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5 comments about The Abrams Guide to American House Styles.

1. If you are just getting interested in the topic of house styles, this book is an excellent introduction. The color pictures are a great help versus black and white pictures or even sketches. If nothing else, this is a great starter book!



2. This book is a good guide to house identification as well as a pleasure to look it. The photographs are beautifully done, and in full color which I think is important for noticing details that help one identify a house. The text is helpful in explaining historical information, and there are quick reference charts for each house type that condense the major features of that type. Sometimes the distinction between early, middle, and late Georgian is hard determine, and I didn't find it very helpful there, but other than that it is a great guide and a nice coffee table book as well since the pics are so fabulous.



3. The color pictures are all new and the subjects very well chosen, and paging through this book is enjoyable. The concise text reviews the usual classifications in the usual ways, its academic tone partly redeemed by occasional wit.
   
   He renames Richardson Romanesque as Richardsonian, Federal as Late Georgian, and says Queen Anne originated from Arts and Crafts rather than medieval styles, although I think there's a little of each. Like most authors, he discusses the white flat-roofed Modern examples as though they were the next in line to follow the Tudors and Colonial Revivals, despite the fact that they never amounted to more than an insignificant fraction of houses built, then continues with the Post Modern and Deconstructivist styles, pure "magazine architecture", marking an era in which architects begin to serve a new and powerful patron of the arts, the media.
   
   But the countless postwar ranches and split-levels are never mentioned. Trying to keep it highbrow, I guess.
   
   He returns to ordinary houses at the very end, to jump on the mock-the-McMansions bandwagon, using as examples, ironically, some of the prettiest houses in the book.
   
   A few nits to pick:
   
   * Medieval homes had steep roofs because they used thatch, not due to the narrow London streets.
   
   * Le Corbusier's "machines for living" quote actually was intended to extoll creature comforts, not stark Modernism.
   
   * The Arts and Crafts post-and-beam masterpiece, the Gamble House, is ordinary stud construction where it doesn't show.
   
   * Beams are always horizontal, as are clapboards.
   
   * It was Louis Sullivan who said architecture was set back 50 years by a late 19th Century exhibition, not some academic.
   
   Still like the James C. Massey book, available used. But you may like this one for its pictures.



4. Despite the unfavorable comments in "A VERY POOR EFFORT," I decided to buy this book and try it for myself. I'm so glad I did. This reviewer seems to be confused about this book. Of all the books on the subject, this is the only one that's written by a Pulitzer-nominated architectural historian, comprised of all-color photos, inclusive of the late-20th and 21st cent styles, designed like an art book, and packaged in a compact/portable format for taking it on the road. These 5 features are completely NEW to this genre! The unhappy reviewer's other point of criticism (that there are too many trees on the property of some of the photographed houses) is simply absurd. How can a photographer remove trees and foliage from a house's property before photographing the house? These houses are important examples, not slouches. The book states clearly that each picture was taken from public property. Should the photographer have given each house a fresh coat of paint, too, before he photographed it? Such a criticism is illogical. For my dollar, this is the best book in the genre and thus should be given a fair evaluation. I'm glad I bought it. As a realtor, I need this kind of book, and this one's the easiest to use of all of them.



5. In the United States, there is a very rich history of producing field guides to American Domestic Architecture. So it was into this already crowded field that "The Abrams Guide to American House Styles" was published in 2004. In my opinion, if you are going to introduce a new book into an established field, you need to do something new.
   
   This Guide has two features that are unique. First, all of the photos are in color. This is the first Guide that I have seen that has done this. I really enjoyed seeing the photos of the earliest American homes. Second, unlike most field guides, this Guide continues to the current day. I thought that adding examples of McMansions was a very nice touch. Most other field guides stop somewhere around 1950.
   
   Field Guides can be divided into photo books and line drawing books. I prefer line drawing books because they help the reader concentrate on the architectural features that combine to make a style. I think photo books are less effective because they are too specific. Instead of concentrating on the stylistic details, the photos make the reader concentrate on a specific house. The other reason I do not like photo books is that photos are inherently distracting. Instead of concentrating on the architectural features, the eye is drawn to foilage, electrical poles, cars and people walking in front of the building.
   
   The Abrams' Guides does a good job of cutting out most of the distractions but where if fails miserably is in the trees around the house. A good 10-15% of the images are ruined by trees getting in the way of the photographer. Either they block the full image or their shadow obscure key details. I can accept a few trees around a house but to have so many photos ruined is unacceptable. It as though the editors did not have enough photos and they were forced to accept poor quality photos to fill out the book. If you want to see a field guide with beautiful color photographs of houses, see Robin Langley Sommer's "The American House".
   
   If your tastes run to photos, purchase "A Field Guide to American Houses" by Virginia McAlester. If you prefer line drawings like I do, check out, "The Visual Dictionary of American Architecture" or Lester Walker's "American Homes".
   
   Looking at old homes and determining their sytles is a great hobby. The Abram's Guide is a very poor introduction to this rewarding past time.

5 comments about No Compromise Decorating.

1. I found this book in the library and am now about to buy it. If you want to create a home that is a reflection of who you are, this book will be a wonderful asset. Lynnette is very helpful in determining your own
   personal style, but you're going to have to put in a little thought. She also helps you to build the confidence to do it. However, it's not for everyone. For some the best thing to do is just to bite the bullet and hire a decorator.



2. Grab a cup of coffe & relaxc as you read this book. It is very informative & will help you implement your own style.It is as good ,if not better than her first book. I can only assume the bad reviews are from people who just looked at the pictures. I don't think you will be dissapointed with it but actually reading it would help! Thanks;



3. This book initially threw me off. It is so different than most decorating books I have. You know the ones; you flip through the pages and find gorgeous rooms and decor. You don't have to read a word to get the gist of the decorating style and decide which components you love and want to imitate.
   
   This book is different. I have never heard of this decorator, nor have I read or seen any of her other books. This is one you definitely have to read, but the text is in such big type that it does not seem daunting. I'm sure the big text helps to fill up pages, BUT I thought it was great for making the reading easy.
   
   Now I would say the first half of the book is talking, teaching and some of it is kind of new-agey, get in touch with your home's feelings kind of talk which makes me grin...but that's okay. I like a little humor in my life! For those who think I am kidding, page 65, starts with "Learn How Your House Wants to Live." I want to learn how I really want to live in MY house! LOL
   
   It does have good information and kind of gets you thinking in a different way. I like how the author recommends you categorize your furniture and accessories into Love It, So-So or Leave It. It does explain that her "Leave It" category means it is out unless you will end up with a naked room, sleeping on the floor or eating on the kitchen counter. So some "Leave It's" will have to wait to go out the door. Her recommendation is to make it tolerable by covering with a favorite tablecloth or with the most beautiful bed linens you can afford. I would give it a 3.5 star.



4. As a complete decorating neophyte, who, when I've needed to decorate, has always looked outside, to others, to magazines, etc., this is exactly the book I needed. Jennings has given me the confidence to go with what I like, what suits me, and what makes me feel comfortable. Then she goes into structured detail showing me how to recognize my own style. To the decorating mavens out there - note that there are so many of us who listen far too often to others' advice to the detriment of our own style and comfort. Although this book has a "self-help" feel about it, the title clearly states what this book is about- Confidence in one's preferences and choices and how to go with them. Its focus is not color schemes and style as much as it's about finding the confidence in your own self to decorate how you want, regardless of whatever anyone else may think. Thanks Lynette!



5. Having loved Jennings' previous book, Straight Talk on Decorating, I plunged into this one with cries of glee... and quickly hit bottom in the dry pool. Ouch! I'd swear some of the photos of Jennings' own houses appeared in the other book, and there are far too many pages that consist only of a brief pull-quote in the Alexandra Stoddard "love yourself -- spend more on high-end housewares!" style.
   
   The real disappointment, however, is the before-and-after case studies. All of these people have basically the same furniture: three bulky sofas, two bulky chairs, a gargantuan entertainment unit, and some matching tables. Move the sofas away from the wall, balance the entertainment unit with the largest focal point in the room, accessorize, accessorize, accessorize! And voila! The room looks just like a spread in a Better Homes & Garden decorating book, right down to the "flea market finds" that are conveniently available at a Marshall's or TJ Maxx near you. There is not one single funky, individual, or even mildly interesting room in the lot.
   
   Why do I go as high as two stars? Before-and-after photos are always worth a star. But if you want to see rooms rearranged, Lauri Ward's Use What You Have Decorating is a more useful book with more interesting layouts.

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2 comments about Japanese Accents in Western Interiors.

1. Nice ideas for using Japanese art and furniture.



2. Book contains abundant pictures with full descriptions of items and history. Also contains excellent resource section for U.S. and Japan. Terrific book for anyone interested in Japanese style interior design

No comments about Country Living Shoestring Chic: Extraordinary Style for Less (Country Living).

3 comments about Chinese Style: Living in Beauty and Prosperity.

1. Chinese Style: Living in Beauty and Prosperity hold lovely illustrations to demonstrate the possibilities of redecorating an entire home or a single room in a Chinese fashion. Think 'China' and you'll think of silk, tea, porcelain and lacquer furniture: these and other elements can be combined with modern styles for maximum impact. Home interior design collections will find this focus a popular reference.



2. This book has no worthwhile information and the photography is not of the highest quality. I would definitely not recommend it.



3. "Lacquer is a natural sap from a sumac tree...growing in southern and central China between elevations of 1200-1500 feet. Applied in layers over logs, beams and furniture, its protective qualities preserve the wood over time. And, its transparent sheen enhances surfaces, while reflecting light." ~pg. 33
   
   Chinese Style is a mingling of ancient beauty with modern functionality that still embodies a spirituality evident in the rich symbolism within the designs. Camphor wood cabinets, apothecary chests, softly rustling silks, intricate screens, fragrant teas, exquisite porcelain and richly colored lacquered antiques fill the pages with beauty.
   
   You can imagine yourself wandering through an Antique store filled with warm colors, rich crimson accents and comfy soft fabrics covering chairs in which you could read for hours. The details on the chair on page 44 are very intriguing and the complexity almost becomes serenity.
   
   The main chapters include:
   
   What is Chinese Style?
   China's Export Trade
   Recognizing Authentic Chinese Antiques
   Poetic Imagery as Design Symbols
   Rooms that Welcome and Entertain
   Rooms that Nurture and Heal
   Rooms that Celebrate Memories
   Beauty in the Details
   
   The pictures throughout are the highlights, but each section describes the designs and gives a deeper understanding to the furniture's purpose that goes beyond simple form and function. The bathroom with a fireplace looks very inviting and the author explains how a statue of an elephant gives the room a sense of peace and prosperity.
   
   Sunamita Lim also explains the meaning of bats, bees, bears, butterflies, cranes, dragons, eagles, fish, dogs, lions, goldfish, horses, ducks, roosters, peacocks and tigers. The next time you see a rug with various fruits like cherry, pomegranate and persimmon, you may think of a long life instead of just a display of fruit. Foods also have deeper meanings as do plants and symbols from the natural world.
   
   "Bamboo, in symbolizing nature's purity and steadfastness, is most significant for the higher ideals that scholars seek, such as integrity and noble action." ~ pg. 72
   
   If you are decorating, you might want to consider a beautiful moon window that gives a room such a nurturing quality. If you love reading poetry, the symbols from nature will be enlightening all on their own. This book can be enjoyed for its spiritual and aesthetic dimensions.
   
   ~The Rebecca Review

No comments about Eileen Gray: Design and Architecture, 1878-1976.