1 comments about Outdoor Spaces: Good Ideas.

1. Book contains many beautiful photographs of outdoor spaces but no explanation on what inspired each design. Great picture book to get ideas from - still some text would be nice.

1 comments about Bungalow Basics: Living Rooms.

1. Popular and abundant a century ago, the bungalow is today enjoying a renaissance as people discover the craftsmanship, utility, and charm of these little gems. Whether you're living in a masterfully maintained bungalow, are interested in restoring a bungalow to its former glory, or just a fan of good architectural or furniture design, Paul Duchscherer and Douglas Keister's "Bungalow Basics" series has a lot to offer.

   This volume focuses on the living room, in many ways the defining and unifying element of bungalow design. A nine-page introduction discusses common design themes of bungalow living rooms, from central construction elements like placement of walls, doors, and fireplaces, to furnishing and decoration. Then follows about 50 colorful photos and illustrations, demonstrating these principles and approaches in action.

   As you would imagine in a book this small, there's not a lot of depth to the discussion. Nor does any individual example receive more than one or two photos. And finally, there's no list of sources where an interested reader could find any of the items or materials pictured herself. So this is not, by any stretch, a do-it-yourself handbook. As the series name suggests, however, this is a focus on the basics. And someone who reads this will have a better idea of the theory of bungalow design, and more than a few great examples of the theory in practice. For the handy little resource this is intended to be, this title carries out its mission quite well.

3 comments about Cinema Houston: From Nickelodeon to Megaplex (Roger Fullington Series in Architecture).

1. Very informative, and enjoyable, for those who grew up going to the Metropolitan, Loew's, and the Majestic, like I did. Wonderful memories!



2. ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE DELICIOUS BOOKS FOR THE TRUE THEATRE/CINEMA COLLECTOR/AFFICIANDO. WELL WRITTEN AND EASY READING. WORTH THE PURCHASE.



3. Welling has done a great service in preserving memories of the Cinema and the architecture of its theaters. The book focuses on Houston, Texas as it travels from the silent movie houses, through the golden age, megaplex, and on to the home theater. If you ever lived in Houston, you will find many memories among its pages. If you spent your formative years elsewhere, you may find that your home town shares this history.

No comments about Nature's Museums: Victorian Science and the Architecture of Display.

No comments about Beach Clubs: Sea, See & Seen.

5 comments about MiMo: Miami Modern Revealed.

1. There's a school of thought, so to speak, about Miami that holds that no matter what it does it will be tacky in the end. Having grown up there, I sort of agree. This charming book, with smart illustrations, doesn't at all make one reconsider such a view, rather puts it in the mountains out of molehills category. Its pointless to think of the architectural spasms pictured therein as having artistic merit or not. I testify that I actually purchased this volume at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, where it was displayed showing the South Pacific Motel on page eighty-eight. Stopped dead in my tracks in by the sight of this book in the NGA bookstore in what is arguably not only Washington DC's greatest museum but perhaps the world's. Having grown up in the Morningside Neighborhood of Miami which is right off Biscayne Boulevard, I know a thing or two about not only the South Pacific Motel and but also the others. It's to this book's credit that it manages not to convey the character of these places, which from the priveleged world of Mornignside houses, so close yet so far away, always seemed nothing but completely sleazy. An Artforum online review of Art Basel referred
   quite naively and stupidly to the idea of Miami in scare quotes.This makes no sense to anyone who knows Miami
   because Miami has exquisitely beautiful houses, full of the best taste, which rely on the same stylistic tropes
   as those buildings of the worst taste many of which are featured and cleverly described in the text. Miami in scare quotes --"Miami" -- would seem to fit this book if anything at all. The too-clever will see in all this an easy point about the erasure of standards, the triumph of kitsch and so on. Miami will always have poles between the classy places like the Rubell Collection and CasaLin , and the pseudo-classy like the the new concert hall they put up on Biscayne, a place that deserves scare quotes if there ever was one, This book makes clear that some of the architectural elements were borrowed from Las Vegas. Doesn't that lend credence
   to the idea that these distinctions are fatuous when applied to such places. Washington DC is known for its John Russell Pope buildings, Miami for its Morris Lapidus creations. Doesn't that say it all? Lapidus' famous stairway to nowhere at the Fountainbleu is perhaps the best representation of all this. You can make distinctions, ascend or descend on the stairway of taste, but this stairway does not get you any higher than you've been before.



2. As an architecture student in Miami, I absolutely love this book. It's extremely useful to help understand some of the SoBe culture and architectural history. A great reference!



3. Less weighty than I had hoped, and because of its chatty style much more difficult to read than I had hoped (don't people employ editors any more?) But the ideas are interesting and engagingly presented.
   
   This could have been a really good book.



4. America's mid-century modern architecture spans three decades of the post World War II period, from the Atomic Age through the Space Age. An architecture that mainly revolved around the seriousness of the International Style, its theories peaked in 1958 with the New York City Seagram Building, a glass-covered, steel skeleton-framed skyscraper. Mies van der Rohe's "less is more" principle became the guiding light for a large majority of American architects in the mid-twentieth century.
   
   In response to the perceived dogma and humorlessness of the International Style, a Popular Modernism began to take hold in Southern Florida. An "Architecture of Joy" was born, which of course was decried as frivolous and crass by the architectural establishment. In Miami Beach, resort architecture was already well underway, and its vacation state of mind easily stepped into this style. It was uniquely American, futuristic, and fun, full of audacious angles and lines, pastel colors, synthetic materials, cheese-hole and accordion folded walls, stainless steel, boomerangs and stairways to nowhere.
   
   Popular Modernism is known by various names, including Populuxe (popular and deluxe) and Googie. In Miami and Miami Beach, it is called "MiMo," an abbreviation of Miami Modern.
   
   This is a wonderful book that covers its subject well. Its not so large that it becomes uncomfortable to read while sitting in an easy chair but still large enough to deserve it's place on the living room table. The layout is exceptional and reflects the playfulness of the subject without becoming a confusing mishmash. The font is a bit uncommon but lends itself to the spirit of the endeavor. The text by Eric Nash and Randall Robinson is crisp and informative. Oh, and the photos are a great!
   
   Once in a while an architecture book comes along to show us how it's done and this book is one.



5. 
   Excellent survey of MiMo architecture, past and present. Valuable resource for those with an interest and user-friendly enough for the coffee table.

1 comments about Cottages: The New Style.

1. Mr. Trulove captures the spirit and vitality of cutting edge cottage and second home designs. Beautiful writing and photographs. This hard cover book is a vast improvement from his earlier series on Architecture. Also the smaller size is easier to carry and read away from the office. Very inspiring to read as a Landscape Architect!
   Craig Okerstrom-Lang, RLA

5 comments about The New City Home: Smart Design for Metro Living.

1. Need some ideas for your loft apartment? This book is full of great decorating plans you can put into action.



2. After moving into our new loft in the Pearl District I realized it needed a new "do". It didn't feel right until I did alot of research and made major changes. The New City Home, coupled with a few others fueled the idea bank we now have the place we feel is really US. Nice presentation and beat the expense of an interior designer. After living in the burbs for so long, we feel like we're on vacation everyday.



3. My dream is to own a loft one day and I have been to open house tours and read many books about this subject. I have a very defined taste, concerning how I want a loft to look and how I want to decorate my loft. I have a very contemporary taste in furnishings and I like an open and airy loft. When I first received this book in the mail, I almost quit breathing. It was if the authors had looked into my dreams and thoughts to create this book. This book truly represents the contemporary feel and look that I like so well. I can guarantee you that if you are interested in a contemporary look to your loft, this is your book. I know that I will probably wear this book out, because it is truly an inspirational vision of a modern loft. The photos are beautifully done, the writing is sharp and concise, and the overall quality is outstanding!!



4. Young people today aren't keeping to the small-town or suburban lifestyles of their parents. They're going to the cities to rent studio apartments. Once there, they're likely to end up moving into family-size spaces.

   City planners and administrators are taking this back-to-the-cities trend into consideration. They're trying to make city living appeal to young future owners. One way is by business building up a neighborhood around it, in brownstones; floor-through flats; high-rise apartments; lofts; offbeat converted places such as autoshops and stables; rowhouses; and townhouses.

   Likewise, architects are thinking about the loss of peace, privacy and quiet that usually comes with city living. They're coming up with designs that meet young needs for shelter and express young personalities. The result really is personal space inside, even with such impersonal space outside as "shadowy" concrete buildings.

   This is done by clearly-defined lines, hand-worked materials, soothing planes, and unusual details indoors. It's also by putting in balconies and terraces and opening up roofs and windows to light and views onto deliberately planted small, green spaces. Similarly, not much space inside looks bigger, for example, by using the same materials in and out, such as cedar flooring, fencing and decking.

   THE NEW CITY HOME even brings working spaces inside, while keeping them attractively and cleverly separate from living spaces. In one case, for example, the outside has cottage-style clapboard cladding for the first floor. Indoors, the kitchen and living spaces have a cozy look, what with simple cabinetry, low ceilings and boldly painted colors. The second floor has plywood panels on the outside. Inside, spotlights, skylights, and high ceilings show the upper level to be for work.

   What if the two can't always be separated, as in bathrooms or kitchens? Space isn't clearly personal or work, if it brings in universal design. This means, for example, lever handles to doors and faucets, rocker-panel light switches, and textured non-slip flooring.

   Leslie Plummer Clagett's book is organized and written in an understandable, user-friendly way. Her choice of illustrations works perfectly with what she says. This practical help to city living is rounded out with Elizabeth Franklin's THE FRANKLIN REPORT, NEW YORK CITY 2003: THE INSIDER'S GUIDE TO HOME SERVICES.




5. I've browsed about twenty different contemporary interior books, and I've found this to be most interesting and slightly more inspiring.

   One piece of advice: I don't think any of the contemporary interior books have as much variety as one might expect. Make sure to browse the physical books before making a final decision - don't base you decision on these reviews alone. I've done this with many book on interior design and I've been disappointed.

2 comments about American Covered Bridges.

1. A great book on Covered Bridges except for the inclusion of one Canadian Bridge, the 45 river bridge in NB Canada. Its not in the US, LOL One mistake in an otherwise good book on historic covered bridges.



2. I AM A COVERED BRIDGE FANATIC AND I HAD THIS BOOK INTER-LIBRARY LOANED FROM MY LOCAL LIBRARY AND I AM GLAD THAT I HAD THE CHANCE TO READ IT! IT HAS BEAUTIFUL PHOTO'S AND NICE STORIES TO GO ALONG WITH THE PHOTO'S ! PLUS UNDER EACH PHOTO THEY TELL YOU WHERE EACH BRIDGE IS LOCATED SO IF YOU ARE LIKE I AM WHO TRAVELS AND TRY'S TO FIND BRIDGES THIS IS VERY HELPFUL!! SO I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ALL COVERED BRIDGE FANATICS!!! READ AND ENJOY!!

4 comments about Patterns from the Golden Age of Rustic Design: Park and Recreation Structuires from the 1930's.

1. I thought this would be a book of instruction or patterns for creating rustic furniture. Not even close. It is a book about layouts and some architectural design for parks and campsites. I sold it to a man designing and building his own campground. He loved it.



2. As a professional designer and consultant to the resort development industry, I found this book very informative, with extensive photos and architectural illlustrations, plans and diagrams originating from the early 20th century. A valuable reference book for land planners, architects and developers looking to create "authentic" park and recreational structures for their communities, whether in the mountains or the prairie!
   
   Excellent Book.



3. This guide, originally printed in the 1930s, is an incredibly complete overview of the many structures created in state and national parks from across America. Every kind of structure, and I mean EVERY kind, is represented here with an amazing number of photographs and plans so that you can reproduce them on your own property.
   
   Whether you want to make a simple stone fire pit or a two-story timber-frame visitor's center, this is the book for you. Chapters include fences, signs, administration buildings, drinking fountains, comfort stations, fire lookout towers, trail steps, bridges, picnic shelters, fire pits, outdoor theaters, cabins, bath houses, and lots more. There's even chapters on furnishings and camp layouts.
   
   The book is written in the somewhat flowery tongue of the early 20-century style, but it's quite readable and in some cases truly amusing, especially when discussing the evils of vandalism. A particularly funny passage is found in the chapter about signs:
   
   "Barring an act of God, like a cyclone, or assault by that instrument of Satan, the initial carver, signs like these promise long life... In spite of all the evidence to the contrary, [the initial carver] is a physical, as well as mental, sluggard and is likely to think twice (we flatter him) before he will stand on his head or shinny up a post to accomplish his scandalous, vandalous ends. Twin to the jackknife pest is the souvenir hunter. Signs too appealingly picturesque and easy to get at and carry away fall prey to his pack rat instincts."



4. I always wondered how these incredibly beautiful wood and stone structures were built, everytime we went camping in some state or national park. Now I know!

   Where's my pick, hammer, axe, adze and saw? I can't wait to get started! This book has everything. I hope to be able to buy the rest of Albert H. Good's books on the subject. Fabulous.