5 comments about The Majesty of the French Quarter (Majesty Architecture).

1. Very misleading...Interior is depicted on the box cover, yet there is not one interior photo in the set of cards. Would not have ordered these if I had known this.



2. I really love New Orleans and really love this book! The pictures in it are beautiful and really capture the French Quarter well. I love having this book so that when I miss NOLA, I can just open it up and feel like I'm there! I also like using this book for decorating ideas. I would suggest this book to anyone who loves New Orleans, or someone looking for decorating ideas. It is a great addition to my New Orleans books collection!



3. Oui, let the good times roll. Top ten reviewer's, Mr. Mitchell's, suberb glimpse through his words sold me on this fascinating book. Anticipating arrival from Amazon was like licking my lips for a taste of cafe au lait and sugary beignets from Cafe De Monde.

   New Orleans or N'Awlnsss as some say, is one grande damme of a city, one of my favorites. History, vibrant colors, music, food, the naughty and the mannerly--I can never get enough. We spent New Years Eve there cruising our favorite haunts and finding new ones. This book by Kerri McCaffety shows mostly the hidden New Orleans. Unique furnishings, paintings, gardens and secretive views from galleries or balconies. One can almost feel Jean Lafitte, the pirate, stare through you as you dare to cross Pirates Row behind the most photograhed church in the country, St. Louis Cathederal in Jackson Square.

   One of my very favorite photos is one of the first, a frosty icicle adorned tropical courtyard--a true testament to contrasting Crescent City. Another is the dreamscaped dome in a three story townhouse. Harrah's in NO, has almost captured that feeling in their Jazz Bar.

   The only thing I wish, is that there were more photos of , well, the rollicking side to this humming city on the Mississippi. There are a few great shots of Mardi Gras, Bourbon street, Cafe De Monde and the French Market. But I want more!

   Again, thank you to Don Mitchell for reviewing so well. I found a true treasure in "The Majesty of the French Quarter".

   Merci for your interest & comment votes--CDS




4. Kerri McCaffety's lovely book provides locals and visitors alike the opportunity to glimpse the mystery and beauty behind the walls of the French Quarter. These beautiful homes reflect not only the talent of a wonderful photographer, but also the artistry, imagination and love of the homes' inhabitants. "The Majesty of the French Quarter" thoroughly captures the diverse styles and influences that make the homes in the French Quarter so exciting and unique. In fact, this diversity mirrors the many cultural influences that make the city of New Orleans a place like no other.

   Ms. McCaffety's photographs display a very keen eye for detail; however, the same cannot be said of the accompanying text. In future editions, it would be wonderful if all owners' names were spelled correctly. Additionally, these beautiful homes deserve to be identified by their correct names. Although the numerous errors do not detract from the visual beauty of the book, "The Majesty of the French Quarter" would certainly be enhanced by the correction of these inaccuracies. The wonderful people who opened their homes to Kerri and to all readers deserve nothing less.




5. Although I have been to the French Quarter in New Orleans many times, I have never seen her look lovelier than in this gorgeous book by photographer Kerri McCaffety. Usually photographs don't quite capture the magic of the moment, but these still images seem to transcend their subjects.

   The French Quarter is a study in contrasts: different architectural styles, various decorating techniques inside, exquisite gardens and fountains behind, and very little space anywhere. In many cases, the front of the building is by far the least interesting part . . . even though that's all that the tourists ever see. McCaffety takes you past the front door into the foyers, dining rooms, bedrooms, and gardens where the spirit of the French Quarter really reigns. No garden of orchids could ever match the color and variety of these many hidden sites. Never has so much happened in such a small area.

   The photographs capture all of this in loving detail. The peeling paint and partially restored interiors often look better for Ms. McCaffety's treatment. Versailles could use her talents.

   Not content with being a photographic genius, she also wrote essays for this magnificant volume that provide a sense of the place, people, and history. Although the facts were mostly all known to me, her enigma-explaining writing style and love of this place provided a poetry to the experience that mirrored the beauty of the photographs.

   If you have to choose between a trip to New Orleans and reading this book, take the book! Wow!

   You can also use this book to learn not to judge a place or a person by your initial impression. As this book shows, you cannot see the natural pearl until you open the oyster. Discard your incorrect views of New Orleans and replace them with these beauties.

   Donald Mitchell

   Coauthor of The Irresistible Growth Enterprise (available in September 2000) and The 2,000 Percent Solution

   (donmitch@fastforward400.com)

No comments about Candle Details.

1 comments about Modern Retro: Living With Mid-Century Modern Style (Compact Paperbacks).

1. This book is not helpful for people serious about getting into the Fifties' look. Maybe OK for those who view it as a fad and have lots of money to spend on repros and authentic pieces at high end antique shops. It gives very little sense of real Fifties decorating and "look"; replaces stylistic information with a lot of weird photography angles; and is depressingly short of useful ideas. If you want to intersperse one or two 50s pieces in an otherwise contempory decor, this book might be helpful. I found it pitifully inadequate.
   
   For serious Fifties afficinados or those who want genuine inspiration, I suggest instead 'Atomic Ranch: Design Ideas for Stylish Ranch Homes', by Michelle Gringeri-Brown, Gibbs Smith, Publisher, Layton, Utah, 2006.
   Or 'Eichler: Modernism Rebuids the American Dream'.

3 comments about Cottages.

1. "Cottages" is the latest collaboration between writer/sylist Brian Coleman and photographer Douglas Keister. They profile fifteen homes including beach cottages, urban bungalows, historic houses and a cutting edge structure in Canada. Coleman's copy is rich and the photographs are gorgeous, but there could have been more diversity since eight houses are on Georgia's Tybee Island. Still, "Cottages" offers an abundance of fresh and invigorating decorating ideas, especially with use of color. It's the perfect book for for lovers of small homes and/or empty nesters looking to downsize with style.



2. It was easy to sit down and read a "cottage a day". Of course, I was not impressed with all, especially the non-traditional cottages. I was able to fine tune my likes and dislikes more with the book as there were beautiful pictures of insides and outsides and a nice write-up of history and descriptions.
   Most spoke "money" or were vacation/second homes. Many of the cottages featured were preserved and restored which I admire. I loved the simple furnishings in some and occasionally would catch a new idea for myself. I just wish that I could afford them. The book made a nice advertisement for Tybee Cottage Rentals. It is a great book for people who like to drool over those who "have".



3. I am all over any type of cottage themed book, so this was definitly going to be on my bookshelf. the pictues are really nice but the only thing that stood out when I first sat down with this book is how the author pretty much limited himself to one particular island on the east coast. There are about 5 or 6 cottages all from this one island, and all were fixed up by the same lady who rescues run down houses and breathes new life in them. Very cute and quaint for sure, but I almost felt like the book should have been titled "Cottages of " " Island". Because I ordered this book without being able to look at it first, I was a little disappointed, but all in all the cottages profiled are dear and sweet, so regardless of how many are within a few miles of each other, I will hold onto the book for decorating and color ideas.

No comments about Good Design Can Change Your Life: Beautiful Rooms, Inspiring Stories.

No comments about 25 Tropical Houses in Singapore and Malaysia.

5 comments about Contemporary Details (Whitney Library of Design).

1. The book is more of a catalogue than an architectural publication. It certainly contains lots of contemporary details, but these are often displayed lacking context. I believe this book was published to help architects in their everyday practice, but don't we have enough commercial material these days?
   What I was looking for was an album showing contemporary interior design case studies, focusing on details. What I found was another market offer, except published in a hardcover. However, there are some interesting photos in a book, and if you are looking for a tool that could improve communication between designers and their customers it is worth the money.



2. The reason I purchased this book is because it billed itself as a great reference/sourcebook. In my mind, that meant a place to get ideas for contemporary home improvements, as well as a means to make them actually happen. I envisioned a book that showed a photo of a (kitchen, floor, bathroom, some tile, etc.), discuss the actual materials used in EACH setting, and where possible, where they can be found. While there are a few basic references of this type, the bulk of the book gives the name of whatever architect contributed to each setting and then describes the shot in great detail, yet with hardly any information about what's IN it. In addition, many of the pictures are too small/shot too close up/at odd angles to get a lot out of them. I'm sorry, but I did not find this book helpful.



3. I got my hands on a used 1992 edition. There were some great ideas in here if you like contemporary/modern design. Some rooms seemed to be more of a Zen modern/asian influenced. Only get this book if you like to look at photos of nice rooms though, there is little to no instruction found inside.



4. Contemporary details is a very focused book: good examples, excellent photos and contents.
   As an interior designer, I recommend.



5. Although I do not own a copy for myself, I intended to purchase it. The pictures are wonderful and there are a myriad of products. But, while browsing through a copy at my local bookstore I realized that the items pictured where not exactly my taste. The fixtures and furnishings are definitely modern, but tend to have an extremely hard edge. I love contemporary interior design, but something a little softer, a little less abstract. If you are interested in that end of the contemporary spectrum, then go for it. If you are like me, you may be dissapointed.

No comments about Ultimate Restaurant Design.

5 comments about Small Urban Interiors: 500 Solutions for Living.

1. Although the organization of this book takes some getting used to (as you can gather from some of the reviews), it actually has many wonderful ideas for organizing and designing your small space. The book focuses on making structural changes to your small home, like installing built-ins or moving walls, and so is better for home owners. I do enjoy much of the book though even if only for future reference.



2. After reading all the one-star negativity here, I must defend this beautiful and useful book. It is filled with a variety of design ideas that helped me get inspired in redesigning my house. You may not find exactly what you need to accomplish in your space but turning the pages of this beautifully designed book might give you goose bumps (as happened to me) from the sheer excitement that you yourself will create something new. It is not a how-to book. It is a fun, aesthetically pleasing reference that you will return to repeatedly to find a creative inspiration or simply relax with.



3. listen, this book clearly and susinctly establishes a degree a minimalism and clarity in design that most books disregard in order to be "hip" and "modern". ths book relishes in providing ideas that approach the limits of functional simplicity but avoid breaching the realm of practicality. occasionally, the book moves away from the minimalism to appreciate the creativity of working with those materials that are readily available, however, te focal point is the efficient usage of spaces to create modern designs that give proper recognition to the masters who initiated these designs.

   get it and love it.




4. perhaps the book is mistitled. i can't believe anyone would actually buy this book thinking it had home depot how-to "solutions," as some reviewers claim. what it is, is a beautiful, elegant, modern *idea* book. i saw it in the bookstore of a modern art museum and wrote down the title to come home and buy it online. it is a visual documentary of possibilities, powerful in its simplicity and convincing in its aesthetic. as a graphic designer, an architecture student, and a dabbler in interior design, i can say it's one of my favorites.



5. I disagree with reviewers who said the book did not have enough words. My complaint is that the pictures don't say anything new. This book is a waste of money.

5 comments about Frances Elkins: Interior Design.

1. So chic. So classic. Just the absolute best. Nothing more to say.



2. The foreword by Albert Hadley is an excellent way to introduce the work of Frances Elkins, whose interiors are timeless, sophisticated and well composed. Elkins was so far ahead of her time and it is incredible to look at photos of homes she decorated in the 30's and 40's that still look modern, if not at least current, today. Elkins definitely had a style of her own, and has undoubtedly paved the way for modern designers today like Kelly Wearstler by creating interiors that were a clever blend of styles, periods and genres.
   
   Elkins actively promoted the work of Jean-Michel Frank and his associates (the Giacometti brothers) in the USA, and was one of the first decorators to commission Tony Duquette to produce pieces for her interiors. She is without doubt one of the greatest decorators of the 20th Century.
   
   Full of inspirational photos, this will definitely be a book in my library that I will go back to time after time after time.



3. Frances Elkins was a legendary interior designer of the early 1900s whose works included major residential and public commissioned projects as well as fabrics, furniture and accessories. Her works were among the best of her times and she earned a reputation for her progressive outlook in the field - but Stephen M. Salny's FRANCES ELKINS INTERIOR DESIGN is the first book devoted to her life and works, gathering all of her achievements under one cover. Full-page displays of all her works from thirty years accompany biographical and artistic notes in a splendid, authoritative treatment by a researcher whose lifelong study of David Adler led inevitably to his sister Frances Elkins (who was Adler's collaborator on many commissions).



4. As one of the earliest designers to mix classic and modern styles together, this book on Frances Elkins proves that she did so masterfully. She understood, as few designers did at the time, the relationship between the two was a shared use of wonderful materials and superior craftmanship. This book proves to be a great source of inspiration for successfully accomplishing the same mix today.



5. This book portrays the superb taste of Frances Elkins through her long and successful career. Her bold use of color was unheard of when she began her trade in the early part of the twentieth century, but she did it with such style and finess that it was accepted. The use of fine antiques blended with contemporary furnishings was something else not done previously and set the trend for the "eclectic" style so popular ever since. First, working with her renowned architect brother, David Adler, in the Chicago area and then striking it on her own merit, she set a style and was one of the early women designers to become successful. The photographs and color interpritation in this book are excellent and in profusion. This book is a must for those interested in the interior design field, both past and present, because of her ageless style.