5 comments about The Southern Cottage: From the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Florida Keys.

1. I'm always interested in how the wealthy spend their money. These "Cottages" are really something! Most people might enjoy thumbing through this book free at a library or on a friends coffee table.



2. Very nice book. I liked it so much I sent an additional copy to a friend in Georgia.



3. This was an absolute page turner for me. I thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful pictures and descriptive dialog. The photos were amazing and were varied with many interior, exterior and garden shots. The only dissapointment was coming to the end!



4. Ever since I purchased a turn of the century farmhouse I have been a bit obsessed w/ reading about the history and culture of the south. I enjoyed this book and the photos but most of all I love reading about the people who choose to live a simple life:)There is something magical about this way of life. I feel so lucky to experience living in a historic home and I enjoyed reading the reviewer's home featured in the book! OMG!!!! It is an honor! CONGRATS!!!! I googled and made trips to the local museum in my area and found my farmhouse written about in a history book and it is thrilling beyond words! Hope someday the author chooses to write "The Southern Farmhouse" Hint!:)



5. Susan Sully's "The Southern Cottage" is a beautifully written book, illustrated with stunning photographs of eighteen charming cottages. In the spirit of full disclosure, my home is featured in the book (four pages of text and eight photos). I had never met Susan before she visited me last year. An officer of our local Preservation Society recommended my home, a mid-nineteenth century "story-and-a-jump" cottage rehabilitated to historic preservation standards, to her.
   
   Susan's photos show my house as it is. All of the furniture and other items in her pictures are mine, ones that I use daily. Sometimes I sit in my parlor with Susan's book open on my lap, and think, "what a wonderful testimony to the love and care we've shown to this historic old house."
   
   In addition to capturing the spirit of my house in photographs, Susan has written several pages describing the house (it belonged to my grandparents), our family history (including colonial settlers, sea captains, and shipwrecks), and life today on a barrier island.
   
   So far I have read only a few other sections (each cottage has its own chapter), but if the book captures the spirit of every house as faithfully as mine (and I have every reason to believe it does) this is a book worthy of any bookshelf.

5 comments about Swedish Room (Creating the Look).

1. This is a great book! Specially for a novice in Swedish style. The pictures are really beautiful and the description is very detail oriented. Also the way the author use of the history and phsysical location of the different periods make a difference when being introduced to something new. A definetly A+!



2. I was looking for a more real world book on Swedish interiors, i.e., color palettes, decor ideas, etc. This book depicted lavish, extravagant rooms that would be more in keeping with very high-end decorating. If I had a castle, perhaps....
   
   Wonderful photos of truly beautiful rooms, indeed, but the uptopian flavor of the book matched its price, so rather than keeping it on the shelf, I returned it.



3. The cover and the look-inside-glimpse do not do this book justice att all. It's not all that rural and folksy, but has wide range of interiors from palaces, mansions, farms and cottages. The in-put from Italy (and later France) was huge in the days when Sweden was a major European power in the 17th century. The book moves on into the Gustavian era of simple elegance and continues to regency and the summer-houses that became popular in the 19th century. A very well illustrated book with excellent photos.



4. Beautiful book, well researched and written with carefully selected and beautiful photos. A must have for anyone interested in Gustavian interiors and the homes that contain them. The interiors selected for this book are the relatively simpler ones with soft color schemes and a cleaner, pared-down look - ones more acceptable to contemporary tastes - rather than the gilded neoclassical palaces of the same period. If you are interested in the more palatial interiors of the same period I recommend: Neoclassicism in the North, Swedish Furniture and Interiors 1770-1850 . I noticed in browsing through this book, that a number of the interiors selected for inclusion in The Swedish Room are actually the simplest rooms in otherwise grand palaces.
   A very pleasing selection of interior views overall and much better than Barbara Stoeltie's similar book, The Country Houses of Sweden.



5. I have found this book a constant inspiration when considering the Swedish style in general and Gustavian in particular.

   The photos and colours are excellent. The text begins by being historically interesting and illuminating but becomes unfocussed and then banal. The translation is awkward in parts. Still the information is superior to the commonly gushy interior design style.

   Although there is a section on contemporary versions of the classic Swedish styles, it remains primarily an homage to the original rather than an illustration of an inventive combination.

   Nonetheless, an excellent reference book.

3 comments about Complete Upholsterer.

1. I teach traditional upholstery restoration in NYC and always recommend to my students that they have this book as a resource. It is a wonderful reference -- very clear and concise -- with detailed illustrations. Thank goodness it is still in print, as traditional upholstery done with horse hair and hand stitching is rapidly losing its existence to a world of foam-based furniture constructed with glue and staples.



2. I agree entirely with the reviews of this admirable book. But the buyer should be aware that it's an English publication and all the sources for supplies etc are British. As one who is having a tough time finding American suppliers of materials suitable for antiques who are willing to sell retail, I'm finding that's a fairly big gap.



3. Just about anything and everything you ever wanted or needed to know about upholstery is in this book. Photographs and descriptions of professional tools,

   The book starts by teaching about style through the ages with the help of period drawings and paintings... then a walk through materials and techniques. Even a list of addresses of suppliers of professional upholstery supplies is provided. This is an essential reference for anyone thinking about upholstering anything.

No comments about Basic CAD for Interior Designers: AutoCAD, Architectural Desktop, and VIZ Render 2007.

5 comments about Creating the New American Townhouse.

1. Creating the New American Town House only reaffirms my longstanding appreciation of the work of Alexander Gorlin, known for his high-end residential designs, but equally deserving of accolades for his innovative design of synagogues, churches, affordable housing and educational projects. Check out his own website www.gorlinarchitects.com and you will see why he is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and a regular in magazines like Architectural Record, Architectural Digest and Interior Design.
   
   Oh right, the book! Not only is every photograph stunning. Boldly elegant but never ostentatious, these projects are without exception the work of design studios (with as few as two employees) who care more about well-realized details than money or fame. Gorlin's concise project descriptions illuminate precisely those aspects of the projects that might otherwise escape the reader's notice, a phenomenal accomplishment that in some way surpasses his earlier book, The New American Town House. The first book, now difficult to find, opens with an erudite and comprehensive history of the Town House from Vitruvius to Hejduk!
   
   Less is more? Nothing less than a triumph! Go forth A.G.!



2. Yes, some of this book's projects may not technically meet the traditional criteria for the town house; but as Gorlin himself describes one of Stanley Saitowitz's projects, it "extends beyond general restrictions for the type". The book is more a record of how gifted architects have in the last five years reimagined and utilized the typology in new contexts and in striking new ways. Indeed you will be disappointed if you are looking for "typical" projects, but who wants typical when you can have genius!!
   
   There is a diverse array of projects, including multi-family and affordable housing the like of which are to be found almost nowhere in the United States. While many of these architects are highly respected names whom the average reader herself might not be able to hire, Gorlin makes a crucial statement about the architect/client relationship in his "Advice from the Architect" introduction: "Apart from talent, personal chemistry is essential". The work also demonstrates that the architects in the book have earned their reputations by pushing the envelope, by CREATING one-of-a-kind responses to their clients and their urban contexts.



3. First of all let me say that Mr. Gorlin has compiled and selected very beautiful projects for his book. The book itself is very well constructed and the detailed photographs provide insight to how these exquisite homes were designed and constructed.
   The only question I have regarding some of the projects featured in this book is that they don't seem to fall under the typology of what a "townhouse" is. Perhaps its my lack of knowledge, but I believed a townhouse differed from a city house in that a townhouse shared a parallel wall with adjacent buildings and is usually built vertically due to narrow city lots. Although most projects featured here fall under this form, some such as the Reyna Town House by Dean Nota Architect and the Vertical Townhouse by Lorcan O'Herlihy among others bear the name "town house", but seem to be just houses in an urban context. These houses are built on lots, but because they share no common wall with their neighbors they seem to fall under the typology of suburban houses with their boundary indicating fences. Don't get me wrong, the projects featured here are all very beautiful whether they are new constructions or renovations, but some seem to be out of character of what I thought a townhouse is. Nonetheless, aside from the dispute in nomenclature, this book features some of the best examples of fine architecture in city living.
   
   www.hjlbookreview.com



4. If you are looking for new and typical American townhouses, you'd be disappointed by the beautiful and modern houses custom-designed by sophisticated architects in the book. But it's still a creditworthy design collection of individual luxury townhouses.



5. Sometimes too much of a good thing, one beautiful photo after another, leaves you feeling bloated with... having seen alot of beautiful photos. The only relief the book offers is in the frequent mediocrity of so many of the projects.

5 comments about Jansen (20th Century Decorators).

1. This book was a great disappointment to me. Maison Jansen completed some of the most incredible design commissions of the twentieth century, but there is little evidence here. Jansen completed three important houses for Anita O'Keefe Young, and yet there isn't even a mention of Mrs. Young, let alone photos of her apartment and houses. The Paley project is foolishly included, even though the included photos are of the rooms AFTER Parish Hadley redid them, completely changing the style and tone of the rooms.
   And the photos seem tiny throughout, with too much blank white space on each page.
   This book only shows that a better book needs to be done about one of the most incredible
   design firms that ever existed.



2. A very interesting collection from Acanthus Press: very well documented, pleasant to read with a real work of documentation from the author. If you are interested by the fabulous golden age style glam interiors, you must have this book which is an opportunity to have a look through some of the most beautiful places in the world, decorated by a company who knew perfectly how to give a sense of grandeur to the home of the happy few... This is well write and fascinating and the pictures are great and carefully choosen! A must have as Jansen was the better!



3. I just had to have this large gorgeous book on Jansen and the series on important decorators just had to include this famous firm. Most Americans had heard of this French firm when Jackie O used them to decorate the White House when she was Jackie Kennedy. I just returned from Leeds Castle on the outskirts of London where he was employed by the American Lady Baille. I also got lucky because a tournament was held that day-a dream castle with a royal history.



4. A very interesting book and a nice follow up to the 1970's cheaply produced book called Jansen Decoration (if you can find that book you'll shell out a lotta clams). Anyway I have one of the 70's books and comparing the content (not the quality of the earlier book) against this one, I was struck and how rather bland some of the rooms were that are featured in the new book. The 1970's book is filled (black and white photos unfortunately) with really chic rooms. So I guess I'm a bit prejudiced since I already had something to compare this one to. Anyway this is a great reference work for anyone interested in the history of Jansen interior design.
   Stylemaven



5. This is a beautifully presented book that provides a fascinating insight into the history of the legendary design firm, Maison Jansen. The most prestigious firm of its time, and one of the longest running (over a century), and most international, Maison Jansen completed some of the most celebrated interiors for the most influential people. Clients included royalty, statesmen, the rich and the famous - the Paley's 5th Avenue apartment, the White House for the Kennedy's, the Wrightsman's home, as well as homes and projects for the Shah of Iran, King Leopold of Belgium, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, etc.
   There are plenty of photographs (although some in black and white), along with sketches and illustrations for proposals and completed schemes. The only thing missing is a reference of the amazing furniture created for each of their projects, but thankfully this issue has been addressed with a follow up volume titled "Jansen Furniture" by the same author, which I hope will be just as deserving of my high recommendation.

1 comments about Contemporary Design in Detail: Sustainable Environments (Contemporary Design Details).

1. This is a good book, but the focus is not in the details, but in a overall description of each project.

2 comments about Provence Style (Icon (Taschen)).

1. Excellent!! I've given several as gifts to friends. Wonderful things do often come in small packages!



2. Beautiful pictures. Pictures only, with a brief title at the end of each section. A good small book to take on a drive to augment the scenery, as you can talk while you glance through it. My copy is falling apart even though it has been barely handled. This book doesn't evoke for me the mood of Provence, just the mood of someone else's vacation. I would describe it as the vacation photos of a stranger. I still gave it three stars because the photos are beautifully done

1 comments about Interior Architecture Now.

1. The coverage is diversified, and yet coherent. Many other similar titled books are like scramble of photos sewing bits and pieces together; this one doesn't. The 55 designers' works are well presented with good selection of high quality photos. The book design is also top-notch. It is a great book full of ideas.

2 comments about Design Ideas for Windows (Design Ideas).

1. I purchased this book for an additional idea resource while looking for window treatment options for a project; it has many images of various window coverings from soft sophisticated styles to simple valances and shades.
   
   Good resource...for residential design, obviously.



2. This book is very beautiful. A thick book filled with glossy high-quality photographs of a very wide range of decorating styles and architectures. As the title suggests, the emphasis is on windows, but also the way window styling integrates with room decor is heavily emphasized as well. Another thing strongly covered is the use of drapes and blinds, as well as general decorating accents (throw pillows,ect.)and color schemes. An excellent book for decorating ideas generally, too.