3 comments about Victorian Domestic Architectural Plans and Details: 734 Scale Drawings of Doorways, Windows, Staircases, Moldings, Cornices, and Other Elements.

1. This book offers plans for several gorgeous Victorian houses, and as such, is an excellent companion book to some of Dover's other architectural offerings. But as the author notes, the ". . . intention primarily was to make it a work of Architectural details . . ." House framing is laid out here, from sill plate to rafters. Back then they used balloon framing, so it's interesting to compare that to modern practices. But the best part of this book is the wealth of detail on a building's, well, details. You get a drawing showing how virtually every feature of a Victorian house if built, inside and out. You'll see how to frame out porches, doors, windows, cornices, and gables. There are examples of turned work - posts, finials, drops, and balusters - lattice work, roof ventilators, and chimney tops.
   
   My favorite part is the treatment of interiors. Staircases are shown in elevation and in details. There are examples of all types of trim work, from wainscoting to fireplace mantels. Best of all, several rooms are shown in perspective or elevation, and then in cutaway detail. There's another book that provides a better set of plans and details (I'll update this when I find the title) for every room in the house, but this provides a great introduction.
   
   If you own a Victorian house, you should have this book before you even think of tearing into any walls. You'll gain an understanding of what's behind the lathe before you cut out something you shouldn't have. If you're building or renovating and like Victorian details, this will give you a lot of ideas that you can incorporate into your house. Today's houses are better built - stronger, well insulated, with all the modern conveniences - but what they lack is detail. This book shows you why our houses now are so hopelessly plain-Jane compared to the houses build a century ago.



2. Good book for excellent drawings with measurements for victorian and related house interior and exterior architectural details. Good for actual homes and dollhouses. recommend



3. This book, originally published in 1881, contains floorplans and elevations of several dozen Victorian houses. Some plans are possibly suitable for actual construction. As the accurate title implies there are many drawings of architectural details. All plans are drawn to scale, but have been reduced by 12%. This book is a must-have for fans of Victorian architecture or home builders that are looking for Victorian-style ideas

4 comments about Questions of Perception: Phenomenology of Architecture.

1. The book was published more than 10 years ago and it's making its own history by the exclusive way of combining profound theoretical essays and design works together seamlessly. I have to say it works pretty well. Having seen Steven Holl's works and the office expanded, this book and the design deserve more attention than other cheap building constituted with meaningless idea and shallow skins.



2. Excellent essays but the typesetting makes it a difficult read (the font is extremely small.)



3. Anything, of course, is about the sensorial. It's our world. It's your world. What do you feel in it? What do I feel when I'm there, in a space? And this meditation -- regardless of what that space might be -- is really about everything, from architecturally conceived environments, to the nature of truly "natural" space. There is the potential in all, to contemplate the spirit of the space and the character of your presence in it. You are there, you are "in there". And you feel the warmth, the chill, the stillness, the breeze; you experience the scent drifting; you see light, shafts of movement; you hear something of reverberation in the containment of "where you are". Taste might play, balance might offer a sensed component to experience. But it's all about the meditation of what this means, how it can be considered - and how it can be reflected in active design, or in the nature of contemplating this phenom. Either it's meaning full -- and you consider it; or it's not the stuff of absorbed introspection and you simply design for it. Do it. Experience it. One way. Or an other. Surely, both have merit. As does reading this grouping of essays and ideas.



4. Architects and students who are bored to death by OMA, MVRDV, Hadid, and the rest of the New Postmodernists will find consolation -- and inspiration -- in this book.
   
   "Questions of Perception" was originally printed in July 1994, as a special issue of the architectural journal A+U. Back issues have been sold out for some time, and until recently, buying a used copy of the book would have set you back a couple hundred dollars. I'm very glad to see that the publishers of A+U decided to reprint these important essays.
   
   Rather than serving as a polemical manifesto, or another boring iteration of reactionary academic theory, the authors discuss the experience of architecture on a basic psychophysiological level. Unlike the work of many of today's starchitects, this book will never seem dated, because it is focused on human constants -- the way that our minds and bodies respond to space, light, texture, color, and other architectural fundamentals. It is not a manual of style, or a collection of glossy photos for you to copy in your next project. It requires active thought. It requires an attention span. You have to absorb the meaning of the writings, not just look at computer renderings with copy+pasted supermodel silhouettes. It has nothing to do with urbanism, globalism, terrorism, or any of the other "isms" that hopeless, clueless, talentless academics increasingly try to link to the building and construction industry. Instead, it's a quiet reflection on the ways that buildings (and natural environments) shape our daily experiences. Even though 13 years have passed since these essays were written, they are still highly relevant for any designer who wants to infuse their work with quality and honesty.
   
   As far as I can tell, the book's design is identical to the 1994 version, with the exception of the cover artwork. I must admit that $50 is a bit pricey for a book that is so plainly printed and bound. Regardless, it's better than paying a couple hundred dollars for a used copy of the original. And, all things considered, it's only a few dollars more than something like S,M,L,XL. So if you're tired of pretentious, pedantic academese, and you're ready to read something with permanence and substance, do yourself a favor and buy "Questions of Perception" instead.

1 comments about Architecture: Choice or Fate: Travel Size Series.

1. Leon Krier is one the two or three greatest architects and urbanists of our time. In this book, he outlines a profound and at the same time sensible approach to the built environment. Krier is the winner of the Richard Driehaus Prize for Classical and Traditional Architecture (the equivalent prize to the Pritzker, but meant for buildings fit for human beings and human sensibilities). I doubt that anyone -- from layperson, to beginning architecture student, to practicing architect hardened by years of practice -- will not be moved by its message, and will not immediately react by a sudden comprehension of what architecture and urbanism are really about.
   
   After reading this book, any architect can begin to move towards creating a humane built environment. Krier gives the essentials that everyone can develop further. Once his philosophy (and it is a philosophy of universal respect for human sensibilities) is understood, then its application is straightforward. The only problem is the numerous obstacles that have been put into place by the architectural establishment.
   
   At the same time, Krier's message is bound to bring an almost violent reaction at the massive brainwashing that society has been subjected to in order to promote a small group of anti-architects. How could we have ignored methods of building structures that make our lives more pleasant and more human, in order to support arrogant and unworkable dreams? Furthermore, in something very much akin to a Ponzi pyramid scheme, unworkable buildings have been propped up by increasingly convoluted pseudo-philosophical jargon (not to mention prestigious prizes). Krier cuts through all of that nonsense like VIM cuts through kitchen grease.
   
   There are some indications that we are due for a massive, revolutionary change in architectural paradigm. Like octogenarian dictators due to meet their well-deserved date with the afterworld, the architecture of bizzarre images is overdue for a collapse. Leon Krier's book is one of the pillars of the new architecture that will replace the old and worn-out deceptions.

No comments about Architectural Details: Spain And the Mediterannean.

5 comments about The Arts & Crafts Cabin.

1. Beautiful pictures of a variety of houses that offer ideas for decorating for log cabins. It helps to allow thinking outside of the box. It shows that the feel of a log cabin does not just have to be the typical rustic decor.



2. I purchased The Arts & Crafts Cabin for my wife for Christmas, as we are building a new home this year. The book is chock-full of beautiful photographs by Roger Wade, who is the preeminent "log cabin" photographer, whose work graces most of the timber-frame and log-cabin oriented publications. The text is well-written but not particularly memorable. You buy this book because it looks lovely, and it is a favorite flipper on our coffee-table this summer.
   
   There are a great many more interior images than exterior elevations -- a minor disappointment because we were at least as interested in gleening good ideas for exterior design. This book has many more yellow stickies marking pages than any other in our collection, so that tells you something.



3. Great photos and alot of great info ; I don't want to blow my own horn , but, toot, toot!!!!
   I have two of my stained glass creations in this publication. I was very surprized my work was included in this great book. Thanks to all involved .
   David Fjeld . Big Sky Stained Glass Art Inc.



4. This is an incredible book! This book reminded me of my trip to the Canadian Rockies - but not because of the architecture. There, every time I drove around a curve, the scenery was more beautiful than before. The same is true about this book. Every time I turned the page, the photos were more inspiring. And it wasn't just the photos. The book itself captured the spirit of the Arts & Crafts style. The quality of the photos, the layout of the pages, the selection of fonts, even the binding of the book showed craftsman-level attention to detail.
   
   The book begins with the history and concepts of the Arts & Crafts movement and then shows and discusses new interpretations of the philosophy. The next section discusses ideas for incorporating key elements of the style such as sheltered porches, built-ins, and much more.
   
   Note that this book does differ from some of Robbin Obomsawin's other books. Most notably, she does not fully explore a single house in each chapter. You will not find floor plans of the houses discussed - something I missed but that didn't fit this layout. Also, remember this book is titled The Arts & Crafts CABIN. That does not necessarily mean log cabin. There are several examples of log homes but with a stronger focus on log-element homes with more of a timber-frame feel. But many of the ideas can work in a pure log home - at least we hope to incorporate many of them in our log home.



5. Being familiar with some of Robbin Obomsawin's other books, I bought this book expecting detailed house plans and handcrafted log architecture. After all, it's called "The Arts and Crafts ***Cabin***," right? And the picture on the front of that beautiful stained-glass door shows logs, doesn't it?
   
   Well, this book is beautiful. You'll drool over the pictures. but a planbook it's not. And a log-building book it's not. And none of the residences here would qualify as a "cabin," most are opulent estates. There's nary a plan in the entire book. And almost none of the houses shown are built with logs as a primary element. Most are timberframes; many pictures show no log elements at all!
   
   If you want to learn a bit about Arts and Crafts architecture or decorating, you may find some ideas here. But if you are designing a floorplan for a handcrafted log home and want it to have an Arts and Crafts feel, unfortunately, this isn't the right book.

1 comments about Victorian Style: Classic Rooms Of North American Homes.

1. I purchased this book to give me ideas on which type of pattern/material I should use to reupholster a Victorian settee frame I recently bought. After looking through the breathtaking photos on these glossy pages, I know exactly which material to go with. And of course, from viewing this book I have a desire to purchase other victorian pieces to accompany the settee. It's a step back in time that must be seen.
   
   This is a wonderful book. Also, this book was like brand new although it is used. Just wish there were more pages.

3 comments about The Arts and Crafts Movement in the Pacific Northwest.

1. This is a very well-done and informative book about the Arts and Crafts Movement in the Pacific Northwest. I live in a new version of a Craftsman style house and found this book of great interest. Recommend!



2. Seattle, Portland, Spokane, and other areas of the Pacific Northwest step out of the shadows of history in this incredibly well-researched, thorough book. The authors' writing is simultaneously accessible and commanding, and the photographs of historic buildings, antiques, and unearthed "treasures" are wonderful to peruse. It is a top-notch publication that informs those interested in this geographical locale, as well as those interested in the overall Arts and Crafts movement.



3. I went to the Seattle Bungalow Fair the last weekend in September 2007. I met both authors and talked to them about their book. They spent lots of time researching the book and are very knowledgeable about the Arts and Crafts movement. I have been able to peruse it but have not had a chance to read it from cover to cover. It is a great book to just look at the pictures and captions. I am looking forward to learning more about the movement here in the Northwest. They have captured the true essence of the Northwest Arts and Crafts Movement. I would highly recommend that if you are in to Arts and Crafts, Bungalows, Mission, etc. that this is a must have book.
   Paula

No comments about Superb Cabins.

1 comments about Workshops You Can Build.

1. Having supplied us so long with designs for treehouses, playhouses, and sheds, David Stiles has now produced the designs he knew we needed all along - workshops where his do-it-yourself audience can follow their dreams. Even more than in previous books, Stiles lets form follow function, so that a boatbuilder's shop is nothing like a ceramics shop. In addtion, he has beefed up the portions that includee interior layout and plans for benches, tool storage, etc. This book is great for dreaming and great for building.

5 comments about Seaside Interiors.

1. Elegantly arranged and edited architecture/design book with focus on seaside homes. Very good coverage of each featured home; excellent organization on the page, with text in English, French, German.

   What sets this book apart is its tremendous variety of taste, environment, ideas, style. Locations really run the gamut; the book is divided into continents, so Africa (for example) gets just as much attention as does Asia. The scope is fabulous: non-chic locations like a rustic cottage on the Baltic Sea, a windswept beach house on the English Channel. The north African featured homes are especially interesting. So there is a beautiful array of styles and ideas on how to highlight a special environment.

   Not a source book (no index or listings of architects and products), but an excellent style book. The photos are first-rate, with beautiful balance of detail shots and whole rooms. Quite a lot of landscaping can be seen, even if it's about "interiors", so that's a bonus.

   Need not be decorating a seaside home to be able to love and even use this book.




2. While I purchased this book on vacation in the charming town of Seaside, Florida, I had the good fortune of actually staying nearby in one of the featured homes--Matarangi. The photos in the book don't begin to do justice to the views and architecture, though in superior coffee table book manner, they do try. The book allows one to travel to far off homes and enter their beauty, while never leaving your own home. However, if the opportunity ever arises to enjoy one of these splendidly represented homes, I heartily recommend it. If not, select this book and start enjoyable seaside travel dreaming via your armchair or backyard chaise today.



3. A really beautiful book for architects, interior decorators and people who are interested in decoration. Filled with lovely pictures and not too much words. A ''must have'', collectors book. It gives you nice ideas, makes you want to redecorate your home and makes you dream of having such lovely houses. Just get it and you'll really enjoy it! It's worth every cent!!!



4. In our search for books on this topic, we came across this one, which we love because it's a great dream book. Our other favorite is Second Home, which is great for both daydreaming and planning. Second Home shows a wider variety of homes around the country (all gorgeous) but blends information on choosing a location, decorating, and so on, into the book. Seaside Interiors gives a lovely look at homes with no information on how to make your second home come true. I like both books. If you can only buy one, then I recommend Second Home instead.



5. This is a magnificent book to add to your coffee table, photography collections, decorating books, or just for the sheer pleasure of the absolutely beautiful photos. The book is a journey in itself; of lovely homes...perhaps of more unique architechture than the average home, but offering wonderful ideas on colors and at the same time showing many pictures of day-to-day living...in the most beautiful of seaside locations that one could imagine. Simply wonderful!