5 comments about Wright Style: Re-Creating the Spirit of Frank Lloyd Wright.

1. The book landed on my doorstep 2 weeks after I ordered. The photos are well made and the whole atmosphere breathes the true wright stories.
   Too bad that the webshops listed have very little to offer which was the only disappointment.
   The level of detail and attention for seperate elements gives inspiration on how I want to decorate my house and how the harmony was created.



2. All of the other customer reviews were extremely positive, and I would like to concur in their respective judgments.

   Wright's life was filled with controversy, and his work is subject to complex interpretation. Other authors, in my opinion at least, devote way too much book space to these matters; Lind, on the other hand, has done a masterful job in organizing the key elements of Wright's style (furnishings, usonians, etc>) and gathering stunning, modern photographs that illustrate each.

   If you buy one book on Wright, this should be the one. Better than anything else I've seen, it will demonstrate why the man's work lives on -- 45 years after his death.




3. This book takes a look at what makes Frank Lloyd Wright's designs still so popular today. The book itself is so gorgeous, focusing not just on the houses but also on the furnishings, which can be breathtaking! The photos were excellent and conveyed the feeling of really being there.

   I read three books about this architect this weekend, and this one was the most complete of them all. It gave me a peek into so many of his uniquely designed buildings and the furnishings and decorative arts that he created for them.

   Something I had never seen before: at the end of the book there is a catalog of items that can be purchased from different vendors. These are FLW reproductions, items inspired by FLW, and those "in the style of FLW". These items range from furniture to rugs to lamps to fabrics and decorative items.

   On my "tour" of over 40 houses (designed by both Wright and his followers), I saw that all of the designs were simple ones, with natural colors and finishes, the buildings seeming to spring out of the earth. I saw the open flowing floor plans that are sheltered by overhanging, gently sloping roofs. Many of the places I "visited" had built-in furniture and fixtures.

   It was interesting to view all of the things that Wright designed for his homes....besides the items mentioned above, he also designed the windows (art glass), light fixtures, skylights, wall murals, and even the landscaping!

   Wright changed American architecture forever, resulting in open floor plans, multi-purpose rooms, naturally-lit spaces--- and showed us a different way of living.




4. This is a wonderful book: gorgeous color pictures with an informative and most insightful text. Far beyond a coffee table collection, this is a real contribution to understanding Wright, and American housing. Lind discusses the design ideas of a number of Wright's most famous or typical extant buildings. You get a good idea of the exhilarating play of light and space in his houses, and the real significance of such modern cliches as ranch-style, strip and corner windows, patio doors, and built-ins. Besides real insight into Wright's aesthetic, the book is notable for its unique coverage of 12 houses by Wright disciples, and appendices on interior arts and sources of reproductions. (Wright would be appalled, since he saw furnishings as uniquely integral and scaled to particular houses!) A "dangerous" book, it singlehandedly reawakened my interest in Wright's architecture. It may draw you, too, into learning more of Wright, and influencing your choice of home.



5. The book has many photographs an does a credible job of detailing each of them. I found that the book well organized. . I would highly recommend this as an intro to Wright's work. The author tries to touch on as many subjects a possible, as result there are times when it was somewhat lacking in depth. That being said there is a great reference of things Wright in the back of the book that is worth the price of admission alone.

2 comments about Susan Sargent's The Comfort of Color: inspire * transform * create.

1. Luscious color photos! A great book to curl up with on a gray day.



2. Thank you Susan Sargent once again! Her fist book was packed with color, and this one is the same. Filled with unbelievable beautiful rooms and the information to overcome anyone's fear of color. I plan to use this with my clients and for myself. My only wish is that besides a color chip photo of the colors she uses she actually put in a tear sheet of color chips!!
   An inspirational book.A must have if you are a textile designer,lover of color!

2 comments about Sonoma Valley Style: At Home in California's Wine Country.

1. Author Kathryn Masson is a native Californian with access to some of the finest private homes and gardens in the area: Sonoma Valley Style: At Home In California's Wine Country pairs lovely color photos by Steven Brooke of both exteriors and interiors with Masson's feature of wine country homes and weekend retreats. Each home receives descriptions of the homeowner's goals, collaborations between architects and builders, and review of unique design attributes and challenges. From a historic Craftsman farmhouse to a 21st century interpretation of Arts and Crafts style, Sonoma Valley Style contrasts and highlights a variety of elegant homes, from restored Mexican adobes to Victorian farmhouses.



2. Sonoma Valley is not far from it's better known neighbor Napa Valley. What that really means is that it's not nearly as crowded with tourists. Still prime wine growing country the first vinyards date from the middle 1800's. It also seems that wine people tend to not be poor. The houses from the old vinyards are classical and elegant. The houses from the new vinyards are not bad either.
   
   In this book you'll see a lot of kitchens with Viking type stovetops. There aren't many stoves from Sears purchased second hand. The book is a description of some of the more elegant houses in Sonoma Valley. It is profusely photographed by Steven Brooke an architectural photographer of reknown. His works include books on Rome, Jerusalem, Savannah, Napa and others. His pictures have a warm, creamy look that I find very inviting. The description that goes with the houses combines descriptive information with history and tales of the people who buile/remodeled them.
   
   The book is about what you would expect of a coffee table book on a region: high quality pictures, high quality writing, high quality printing.

2 comments about David Adjaye: Houses.

1. The book is chock full of excellent photos, plans, sections, diagrams, sketches and thoughtful text. This is a top notch architecture book which is a perfect snap shot to David Adjaye's residential work and happily enough, millwork and furnishings also by the architect. With Adjaye's work primarily in/around London, a good portion of it is not totally ground up but intelligent re-workings and engagement with existing structures. I'm looking forward to the inevitable "Houses Vol.2".



2. the book is fully illustrated but the photos are too small and hasn't good quality.
   it brings just a few and small projects, without relevance (most of them are refurbushings in existing buildings).
   adjaye has just beggan his career as an architect.
   so, i think that this book came too early.

1 comments about Styles: Compendium of Interior.

1. Books on furniture and styles have lately been written as thou they are a catalog. At the college I attend, one of the instructors has written a book about Modern Furniture and frankly... it looks like an assemblied catalog. This book how ever is done with care to show not only the piece of furniture (the problem with other furnirute books) but rather shows the piece in its nature surroundings. Photos are from the actually castle, mansions or current home owners own settings. Modern furniture is shown as it used by the average person and not marketed to the masses. The photos are clear, warm, inviting and sometimes funny as well. Styles: Compendium of Interior was written as thou it was produced for a college interior design course. And I truly wish this was the book my instructor was using instead of the one they now offer. I have recommended this book to the college and I recommend it to you. This is a must have book for furniture collectors, interior design students or anyone who loves mansions. This book is thick and difficult to put down......that's a very good thing.

2 comments about Medical and Dental Space Planning: A Comprehensive Guide to Design, Equipment, and Clinical Procedures.

1. This book is Excellent in every regard! A MUST HAVE for anyone thinking of planning a medical or dental office space. It is very detailed with great photos! The author provides great resources as well through her company's website. It is definitely worth the investment!



2. this book is excenlent describes the medicasl procedures and what spaces to design for them, covers radiology, surgical suites, nuclear medicne and medical spaces for dentist it was a big help , an it even comes with plant layouts that you can really see how the facilities work!

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.

5 comments about Zen Interiors.

1. this book was very useful for my project and helping me get ideas on a zen looking interior which was the feel i needed for the space i was designing. i would suggest this book to anyone who whats to acheive that look. it has alot of pictures to help you mind visulise the space and make your creative juices flow



2. 
   I really like this book, is minimalist, which I understand not everyone identifys with, but the photos, the coments the whole concept and contect makes this book a must have reference for anyone wanting to integrate oriental mindset to western culture. Highly recommended, and the price is unbetable.



3. This book was too sterile for me. It was done in the modern/minimalistic fashion that is so popular today. I like something that is beautiful, welcoming and comfortable . This book did not have any furniture that appeared to be anything you would want to sit on. Some of the rooms barely had any furniture in them.



4. Well, with the plethora of Feng Shui books out these days it is nice to flip through one that doesn't shout in your face. The photography in here is excellent and there are many great ideas for living simply. That is, this is a "clear your clutter" without any preaching; the pictures should provide reason enough to get rid of your piles of (crud).

   That said, there are some illustrations of definite "no-no's" and some spaces in here do not really look liveable. I wonder if the 'dressers' did a bit too much styling and removed all signs of life from some houses; either that or one wonders what the closets look like since you do need a certain amount of stuff to live.

   It also bothers me a bit that "zen" has become little more than a buzz-word. Go get a zafu, take a weekend session and start meditating. Then start fixing your space and you will have a "zen" living space. Following instructions and/or copying layouts from somewhere is about as far from zen as you can get! I think the author could have stressed this point a lot more.

   Still a fun coffee-table book...




5. The serenity of form and function are clearly brought together in this tranquil volume by designer Vinny Lee.

   With the Zen perspective that one's possessions are burdens, the book manages to create inviting, peaceful living spaces uncluttered by frou-frou and bric-a-brac.

   A great resource for those comfortable with themselves, not requiring a plethora of possessions to make a statement about who they are.

5 comments about Tuscan Elements (Decor Best-Sellers).

1. This book is filled to the top with great quality pictures. Wonderful inspiration for me and our new home which we are doing a Tuscan Theme. Will make a good coffee table book as well :)



2. The disigns elements were too rustic for my taste. I was looking for more of a casual elegence.



3. Recomendo esse livro para quem, como eu, pretende construir no estilo toscano. Claro está que não se encontra mais tijolos de 300 anos, porém, pode-se ter completa idéia de como é o ar de uma propriedade toscana. Ótimas fotos e boas dicas.



4. This is the best book of its kind that I have seen on basic Tuscan home design elements. Concise descriptions, beautiful photgraphy. I would heartily recommend this book.



5. I normally don't buy tabletop table books because I don't feel that they represent a value or add much to my understanding of a subject. Tabletop books full of incredible pictures just do not fully capture my imagination or attention. Consequently, most tabletop books get a cursory flipping through before I put them down.
   
   However, `Tuscan Elements' is more than a book of pretty pictures and it is worth more than just a cursory flipping through. The author, Alexandra Black, has organized her effort to capture the elements of Tuscany. The four elements are stone, wood, earth, and water. These four elements are expressed in the homes, furniture, terracotta, and ponds, respectively, of Tuscany. To stand alongside the pictures of these four elements, Ms. Black takes the time to build a supporting story from a historical and literary point of view. Quoting D.H. Lawrence and Pliny the Younger, the story of how these elements have been woven into the ebb and flow of Tuscan life since before the Roman Empire emerges with an impressive clarity and vividness.
   
   As a lover of Tuscany I am drawn to images of Tuscany and its way of life. The seductive beauty of the Tuscan landscape and the romance of the Tuscan lifestyle as expressed in the prose and images of this tabletop book is the stuff of dreams. This tabletop book provided me the fodder for those dreams and never once disappointed me.

No comments about Sustainable Design for Interior Environments.