5 comments about Tropical Asian Style.

1. This is a great book, I never get sick of looking at it. Highly recommend for lover of Asian stle living



2. After reading it, I wanted to knock down every wall in my house. Or at least remove the window glass. My next house will definitely be designed based on the rooms in this book.

   I didn't read much of the text because the pictures were so captivating. They show every aspect of the tropical Asian house, except perhaps kitchens, which seem to be nothing more than a stove-type device near the dining area. The predominant theme is living among nature and even inviting it to share the living space with you (or is it the other way around?). Instead of windows and doors, you see slatted screens and netting. Very romantic. And a far cry from most of America's obsession with locks and glass. I need to move......




3. My dream is to be surrounded by teak and orchids, eating curry and sipping lime juice, and not owning any sort of time piece. Since that isn't going to happen for several more years I bought this book. I am neither a designer nor a photographer so my only input is how this book makes me feel. I have come to love Southeast Asia after several all too brief trips to the region and Tropical Asian Style, specifically Tettoni's photos, has brought some life to my dull suburban living room. And, while I realize that this book comprises several distinct cultures, it is the overall effect, not any particular region, that is so overwhelmingly beautiful. If you feel trapped in your American workaholic routine, this book is a wonderful diversion.



4. This is an excellent look at the best examples of tropical Asian luxury living.

   It is not a detailed exploration of regional design elements (look to Bali Style, Thai Style, Tropical Garden Design, et al, for the next degree of depth). It is, however, a rich overview of the best of SEAsian luxury architecture and furnishings.

   Every page is simply gorgeous, with photos "bleeding" out past the paper, one trait of a good coffee table or style book. There is little or no image repetition in the coverage of the homes or boutique hotels featured, and each photo is perfectly focused, every composition seen in its best light.

   In all the shuffle of Thai grandeur, Balinese earthiness, and Malaysian simplicity, the book might at first glance seem to be presenting a kind of fusion. I think it's fair to say that there is plenty of contemporary blurring of the distinctions between regions, but the reader can also look for regional elements and quickly learn them. Each property is given its own mini-chapter, which helps a lot. And the regional details and sensibilities really come alive when you read the accompanying texts, which are the work of expert style writers.

   In fact, the contributors list reads like a who's who of style gurus. There is the clever and quippy Made Wijaya, descriptive Diana Darling, the meticulous William Warren, and details-minded Robert Powell. It's a great read!




5. I am a collector of Luca Invernizzi Tettoni's work because ALL of them is a visual feast for the eyes. This talented man has a knack for details and never fails to capture the vivid and glowing nuances that represents the best of Southest Asia's style. Take it from me, living in the same environment, I sometimes take it for granted. This book is more than just a coffee-table piece, to complement the gorgeous photography , the text , written by various specialists, will enlighten you with well researched information on local crafts and traditions. It also shows the transformation that SEA architecture and interior designs have undergone; overall a fascinating mix 'n' match of vernacular designs and contemporary style.

3 comments about Contemporary Asian Living Rooms (Contemporary Asian Home Series).

1. This book is ok. Not as interesting as others I have but it is a good reference for modern asian design



2. 
   Great buy! Got Almost all the contemporary books series.
   Arrived on time!



3. Brilliantly illustrated with full-color photography throughout, Contemporary Asian Living Rooms is a virtual tour of fifty living rooms, homes, and hotels in Bali, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia. Styles ranging from minimalist to luxurious are captured in brilliant detail with postmodern flair. Brief commentaries discuss the finer points of decor, color scheme, and other features in each living space, but the bulk of Contemporary Asian Living Rooms allows the majestic photography to speak for itself. A recommended and welcome source of inspiration for interior decorators seeking a classy touch.

5 comments about Romanesque: Architecture, Sculpture, Painting.

1. This is a beautiful coffee table art book for sure, but it's also a terrific post-trip debriefing source that explains in greater depth what you've seen as a traveler and maybe didn't totally absorb at the time. This has been true, at least, for my family. While the text can be a little academic at times, it is wonderfully comprehensive on architectural history for the Romanesque periods of Germany, Belgium, France, Italy and Spain. While the odds are that you won't find every beautiful church you saw on your trip and considered "comment worthy," most of the great Romanesque buildings are included in this work. The photos are also beautifully reproduced.
   
   If you're simply a student of architecture, this is a great addition to your library.



2. This is the first volume of an originally German series about European art and architecture, covering the entire period from AD 1000 to the first half of the 19th century.
   
   "Romanesque" deals with the High Middle Ages (minus the Gothic, covered in a separate volume), but it also digs deeper into the past, and mentions both the Carolingian and Ottonian periods in Germany, and some other pre-Romanesque styles eleswhere. Areas covered are Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Britain. (Scandinavia and Bohemia are mentioned only in passing.)
   
   Most of the chapters deal with church arcitechture, hardly surprising since most Romanesque architecture *is* church architecture. There is also an extensive section on Romanesque art, including sculpture, painting, books, reliquaries and (of course) the Bayoux tapestry. As usual, everything is lavishly illustrated with full-color photographs.
   
   Not being an art historian, I can't really judge the texts, but some of them seem to contain questionable interpretations about "medieval death cults" or "22 million people killed in the crusades" (sic).
   
   The text may be hard to follow for the general reader, but the photos and the low price makes the book worth buying anyway, certainly if you're interested in the Middle Ages. Somehow, Romanesque rather than Gothic feels like the "real" Middle Ages!
   
   Recommended. ;-)



3. Excellent, a trully work of art. This book digs down into the core of the post-classic period of the plastic arts. A delightful and resourceful acquisition of any scholar artist or architect with interest in the origins of building forms, natural lighting, and a three-dimensional space.



4. As the holidays approach and you find yourself entertaining more at home, it's time to start thinking about a new book to add to your coffee table, or to toss under the tree of a fellow Italiaphile. "Romanesque" is not only a substantial book with beautiful pictures it's also a complete resource for understanding the building style most representative of the Middle Ages. As Romanesque architecture, art and sculpture is not restricted to Italy, this book also extends to show examples of this style from Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Great Britan, and even Scandinavia!



5. Although I am no great architectural authority, I love the Romanesque and have had the pleasure of visiting many churches while travelling in rural France. Like a 12th century pilgrim, I even made the journey to Compostela in Spain. This book, however, made me feel like I only scratched the surface -- what amazing (and uncelebrated) Romanesque buildings there are ALL OVER Europe! I am newly amazed at how diverse the Romanesque style can be. The author and photographer undertook a daunting project, documenting hundreds of structures (practically every building of note, it seems). The quality of this book is staggering -- you would think it should sell for a lot. But as detailed as some of the academic articles can be, the book is never dull or pedantic -- partly because the photography is so terrific and compelling. This book is magical. A GREAT bargain, a great gift, and highly recommended.

5 comments about The New Color Book: 45,000 Color Combinations for Your Home.

1. I ordered this thinking it would be a great reference book for quick color palettes. I am a paint color specialist and I think it is the worst book I have ever encountered published on color for your home. There are far too many choices for homeowners in here and the photo's to help you work with your floor and wall colors are less than inspiring. I would purchase Choosing Colors, by Kevin McCloud -- by far the best color reference book I have ever used.



2. 
   As I stated in the title, this book was not as helpful (to me) as I would have liked.
   
   The format of this book is as a "flip book".What this means is that each chapter has a specific color scheme and then you can flip the top or the bottom part of each page until you find a color combination that you prefer.
   
   The negative part of this book is that the author shows very few "settings" by which a person can flip through. Therefore, in each chapter the same couch and wood trim are shown over and over again and the only thing that changes is the top or the bottom of each page. At first I found this was a bit interesting, but after just a few page flips I realized that I needed more settings in order to visualize each color combination. Thus, the pages are just too stagnant.
   
   I paid full price for this book and I kick myself for doing that. I wish I had either personally reviewed this book first , or paid a lot less for it. So I suppose that if you can find this book for a cheap price, then it may be interesting to own.However, I think there are so many other more valuable books out there on the subject of "decorating & choosing interior home colors",that I would explore those first.



3. This is a fun book. Kind of like the flip books where you make funny cartoon characters. But this is colors for walls, ceilings, and floors.
   It's neat to see how different a room (same furniture) looks with pink walls and yellow ceiling as opposed to blue walls, green ceiling.
   
   But while it's kind of neat to play with, I don't see how it is very useful. There are sections for living rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchens. Each section has two different rooms - one more country-style decorated, the other a little more modern.
   
   The furniture pieces in the living rooms and bedrooms are very neutral. Both bedrooms and both living rooms however feature light colored furniture, I would have prefered one option to show darker woods since that is mainly what I have in my house.
   
   The floor color choices are not that great either. Not enough neutrals for the floor choices, since most people would be working with what they already have on the floor, and using this mainly to choose a wall color.
   
   One of the bathrooms features a grayish-green counter and tilework. One kitchen has white cabinets, one kitchen has yellow cabinets. Those colors really affect how you see the other colors in the room. Great if you have that color already in your house and are trying to work around it, but not so great if you are trying to actually choose colors for your house.
   
   So if you can get a used copy for not much, it is fun to look through. Not worth full price, unless you have a houseful of very light colored furniture or are completely starting from scratch.



4. This book may be good for looking at changing your paint color, but was not helpful in picking out a new color pallet for a newly constructed home.



5. I love how this book shows how different colors can change a layout without having to change major items (i.e. your furniture). They say paint is the cheapest way to change a room and this book shows how. It definantely pays for itself, trust me. I had a darker colored room and flipped through this book and saw all the possibilities for making it a warmer more spacious place. I chose an orange-peach color (close to one of the colors I saw in the book) and I got a whole new room! It feels much more like home. I'm so glad I found this book, otherwise I may have never been bold enough to paint it that color. Excellent buy, well worth the price, it's a steal!!!

2 comments about Rancho Deluxe: Rustic Dreams and Real Western Living.

1. The last decade of the twentieth century spawned a culture of week-end ranchers buying week-end "places" and decorating the interiors in "drug-store cowboy". "Ranch Deluxe", however, shows you what the real thing looked like, Partner.

   For those of us who grew up on "Hop Along" and Gene Autry Saturday mornings at the neighborhood theatre, Rancho Deluxe is a voyeur's dream.

   Motoring down the highways of the great Southwest, one occasionally glimpses an old ranch house in the distance. "Is there a soul so dead who never fantasized about life in that ranch house?" Rancho Deluxe welcomes the voyeur to step inside and have a look around.




2. This book is a wonderful history/architectural reference. I purchased this book as an interior design reference and although it does not cover interior design details the rich history provided by the author led me to want to read this book cover to cover. And what a beautiful cover it is- brown leather- makes this a great coffee table book. This would be a great gift for anyone interested in western architecture and home style. This is not one of those books that choses a certain western style and displays hundred of the same photograph-this book covers every ranch style possible. I will continue to reference this book for inspiration and ideas.

1 comments about Dream Homes Coastal California: Showcasing Coastal California's Finest Architects, Designers & Builders (Dream Homes).

1. Please, don't waste your good money on this book. It's hard to understand where the author's inspiration came from when choosing the homes......I found the homes to be uninteresting displays of wealth. Perhaps the homes displayed in "Dream Homes Coastal California" are not so much a dream as they are a nightmare.

3 comments about Fun Rooms: Home Theaters, Music Studios, Game Rooms, and More.

1. I am a custom carpenter in Metro Detroit and purchased this book hoping to get some ideas for home theater rooms. I was very dissapointed. There are more ideas in one industry magazine than in this entire book. If this is what you are looking for, save your money. This book is not an idea book. Rather, it is better suited to be a coffee table book for someone with the type of taste that is prevelant in this book. There is not a lot of variety in terms of style either, so be forwarned.



2. What a huge disappointment this book was. I was looking for a book that included ideas for designing my home theater/game room and thought this book would provide some good material. What I found was a book that featured very high end, exclusive "fun rooms." This is not a book about designing or decorating your home theater room unless you have a very large disposable income and home worth $2 million or more. It's a really just a coffee table book of lavish homes from around the world. Let me put it this way - if you have the money to build a room like is featured in this book, then your interior designer & architect will provide you with plenty of ideas and you don't need this book. I'm really not sure there's a use for this book for the average middle or upper middle income household.



3. When I ordered this book I thought it was going to show me some home theatre and home rec rooms and go into some details in how the rooms were created and put together. Instead it is really a coffee table picture book and NOT what the description above says.
   
   I quote:
   
   "Rooms for Fun contains everything consumers need to know to renovate or convert unused space -- whether it's the garage, the basement, or an extra bedroom -- into a room devoted to enjoyment and tailored to their individual tastes and interests. Full-color photographs will inspire, detailed layouts will aid in construction and decoration, and an extensive resource section will help locate manufacturers."
   
   The big blooper is right in the first line. "Everything consumers need to know". Need to know usually implies SOME kind of instruction. I am sorry, but there are NO instructions here whatsoever. There is a small one paragraph blurb that just describes the room. That is it.
   
   In terms of the book itself the pictures are great and it could be a good source of inspiration and it is a really good coffee table book for the home entertainement enthusiast. But due to the poor description above, I was lead to believe it was one thing, when in fact it was another.
   
   At first I was just going to add the book to my coffee table book collection, but then again, I already have plenty books for that purpose. And what I was looking for is a DIY instruction book. So it is going back to Amazon.
   
   Note to Amazon: Sorry guys, but after countless orders and being satisfied with each and every one (mainly due to your superb descriptions), I am a bit surprised at this description and this is the first time I had to return something to you. The description above looks like it was written without someone actually opening and looking into the book. Ok, I will give the benefit of the doubt if you lifted the description from the publisher, then you have my apologies, but for the sake of your future customers and to prevent this from happening again, the description HAS to be changed.
   
   Thank You.

4 comments about Lone Star Living: Texas Homes and Ranches.

1. I used this book for reference for building a cabin out in the Texas Hill Country. Great source for inspiration.



2. One of the best books from Texas. Beautiful pictures!



3. Disappointed in photos. I am from Texas and expected so much more. There are so many options here to use and missed the mark. I returned my copy. Something that I rarely bother to do.



4. Without exaggeration, this is the best book to date documenting rustic western interiors. The extraordinary Cowboy and Indian memorabilia collections featured in these homes will make you green with envy. Large, beautiful photographs of exceptional Texas homes, no sterile contemporary interiors here. I've always admired Beard and Parsons work, this is the best to date. No disappointments here!

No comments about Atlas of Office Interiors.

No comments about 25 Tropical Houses in Singapore and Malaysia.