Book Description

Romantic and picturesque, the word "cottage" brings to mind the idyllic charms of the countryside. Who can resist the appeal of a sweet little house, surrounded by wild roses, at the end of a winding cobblestone lane?From Anne Hathaway's cottage, which became synonymous with the innocent charm of the English countryside, to the sturdy Cape Cod, the first cottage indigenous to the United States, Classic Cottages: Simple, Romantic Homes looks at the architecture, history, design, and decorating possibilities of the many charming cottages throughout North America.

From rolling bungalows to quaint thatched stone huts to nineteenth-century gingerbread gems, cottages in all forms are being rediscovered in record numbers as people yearn for inspiring and appealing housing.Classic Cottages: Simple, Romantic Homes celebrates the delightful cottage home with the renowned photography of Doug Keister, the insightful and enlightening text of Brian Coleman, and an abundance of historical and cultural information about the charming cottage.

Brian Coleman, M.D., is a practicing psychiatrist in Seattle, Washington.As an old-house enthusiast, he has written numerous articles on historic home design for magazines ranging from Old House Journal to Period Living in the United Kingdom and is the West Coast editor for Old House Interiors. Brian wrote two previous books, Vintage Victorian Textiles and The Victorian Dining Room. He divides his time between New York and Seattle.

Douglas Keister has photographed fourteen award-winning, critically acclaimed books (including Red Tile Style: America's Spanish Revival Architecture, The Bungalow: America's Arts & Crafts Home, and Storybook Style: America's Whimsical Homes of the Twenties) earning him the title "America's most noted photographer of historic architecture." His latest offering from Gibbs Smith, Publisher is Stories in Stone: The Complete Guide to Cemetery Symbolism. He also writes and illustrates magazine articles and contributes photographs and essays to other books, calendars, posters, and greeting cards. Doug lives in Chico, California, and travels frequently to photograph and lecture on historic architecture and photography. ... Read more

Book Description

$19.95 gatefold paper * 1-58685-261-2 * March

8-1/2 x 10 in, 144 pp, 140 Color Photographs & Illustrations

Rights: W, Design

Hidden in idyllic isolation, the haciendas of Old Mexico strike powerful chords with their rich mix of myth, history, and impressive architecture. With the surge in popularity of hacienda restoration throughout Mexico, the time is ripe for the release of The New Hacienda in paperback.

Travel behind the scenes with authors Karen Witynski and Joe P. Carr as they open the doors to Mexico's remote country estates and reveal innovative interiors, artifacts, and antiques that echo the hacienda's original architectural splendor.

The New Hacienda looks at the ways in which designers and architects have integrated the visual culture of the hacienda and blended Mexican elements in new homes on both sides of the border. From ancient stone walls and arcaded portals to cobbled courtyards and grand salons, hacienda style comes alive with a spirited mix of once-forgotten objects and contemporary furniture. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

An eye-opening source book of interior design
The collaborative effort of Karen Witynski and Joe P. Carr (joint owners of Texture Antiques, an Austin, Texas-based interior design firm and gallery specializing in hacienda style, Mexican colonial furniture and architectural elements), The New Hacienda is an eye-opening source book of interior design showcasing ideas drawn from Mexico's remote country estates. Full-color photography and raptly descriptive text combine to present the flavor and history of homes on both sides of the border. An impression-forming and memorable showcase spotlighting deep brown and yellow colors, and artifacts of Mexican culture. Also very highly recommended is the Karen Witynski and Joe P. Carr collaboration, Mexican Country Style

Inspiring Book
The New Hacienda is a beautiful and inspiring book for anyone who loves Mexico's art, design, and hacienda-style culture. From traditional architectural elements to colonial antiques, the book reveals many rich details for those seeking ideas and inspiration in creating a hacienda-style home of their own. I found the book's Resource section especially helpful for contacting design sources here in the states. Also, after writing the authors at their site I found out that they have restored a colonial hacienda in the Yucatan which is now available as a vacation rental and Mexican Design Center.

Book Review--New Mexico Magazine
"Mexican Country Style" and "The New Hacienda"
Both of these books are helpful in understanding the reinterpretation of Mexico's indigenous styles and architecture, in the latter case, particularly the transformations that haciendas surviving the land reforms have undergone in recent years...In "The New Hacienda", colonial antiques and historic objects are shown intermingled with contemporary notions of art and comfort, rendering a visually pleasing balance between old and new. Also included is a guide to Mexican haciendas, which may be visited...Both of these books will thrill anyone with an interest in interior design.
--New Mexico Magazine, March 2000

The New Hacienda--Latin Style Magazine; 9/01
The New Hacienda garnered the prestigious La Pluma de Plata (Silver Pen) Award from Mexico's Ministry of Tourism. Presented to authors Witynski and Carr by Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo, the award is a testament to the book's distinctive celebration of Mexico's restored haciendas.
--Latin Style Magazine, September 2001

To much use of other people's photos and information
This book has lots of beautiful pictures but hardly enough of true haciendas. It is lacking originality and exterior/interior photos of the haciendas themselves. Text content is "ok" but repetitive and sounds like that from other books. Very overpriced for what it presents. The authors mention that they are building their own "new" hacienda. If they have such a true love for the old ones why didn't they rescue one from ruin??? Very commercial in my opinion. ... Read more

Book Description

The elegant dwellings featured in Elle Decor Country Homes are not decorated with stenciled geese and gingham slipcovers; rather, they illustrate a more sophisticated type of country, from rustic traditional to romantic European as well as striking contemporary interpretations of the farmhouse. Among the homes featured are those belonging to Calvin Klein, Richard Meier, John Frieda, and Charlie Rose. Exploring six distinct variations - Mediterranean, cottage, grand style, contemporary, family home, and cabin - the book offers informative commentary and 250 beautiful color photos that trace the evolution of each style, and provides specific suggestions for creating a particular look. ... Read more

Book Description

This book showcases a wide-range of bathroom designs, from exacting floor plans down to the little details such as built storage and digitally controlled thermal shower jets. Useful for both the do-it-yourselfer and the homeowner who wants to paint a clear picture for an architect or a builder, this practical and visual guide will cover everything from antique fixtures, to modern luxuries, to high-tech touches.

This book will provide a full range of styles and options, detailed resource listings, and sidebars to help consumers with their decision-making. ... Read more

Book Description

With a focus on architecture and details, rustic expert and author Ralph Kylloe introduces creative rustic designs that are inspiring a revival of cabin craftsmanship in his newest book, Rustic Cabin Renaissance. The book features log homes that are newly built, but that are steeped in regional history as well as the log-building history of the Scandinavian settlers and mountain men from centuries past. Kylloe provides photographic details of the highest-quality workmanship in stone masonry and log work, highlighting the unique blend of fine antiques and contemporary furnishings that these homes exhibit.Arts & Crafts, Scandinavian, and Western legacies in furniture building and interior styling make each room a smorgasbord for the eyes, and a dream come true for lovers of rustic décor.

Rustic Cabin Renaissance features homes that are rich in vision, beauty and warmth-photographed as only Ralph Kylloe can photograph them.

Ralph Kylloe received his Ed.D. from Boston University and has taught at the university level for many years. He is a leading authority on rustic furniture and owner of the Ralph Kylloe Gallery. He is the author of eleven previous books. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The Rustic Cabin
I thought "The Rustic Cabin" was good but "Cabins and Camps" was by far a bigger feast for the eyes!! The selection of pictures were more of what I personally wanted to see. ... Read more

Book Description

This thoroughly revised and long awaited new edition of a classic text builds on the success of the 1991 third edition. Kuttruf considers the theory and practice of soundbehavior in closed spaces; a key area for acoustical engineers worldwide. It is of particular interest to those working on auditoria and will therefore stand as an excellent complement to Barron's Auditorium Acoustics. This new edition includes important new material on the growth of digital technology and sound intensity. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great Book
This is the book to own for your acoustical reference manual. This one belongs on your shelf. ... Read more

Book Description

Color has always played an important role in interior design, from the earth-toned halls of ancient Cretan palaces to the bright surfaces of modern homes. Yet most people are largely unaware of the way in which color affects their surroundings. In this comprehensive introduction, readers discover the impact that color has on the way they see the world and learn how to effectively use color to beautify their environment.

With a wealth of information and images, the book is divided into three parts: a history of interiors from the perspective of color systems, an easy-to-understand outline of color theory and its underlying science, and a practical guide to using color to enhance interior settings and create specific effects. From James McNeill Whistler's Peacock Room in Washington D.C., to Le Corbusier's Villa Savoye in provincial France, to a Prairie-style interior by Frank Lloyd Wright, Ethel Rompilla shows how color creates the world in which we live. This lavishly illustrated volume is an indispensable and accessible guide for the professional and amateur decorator alike. AUTHOR BIO: Ethel Rompilla is a professor of color theory at the New York School of Interior Design in Manhattan, as well as a highly regarded interior designer. She lives in New York City. The New York School of Interior Design is an accredited school of interior design offering programs leading to undergraduate and graduate degrees in interior design. The school is located in New York City. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

unusually helpful
I could not find any other books like this that showed me all the possibilities and helped me decide what kind of room was right for our house, where to put the room, and even how to decorate it.This isn't a book about building it yourself but about getting your own goals and ideas straight before you call in the builder or the architect or the seller of sunroom additions, ... Read more

Amazon.com

It takes only a drive through any typical American subdivision to confirm that in recent decades the average house has grown in size, narrowed in style, and shrunk in vision. Jim Tolpin's The New Cottage Home represents a return to a previous school of thought about living space: that it should be no larger than is needed, conservative of resources, rich in detail-- in short, that it should pay homage to honest architecture and fine craftsmanship, not to conspicuous consumption. The 30 cottage homes pictured, all recently built, have the slightly unfair advantage of almost magically beautiful locations, but each has a unique character and many cottage-style nooks and crannies: the converted island pump house with sod roof, the 600-square-foot woodland temple, the salvage-built house on the Kansas prairie, the off-the-grid shingled hilltop house built to take advantage of natural light. Tolpin does an excellent job of pulling together the elements of each that make it a cottage and make it appealing. In his own words, "These houses seem to call as much to the heart as to the head, enriching us more with the highs of nature than with the highs of technology. These are the new American cottages that embody the ancient storybook dream, and the kind of homes that many of us have always dreamed of living in." ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Found My Dream Home
I absolutely love this book. Beautiful photographs of exteriors and interiors and the "rough sketched" floor plans are quite helpful. Also informs you of the locations of the actual cottages pictured and how you can contact the architect. I've finally decided on my dream home and purchased my new home plans because of this book. Can't wait to start building my "Three Gable Cottage"!

What a wonderful book.
I'm so inspired by this beautiful book, which makes a nice companion to the Cottage Style decorating book that I got from amazon last year. I'm marking pages of ideas to use when we have our own cottage built, but in the meantime, I'm picking up ideas I can use now to cozy up our present home. The first thing on the list is an upholstered window seat to go under our bank of living room windows. A beautiful book.

More than just another coffee table book!
You WILL find inspiration here.

Get Cozy!
This book hails a return to the smaller house. We have overlooked the value of coziness for too long.
Delightful! I must confess, my copy is quite dog-earred.

A collection of wonderful smaller homes
Getting away has taken on a certain urgency in the past week. The second home we've been wanting now seems like a good idea for our primary residence, instead. Getting our family of the metro area is something we are seriously considering. This book is gorgeous. It looks like most of the homes are architect designed, so the architect's fees might eat you alive if you decided to go this route. Still, though, the houses are reasonably sized and include lots of charming details. I also recommend:
SECOND HOME (shows great houses around the country but also includes real estate shopping information, tips on evaluating a region or a small town, and so forth. inspiring and helpful too. houses includes new homes as well as refurbished older ones. A handsome but realistic book.)
CABIN FEVER (a style book that does show how delightful a small cabin can be)
SMALL HOUSE BIG STYLE (a very helpful book that also shows how to live in smaller spaces) ... Read more

Reviews (2)

An excellent book on current residential architecture
If you are a minimalist, if you love modern residential architecture, and if you want to know who's who in this area, get this book. Excellent selection of 20 projects around the world.

Excellent book on current residential achitecture
If you are a minimalist, if you like modern residential architecture, if you want to know who's who in this area, get this book. Excellent selection of 20 projects around the world. ... Read more

Book Description

A comprehensive guide to the most influential furniture and lighting designs of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, updated and expanded.

Over 2,000 important pieces arranged by type of furniture or fixture make this book the go-to guide for students and historians of modern furniture, as well as an essential tool for interior designers. Each entry gives the details of the design: date, model name or number, manufacturer, materials, and dimensions. 1892 photographs. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

The best is about to get better
This book remains the definitive sourcebook for those interested in modern and modern classic furniture. I still give it out as gifts to my friends. I have known the authors for over 20 years-perhaps I am biased, but I am looking forward to their upcoming revision-the third edition which should be out in Fall, 2004. It will include over 600 new pieces to bring it up-to-date and will include website information for manufacturers.

Odd Criteria for "Modern"
I was disappointed with the book and returned it. Nothing by Robsjohn Gibbings. Nothing by Harvey Probber. Only a single piece by Wormley. Only two by Finn Juhl. Instead, the selection seems weighted heavily toward austere Italian designs of metal and glass, esp. those produced in the 1960s and later. I did not expect the editors to show such a lack of interest in wood. And given the book's definitive-sounding title, I did not expect them to adopt such an rigid and uninteresting definition of "modern."

Modern means...
When anything is modern, it means that it's from this era=this time=now. But also, "MODERN" things point to the design movement that grew from the 1920's Modernism movement. That is why many of the Modern pieces such as Charles and Ray Eames pieces are considered "classic", despite the tag("Modern Furniture") that follows them. So I think this book shows great examples of furniture designs from Modernism era and its following influences. I disagree with Ping Lim about not having shown all the recent great works, because I think Karim Rashid and Aeron chair are considered either post post modern or futurism, not modernism.

time for an upgrade
Undoubtedly, this is one of the best reference book re modern furniture on the market place. Having said that, the readers should be aware that this edition is 4 years old. Some of the modern furnitures listed have since become modern classics & many important pieces after 1996 are not listed in here. For example, the working chair produced by Steelcase that is comparable with Aeron chair without its high price tag, Solo sofa by Antonio Citterio for B&B Italia, Vitra & Kartell ranges by Philippe Starck, more lightings by Ingo Maurer & the list could go on & on. Moreover, the authors could include pertinent website & e-mail address for suppliers & manufacturers on top of the snail mail addresses that were provided. It also would be more attractive if the book is printed in colour. Overall, it remains a substantial book. PS: Has the author ever considered updating the book online?

A must for anyone interested in classic furniture
This was this single most important thing that we had when we began decorating our house. An absolute must for the classics! ... Read more

Book Description

The crowning glory in many a classically proportioned room, the chandelier is once again enjoying the spotlight. Whether a traditional design or one found in the flea market, whether ballroom glass or galvanized steel, its shimmering beautyprevails in even the most modern interiors. This book takes the reader through the history of the chandelier from its first candle-lit forms to the innovative designs produced throughout the world today. With 200 beautiful photographs in a variety of settings, this book reveals what a chandelier can do for your home. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Shimmer and Shine
If you are a student of decorative arts or you simply love the sparkle of crystal droplets and soft candlelight in a dimly lit room, "Chandeliers" is for you. It is lavishly illustrated and informative. Hilliard offers a thorough history of the chandelier, from the most rustic wood or bronze medieval pieces to the highly refined crystal showpieces of the 18th and 19th centuries to fanciful Venetian glass creations and contemporary works. Chandeliers are shown in period settings as well as in modern homes and in unexpected settings. An excellent resource list of antique dealers and retailers is also provided complete with website addresses. ... Read more

Book Description

Filled with elegant designs and clever tips, A Japanese Touch for Your Home offers bold and exciting ideas for remodeling your home or redecorating your apartment. The author, architect Koji Yagi, explains the basic elements of Japanese interior design and shows you how to use them.

Install tatami mats and shoji doors--cardinal elements of Japanese interior design--and see how beautifully they respond to the Western home. Change the size and shape of a room easily and tastefully with bamboo screens and movable partitions. Build a simple Japanese-style alcove, decorate it with something special, and then flaunt it. Try some Japanese lighting techniques--low, soft, and beautiful. Change the mood of a room, and change your way of looking at things.

A Japanese Touch for Your Home includes much more. Practical, approachable, and authentic, it is written by a prominent Japanese architect concerned about the demands of contemporary lifestyles, and the answers that traditional Japanese design has to offer.

Over 120 color plates taken by a leading Japanese photographer accompany the informed text. In addition, over 200 black and white sketches, floor plans, and a section on do-it-yourself projects make this a book that will pique your desire to be creative and then show you how to fulfill it. A practical guide for homeowners, interior designers, and people who like to work with their heads and their hands, this book will introduce you to a new way of living. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

A New Hunger.
This book has created a new hunger in me to find and devour every book I can get my hands on dealing with Japanese architecture. I can now see where Frank Lloyd Wright got a lot of his inspiration from. This is the first book I have read on the subject so far, and it seems to cover a bit of everything with lots of nice photos. If your looking for a book on organizing and storing stuff like only the Japanese can do, then get "Small Spaces: Stylish Ideas for Making More of Less in the Home" by Azby Brown

Great Primer for the Novice to Japanese interiors.
This is the first I purchased on the subject of Japanese interiors, which I crave. Yagi and Williams cover the essentials of what you need to know, provide excellent photographic examples of their topics, and intructions on do it yourself projects. I rate it a 4 because I wanted the book to have more!

EXCELLENT !
I and many friends have enjoyed this book-not only because it has excellent photos of examples on how to give your home or apt a touch of Japanese tranquility/simplicity but also because it gives you exact details on how to build or create the area. Even if you're not interested in making changes in your home it's the kind of book that can transpose you to a more tranquil space via the excellent photos and drawings

Got a lot of money?
This book has beautiful photos of very lovely Japanese-style homes, but I wouldn't say that it's full of ideas for how to find more space in your home, or how to easily incorporate Japanese design or features into your already existing home. I would say if you have a lot of money, a lot of space, and at least some land, you could use this book to rebuild and create the perfect Japanese home. And you're going to have to get rid of all (and I mean all) the tchatchkes, or else cram them all in your new storage space. Which is not a bad idea for us Americans (getting rid of them, that is). I would like to see a book with ideas on how to use Japanese interior design ideas to help create more space and beauty in any home, using the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi.

This book was much more than i expected.
Besides the lovely the photos there were explainations of the probable origins of the japanese "look" in homes. The text was a pleasure to read (ie not like reding a test book) and I think this book gave me ways to incorporate ways to add designs to my home without major overhauls.... but just by adding the aura and intent of japanese homes i loved it excellent for tose with small living spaces you'll find room you never knew you had ... Read more

Book Description

Minimalist style interiors are now a familiar and recognizable part of today's visual culture. Top shelter magazines from Wallpaper and House and Garden to Elle Décor devote monthly features to the latest variation on white or beige, while fashion designers like Calvin Klein and Donna Karan design neutral housewares to match minimalist decor. Cheaper but no less stylish, Crate and Barrel, and Pottery Barn sell their own versions of minimalism, and countless upmarket European designer kitchen and furniture companies entice fashion conscious consumers with advertisements in leading shelter magazines.

Building on this trend, Monochrome Home presents designer Kelly Hoppen's innovative and breakthrough new approach to the next step beyond minimalist style interiors-by using dabs of color, texture, and dimension to establish a refined yet warm environment. A winner of Britain's "Oscars" of interior design, the prestigious Andrew Martin Award, she is considered, internationally, a leading interior designer.

The hallmark of the Hoppen style: bold, simple pieces of modern furniture mixed with an emphasis on texture and comfort; and counterpointing subtle neutral shades mixed with brighter dots of color to add a luxurious, sensual element to modern minimalist interiors.

Monochrome Home is a wonderful visual resource full of exquisite and original close-up photographs that detail Hoppen's brilliant editorial eye, combined with her talent for juxtaposing various elements to create dramatic, stunning effects.

Monochrome Home is a flexible and inspiring resource, suitable for small studios, or larger spaces. It is equally useful for those with small budgets or unlimited funds. For fans of minimalism who want more than anonymous white spaces, Monochrome Home describes in visual detail how to achieve a more personalized and inspired brand of minimalism-full of simplicity, elegance, comfort and style. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Expected more..
I was sorta disappointed with this book. I expected more wide-angled shots, instead i get endless queues of close-ups. Monochrome Home makes a nice coffee-table book nevertheless, but if you're seeking pages and pages of pretty examples with varied shots..then forget this..browse on. ... Read more

Book Description

Masako Takahashi, coauthor of the best-selling Mexicolor, now turns her attention to the vibrant tiles that are such a key element in Mexican style and design. Bring a festive new look to any home or garden with the ideas in Mexican Tiles. Masako Takahashi leads a colorful architectural tour through Mexico, revealing the many ways tiles are used for function and decoration, adding color and interest to everyday surroundings. Over 175 beautiful color photographs present inspirational examples of classic and contemporary tile work, from colonial-era church facades ornately covered with talavera tiles to vividly detailed modern treatments of bathrooms and kitchens. Including a delightful introduction by Tony Cohen about the history of tile-making in Mexico, plus installation tips and a resource guide, Mexican Tiles is both a fascinating initiation and a practical guide to this key element of Mexican style and design. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

AWESOME!!! Fulfilled ALL my expectations!
After I bought Masako Takahasi and her husband Tony Cohen's book "Mexicolor", I thought no other book I purchased would EVER compare to that experience. When I discovered "Mexican Tiles", I opened it with fear and trepidation, hoping against all hope, yet hardly daring to believe that it could be even half as good as their first.

But this book is AWESOME!! I think I finally figured out why, after reading Tony Cohen's book "On Mexican Time": these people simply ADORE Mexico, and it comes through in everything they do. All of the wonder and breathless anticipation and teary-eyed beauty that I feel and am so hopelessly unqualified to express when I am either in Mexico or adding to my collection of artesania, Tony vividly portrays in his prose and Masako captures with her camera.

As for subject matter, I LOVE Talavera tiles, Talavera pottery, Talavera ANYTHING, because they are so INCREDIBLY Mexican, and this book is simply PAGE after GORGEOUS PAGE of Talavera-lined kitchens, bathrooms, stairs, floors...you name it, it's tiled. If you at all appreciate ethnic interior design or Mexican handicrafts, this is an AWESOME book!!! ... Read more

Book Description

Perched on a rugged coastline, set in verdant ranch land, or tucked away in a picturesque colonial town, the magnificent inns and haciendas of Mexico spring to life in the pages of Mexicasa. Historically and culturally important, these living museums contain wondrous collections of Mexican arts and crafts as well as enchanting gardens and courtyards. Acclaimed photographer Melba Levick captures the stunning architecture and colorful folk art that draws admirers from all over the world, while author Gina Hyams reveals the tradition and unique story behind each retreat. An extensive directory listing the contact information for each of the 21 featured inns makes this an indispensible resource book as well as a celebration of the spirit of Mexico. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

I wanna move to Mexico!
You can almost feel the colours and shapes, taste the food and smell the flowers in this lavishly illustrated book on Mexican Haciendas and Hotels. I can see why allot of the people that started these Inns sold everything they had and moved to Mexico to start a new life. This book will be an inspiration to architects and would also make a great coffee table book. Be careful to check the binding when you get it. The glue on mine all fell off in chunks after the first read!

Beautiful pictoral essay of historic Mexican inns and hotels
This book is good, maybe even great, but still can't compare to Melba Levick and Masako Takahashi's AWESOME "Mexicolor". Masako's other book, "Mexican Tiles" comes close, and still edges out "Mexicasa" a little bit as well, so when all is said and done I think I just have to chalk it up to Masako's EVIDENT love and appreciation for the unfathomable beauty of things Mexican. Melba Levick seems to me to see things more from the outside looking in, and without so much PASSION, kind of like a more disinterested spectator than a participant, but that could just be my opinion.

That said, this book is is REALLY NICE. I DO really like it and I highly recommend it- especially if you already own and really liked "Mexicolor" and "Mexican Tiles". Or if you aren't so much into artesanias and Mexican interior design, but are more of an armchair traveler or are interested in actual historic hotels and haciendas.

Give your coffee table a treat
What Gina Hyams and Melba Levick have created here is a wonderful compilation of photos of 21 of Mexico's most spectacular and beautiful inns and bed & breakfast places.
Melba Levick must have had a ball taking these shots. There's hardly a picture that isn't beautiful in its own right - and there must be at least 300 of them. For this observer, the Mexican talent for blending and matching and mixing colors is the highlight of page after page. We see gardens and patios and pool areas and bedroom and dining areas and a host of living spaces where the eye is simply enchanted by the way the owners of these homes have decorated their various spaces. My own personal favorite is, of all things, a bathroom wall composed of talavera tiles where almost no two tiles on the wall match each other.
All the houses are fully described by Gina Hyams and in most cases she gives us anecdotes and stories about how the various places came about. Thus, for instance, in Hacienda Katanchel in the Yucatan,we read that the present owners discovered the place in 1996. It had been abandoned for 35 years and originally dated back to the 17th century. So what they acquired were 740 acres of dense jungle in which were buried many crumbling buildings with trees growing through walls and ceilings. They gradually cleared the mess away and started building and renovating in a blend of Mexican, Mayan and Spanish styles. And you should see the place now.
On a less ambitious scale, we read about Mesón Sacristia de la Compañia in Puebla. This began as a family-run antique store which the owners turned into a restaurant and then an inn. It has one extra little twist for people who stay there - everything in the place is for sale. The owners are continually having to replace dishes and furniture.
And so the stories go... Pick up a copy and give your coffee table a treat. ... Read more

Book Description

The beach is the ultimate retreat: a place to escape the frenzied pace of our daily lives and to reconnect with the natural world. In Beach Houses, photographer Roberto Schezen and writer Michael Webb offer a lavish visual and textual tour of America's most fascinating seaside homes -- both traditional and modern, rustic and grand -- illustrating why we are so drawn to beach living.

Encompassing twenty-one structures in all, this is a book as rich and as diverse as the coastline itself. From a simlpe Block Island cottage created by acclaimed architect Robert Venturi, to Richard Neutra's modernist masterpiece in Santa Monica, to a wildlyadventurous Florida residence designed entirely by its owner, each home profiled is a unique work of art and a remarkable reflection of our ever-changing relationship with the ocean. Schezen's 139 original color photographs give us an inside glimpse into each residence, while Webb's essays explain the histories and special features of each home. Artfully designed and beautifully written, Beach Houses will captivate anyone who has dreamed of living by the water and all those who simply love the sea.