Residential Books

Love it!! Looking for more like it! It sits promenently on my coffee table. It gets opened regularly by everyone. It was a Christmas gift to me, from me. I couldn't get it away from my 24 year old son from moment I opened it. Filled with great history and entertaining writings. Buy it!

Take a nostalgia trip down through the years of motor homes. Of course in the early days they were called motor homes, instead they started with wagons such as those in cowboy movies and in the Gypsy wagons (still to be found out here in the west in use by sheepherders). But soon after the advent of the automobile came specialized bodies that had tents, beds, even a church.

This book begins with pictures from the past, but quickly turns to new photographs taken by the author. Most of these are of vintage vehicles that have been painstakingly restored by their new owners.

There are also a good number of vehicles that might be called home made, but these are home made with style. My own favorite was one made from a surplus Air Force crash truck. Beautiful, but it probably only gets three miles per gallon.

This is a beautiful book of four color pictures that would be at home on a coffee table or in your own RV.

"RVers are some of the friendliest people on earth," writes Doug Keister in his new pop culture history, "Mobile Mansions: Taking 'Home Sweet Home' On the Road" ($24.95 in large size paperback from Gibbs Smith, Publisher). "Unlike the rest of us who are permanently or temporarily moored in our bolted-down communities, they take the bumps in the road of life a little more serenely." And none are friendlier than those who own vintage and classic RVs, the mobile conveyances celebrated in Keister's book.

Replete with 200 color photographs, most taken by Keister himself on location, the book explores not only the history of the recreational vehicle but allows the reader to see inside courtesy of the author's crisp, clear interior shots. From Camp Dearborn, Mich., to Quartzsite, Ariz. (with a quick stop in Chico), Keister documents the development of what used to be called "autocamping."

Autocamping was popularized by Henry Ford, Thomas Edison and Harvey Firestone (of tire fame), along with an unlikely companion, a naturalist named John Burroughs. After about 1915 the group called themselves "the Vagabonds," attracting newspaper attention everywhere they went. The group was not exactly rustic -- Firestone brought his butler along to help him better appreciate "roughing it."

Later on, the "Tin Can Tourists" organization was established in 1919; they "took their name from the tin can provisions that they subsisted on and, some say, also from the Tin Lizzies many of them drove."

The Great Depression and better roadways put Americans on the road. It was the golden age of the travel trailer. Subsequent decades saw the development of house cars, refined camp cars, family buses, truck campers, vans and motor homes (which had their start with the Frank Motor Home in 1958 which morphed into the Travco Motor Home in 1965.) There are other storied names in the book: Volkswagen, Winnebago, Newell, Barth, Flexible.

Keister devotes a chapter to each kind of "mobile mansion" with a focus on "personal visions" in the last chapter. Pride of place here goes to "Draco," a four-wheel-drive motorhome created by Shahn Torontow of Victoria, British Columbia, who constructed it so his photographer wife, disabled by Lyme disease, "could still go on backcountry photographic expeditions. The bones of Draco are an Oshkosh M-1000 Aircraft Rescue Fire Truck." There's also a wheelchair lift, 14-inch wide tires, a winch and "a 335-horsepower Caterpillar 3406A diesel-pusher engine." The contraption was photographed in Chico. Dishes have magnets glued to their bottoms so they "stick" on steel plate walls and a "macerator-type toilet liquifies waste ... (which) can be pumped into the exhaust system where it is vaporized at over 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit."

Pop culture connections abound. Converted Greyhound Scenicruisers (last made in the mid-1950s) help bands reach their next gigs; Charles Kuralt (the CBS "On the Road" guy) used an FMC ("Food Machinery Corporation") motor home; Barbie's "Disco motor home" came from Mattel; Mae West owned "a 1931 22-foot house car build on a Chevrolet truck chassis" -- it slept four and sported a rear balcony where West could address her fans; Ozzie and Harriet used an Alaskan Camper; John Steinbeck traveled with his poodle Charley in 1960 in a GMC pickup truck and Wolverine camper; the Partridge Family's hippie bus was a '57 Chevy school bus; and Ken Kesey's Merry Pranksters drove a converted bus, too.

Sprightly fun, Keister's homage to mobile living costs less than 10 gallons of gas -- and lasts a lot longer!

Interesting and informative especially for an RVer. I especially liked the historical progression leading from Gypsies to today. I also appreciated a look at some of the more unique campgrounds like Quartzsite and the Slabs.

But I wish he had more coverage of modren travel trailers. They make up a large part of today's RV sales and they shouldn't be writen off yet.

The BEST review anyone can give a Photo themed book is to reference the pictures and allow them to truly illustrate the subject matter. Beyond his articulate prose, Mr. Keister speaks so lovingly to the subjects of this book with his images. Seldom do I enjoy BOTH the photographs and the text of a book...... Congragulations to Douglas Keister on a well-researched and beautifully photographed history of truly vintage mansions on wheels!

Mood Indigo, like the song of the same name, is smoky, sensuous, and quite beautiful.

If you love rich colors, you'll love this book.

If you're afraid strong color won't work in your spaces, one look at these rooms will change your mind.

Showcasing interiors using browns, blacks and grays, purples and reds, blues and greens `Mood Indigo' works with all shades from the strongest, darkest of the hues to the lightest.

There are tips on how to use strong colors, discussions about rooms size, light needs, finishes, textures, a short history of paint, pigments, and color trends.

Color is used not only on walls but in accessories, on fabric, floor coverings, lampshades ... well, just about anything you can think of.

Room designs run the gamut from country to traditional to eclectic to rustic. You'll see color used in hallways and kitchens as well as the more usual bedrooms, dining rooms, and living rooms.

Inspiration abounds. Add the fact that this is a great coffee table book, if nothing else, and you'll be happy you bought it. Everything about this book is quality.

This book was exactly what I've been looking for. Lots of color without being garish. If you want some ideas on home decorating, and you are weary of the tried and tired neutral schemes, but don't want to feel like you are living in a day-glo home or a Fisher Price retail outlet, I definitly recomend this book. It's also not just about paint, but also mentions flooring, trim, wallpapering, accesories and furniture.

This is a beautiful interior design coffee table book. It is packed with large photos of exquisite interiors that use strong colors including blues, greens, reds, purples, browns, grays and blacks. The wonderful photos are printed on high-quality glossy paper making them appear even more vivid.

In additional to the gorgeous pictures there is also advice on color, texture and light. Color scheme basics are covered with a discussion of tone, shade, balance and the moods each color creates. There are also suggestions for sources of inspiration for each color in nature, history and various cultures.

The interiors shown are simply fantastic and filled with rich, dark colors. There are no large rooms of empty white here. I loved a relaxing bathroom with shades of plum and a cabinet decorated with multiple hues of green, blue and yellow. I also enjoyed a Japanese style bedroom with red walls, a wood chest and a huge hanging white kimono. A dark blue living room with nude outlines on the wall and an artistic cozy brown couch is another of my favorites.

I really appreciated a great list of suppliers and helpful index included in the back. This is a great book of useful ideas as well as being a wonderful display piece or gift.

I passed by this book and just by accident, the word "Indigo" caught my eye. As I love all things purple, I just had to pick it up and flip through it. WOW. Finally, I found a book on home decorating that didn't include lots of *beige*. I absolutely love the pictures in the book, which range from some very interesting country motifs, to Victorian, to post-modern. The book's divided into sections describing the treatments of different shades; a chapter on reds and purples, blue and greens, browns and so forth. Pick your favorite color, find the chapter, and browse.

I have to admit I haven't even read the text, and still feel the money I paid for this book was more than made up for in the quality of the full-color, gloss-page plates... It really goes to show that with a little inventive color selection, you can create a really outstanding, comfortable environment.

Now I just have to find a house to buy and redecorate. :)

I had been looking at design books for months now and was bored out of my mind seeing page after page of white-on-white color schemes (most of which were heralded as 'fantastically innovative' -- how innovative can they be when they're filling every single book?!) I knew that wasn't what I wanted, but I needed some ideas to spark my creativity.

And then I found this book! It's big, it's beautiful, and as other reviewers have pointed out, it does an excellent job of showing different styles of rooms. (Yes, dark colors don't have to be baroque or ultra-modern! Although those are pictured here too.)

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

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.

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!!

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.

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.

What a lifesaver! I have been living through going through a major renovation over the past few months and have been consulting Remodel This! literally on a daily basis. Contains detailed information which I've found helpful with each and every decision involved in the renovation process. A must-have if you are even considering a remodelling project.

Anyone who has remodeled knows how it turns your life upside-down, and this book is the knight in shining armor that will save your life. This book had everything I needed in a totally readable - and totally hilarious - format. I'm buying copies for all my friends. Don't risk a remodeling project without it!

As a contractor with 23 years of experience, I think this guide hits the proverbial nail on the head. I am always interested in understanding what my clients are most concerned about so I can address their needs. It is also helpful to have a client with reasonable expectations. This book provides a fair and unbiased assessment of many common misconceptions and provides guidelines for a good relationship between client and contractor. This is an essential first step for anyone contemplating even a small remodeling project.

As an entertainment industry business manager who oversees many remodelling projects every year, I appreciated the way this book conveyed so much incredibly useful information in such an easily understood, humorous way. I am planning to make this book required reading for my entire staff and for every client, female or male, who is planning to remodel their home.

Harley J. Neuman, CPA

What a surprise this woman's guide turns out to be! It is not only entertaining, but is also chock full of hard-core legal, financial, relationship and practical advice and gets down to the nitty-gritty for anyone contemplating a remodeling of a house or apartment. There are neat reminders-and tips-for just about everything, from how to size up a contractor, to keeping your 'cool', as well as a helpful glossary and compilation of sources.This woman's guide is not only a solid reference book, but at the same time a humorous read by two thorough, common-sense women.

A beautiful book well balanced in terms of text and pictures. The quality of the pictures is second to none. Compared to other books about Balinese style mostly focused on interiors, this one captures not only the essence of the interiors but also open spaces and gardens.

Great photography and awesome scenarios. It really brings the feeling of being in Bali. And the decorations show the artistic side of the new interiors of the open living. It inspires my clients when they come inside my furniture store. Of the books I have from Bali, this is certainly the one with the best pictures!

Being a Decorator, this comes in handy for clients who like the look of the Tropics. It's a complete book of ideas, design strategies, and an overall look into another world of comfortable, colorful, Paradise influence to bring a little joy to the reader.

This is a genuinely fine book. The photographs are spectacular, with fine color and resolution.
The text isn't too in-depth about houses in Bali, but the pictures speak for themselves.
I wholeheartedly recommend it, got me?

Good overall but not as informative as Bali Modern another book by same author. PHotography excellent.

Very imformative. The images of the older New England homes are very interesting and useful.

There's a type of farm layout that you see in New England that you don't see elsewhere in the US. This book is a study of that type of farm, its whys and wherefores, and how it fit into people's lives -- or better, how their lives fit into it.

This book is written very clearly, with numerous graceful diagrams of floor plans, layouts, and photos of representative farms. The author has a deep sympathy for the ordinary farmers and their taxing occupation, as can be seen in the choice of photos (farmhouse buried in snow, barn on fire, farm family sitting in a front yard still dominated by those granite cobbles you expect to be piled into fences). Diagrams tell the demographic story of why these farms were created, why they belong to northern New England; how they were achieved and how people spent their lives in them.

For me, the magic comes in because I fell in love with one of these farms, and its sunny Lincoln-era dooryard. It has a subtle rightness because of its orientation, its site on a knoll, and a certain flexibility of layout. But even if you don't have such a reference point, I think you will be impressed at the perceptiveness of the work, if you can muster any interest at all in the topic.

p.s. I checked on the Web to see if the author is still flourishing. His current project seems to be the wooden synogogues of tiny eastern european towns. Sounds neat...

If you have ever wandered around Maine, you will have noticed a unique form of farm architecture. But ask most people why 19th century Maine farmers made such a concerted effort to physically connect the structures on their farms and the answer is "they needed a way to get to the barn through the winter snow." Trust me, I have gone around and asked current dwellers of Maine farmsteads. Thomas Hubka carefully points out that if that were so, we'd see similar connected farm architecture in parts of the nation where winters were even more inclimate and snowier. Yet Maine farm architecture remains almost totally enigmatic. Hubka's diligent field work reveals that forces were at work in mid-19th century Maine that conspired against the rural farmer: industrial competition for hand-manufactured goods produced at home for cash suppliment, a labor drain to other more prosperous farming regions, and unyielding land. The brilliance of Hubka's work is that he evokes how, despite all this, Maine farmers strove to adapt by creating resilliant islands of industry with the structure of their homes that defiantly sheltered year-round dooryard work efforts from wind and snow, but also change abroad. This book is also a perfect source of pithy detail and illustration regarding 17th century cape-style house architecture which, it turns out, is still ubiquitous in New England. Highly recommended, a stiking work.

The author gives the "how and why the connected farm emerged in the mid-to-late 19th century and the story these buildings tell about the common New England farm and the people who made them."
Hubka has written extensively about traditional American buildings and architectural design methods and teaches at the School of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
I love the old pictures like the one showing a family and horses in front of a Saco house and barn.
"According to Hubka, the primary reason for connected farms was agrarian reform, which was spurred in the 1840s and '50s by competition from new, larger farms in the Midwest. Connected buildings allowed New Englanders to take on home-based industry, such as candle- and cheese-making, while continuing to farm and still have everything centralized. Fashion also played a part: Connected farms became the latest thing, and keeping up with the neighbors was important even then." (This Old House)
"An important pioneering effort. The book commemorates both an unique indigenous architectural expression and a way of life that has become extinct . . . The style is economic and clear and Hubka's affection for architecture binds the buildings to their people and their times." -- Maine Sunday Times

Lets get this straight, this is NOT a coffee table book - if you want lots of colour pictures of old farms and barns - look elsewhere. What it is though, is a well written, brilliantly researched and documented assessment of a largely by-gone way of life in rural New England. Look - I'm even British and I loved (OK - I do have an interest in New England and architecture)

If you are vaguely interested in old rural life, agriculture, history and social history, or vernacular architecture (or any combination of these) - buy it you won't be disappointed.

I've just completed my first deck project, and it would not have been a success without this book. Not excessivly wordy, but to the point on every aspect of construction. Given patience, common sense, the right tools, and this book, you have everything you need to build a great deck. Other books give you some standard methods of construction, which are helpful as a reference, but this allows you to create something more than standard.

I will be building my first deck in the near future and have purchased several "how to" books on the subject. This book is far and away superior. For starters, it has construction PHOTOS where most books have only drawings. It's so much easier grasp the techniques when looking at a photo. Also, when reading the other books, I always seemed to have many unanswered questions. This book answered them all. Don't make my mistake - buy this book first. It's the only one you'll need.

Used this book several years ago on my first and only deck. It was recommended by someone at work, and since has made the rounds with all the people at work building decks, with positive reviews. I still get complements on my deck, in no small part due to this book. Highly recommended.

After successfully completing a bookcase I decided I'd tackle a bigger project - a 500 sq. ft. second-story multi-level cantilevered deck. It took me a long time by myself, but I did it and every single thing I needed to know was in this book. Design issues, code requirements, foundation work, hardware, and clearly illustrated instructions for each procedure. I spent about a month reading this book, walking the space, and sketching designs. I frequently referenced the book during the construction and always found solutions I needed. The guy delivering the French doors commented that my "contractor" was doing a very professional job!

As a side note, the author presents a variety of railing designs but prefers a "porch-style" railing. This was MUCH more time consuming than I expected, but is my single favorite feature of my deck.

The gallery of deck photos was good, though many of the exotic design elements could not be built with the information in this book alone. In my opinion you can't look at too many design photos while preparing your own, and I did browse a number of other books and magazines for this purpose. But for the technical details, this book was my bible.

This book proved invaluable when my wife and I built our second-story deck five years ago. The design tips on layout and construction techniques turned what could have been just an ordinary rectangular deck into (if I may say so) a work of art. Although we are both engineers, it was still very useful to see the photos and diagrams describing exactly how each step should be completed, and also how to add the little touches that noticeably increase the professionalism of the finished job.

Ms. Freudenheim has provided us with a very well-written book about how new and developing architectureal styles happen, using the SF Bay Area and the development of the Arts and Crafts style as a perfect example. Ms. Freudenheim's excellant research and engaging style shows, in words and photos, how a web of people and buildings continually interact and thus result in a new style. In this greatly expanded edition of a now hard-to-find great original book, we learn about these people, their interactions, and how this resulted in a new archtectural style. This book will be enjoyed by anyone interested in the Arts and Crafts style, either as a home owner, collector, scholar, or as a total observer of the Arts and Crafts movement and it's recent resurgence. Enjoy!

Leslie Freudenheim has captured an era that has given great beauty to our lives. With grace and wisdom she has presented the San Francisco Bay Area as a landscape filled with the richness of the architectural geniuses who gave the area their distinctive creations. The beauty of the arts and crafts buildings complements nature, and bonds our living spaces into it. The author has, with a great deal of style, significantly enriched our experience of this fine period in our history.

Building With Nature, when first published in 1974, brought attention to Bay Region Architecture as a tradition, as the progenitor of simple homes, grounded on the philosophy of Bernard Maybeck and Charles Keeler among others, and as an influence on residential architecture of subsequent generations. In this new and significantly expanded book, Leslie Freudenheim broadens the inquiry toward a wider appreciation of indigenous forms of California architecture, and an understanding of the relation of natural building and environmental sensitivity to the international Arts and Crafts Movement. The book is a must for any Arts and Crafts devotee and architectural history, personal, or professional library.
Robert M. Craig [author, Bernard Maybeck at Principia College The Art and Craft of Building]

This is a very important reexamination of the American origins of the Arts and Crafts Movement and the major contibutions of a small group of Bay Area designers. The central role is occupied by the Reverend Joseph Worcester who created one of the true landmarks of the movement with the Church of the New Jerusalem in San Francisco. The author provides new context and a great amount of new reseach. This book is a major accomplishment.

This is the first book to truly explore the origins of the American Arts & Crafts Movement. A group in San Francisco began constructing simpler buildings and furnishing them with what eventually was called Mission furniture. This lead to the nationwide popularization of Craftsman homes and furniture by Stickley and others. If you have an interest in Architecture or the "Arts & Crafts" you should read this book.

Generously adorned throughout this book are beautiful photographs of classic Bungalow homes from across the nation. I flipped through this book at Borders, in the hopes of getting it at Amazon later, but fell in love with it too much to wait for the cheaper internet price. The cover, of course, is eye-catching, with all the rich fall colors, and that same craftsmanship is consistent throughout the book. Job well done!

Bungalow Nation is a truly sumptuous and detailed look at American bungalows.With color pictures on every page, this book is a wonderful balance of text and graphics. The author's text and the photographs by Alexander Vertikoff together present a well-rounded introduction to bungalow style through brief looks at over 75 specific examples of bungalow architecture.

In a chapter called "In The Land Of The Bungalow" the book starts with a brief history of the origins and growth of the architectural style and its place in American history. This chapter is followed by brief treatments of specific aspects of bungalow style: the outside, porches, the inside, fireplaces, built-ins, and furnishings.

Then the author and photographer take us to five different cities to look at examples of bungalows in each. Sample bungalows in Los Angeles, Seattle, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Chicago and Washington DC are highlighted in two to four page spreads. Each house has a description and history of the house and some information on the current owners. This is followed by some photographs of specific features with captions describing each.

The book ends with a bibliography and lists of organizations and architects in each of the five areas highlighted.

This is a lovely book. The bugalows are beautifully photographed. The endpapers are sheet music for the song "In The Land Of the Bungalow" by George F. Devereaux. The cover has a color print of a crewel embroidery of dragonflies. It is a labor of love that is a delight to read and a treat to the eyes. If you love bungalows, this is the book for you.

I got this book because I am planning to remodel the kitchen and bath of my 1930 bungalow and was looking for ways to do so while retaining the original integrity of the house. This book has given me the ideas I need to move forward with confidence.

I live in a California Craftsman bungalow and therefore gravitated immediately to this book when I saw it in Builders Booksource in Berkeley, CA. It's absolutely lovely: the story of 75 bungalows in LA, Seattle, Chicago, DC, and Minneapolis. I was surprised that Berkeley wasn't included, but the homes shows epitomize America's love affair with these cozy, well-built structures. Included are features on porches, fireplaces, numerous built-ins, furnishings, landscaping, and interior/exterior decoration. You'll love this book, as I do.

When I bought a 1920's bungalow a year ago, I checked out every arts and crafts and bungalow book I could get my hands on. This one rose to the top. Perhaps I'm a little biased because a good portion of the homes featured in the book are located in the Twin Cities, where I live. But the thing I really like about Bungalow Nation, besides the lovely quality of the photograhps, is that it provides excellent inspiration for the interior decoration of arts and crafts style homes.

If you have a bungalow, or just love the style, you will adore this book.

The bungalow is uniquely suited to the homeowner of today: solidly built of good natural materials, unpretentious, yet capable of modification and expansion; usually set in a pleasant and roomy yard, and big enough for the "typical family of four" to inhabit without getting in one another's faces. For these reasons, many cities have seen a "bungalow boom" that has driven up the price of these cozy houses. If you're thinking about a bungalow but aren't sure you want to invest all that money, this book may help you decide. Chock full of all-color photographs, it shows the variations in style and modification possible to the type, the lovingly created details typically found in it, and the ways in which many bungalow owners have contrived to furnish their homes authentically. With a book or two about Craftsman or Stickley furniture, it should provide you with ideas galore about what's possible to a bungalow. And if you simply enjoy looking at pictures of small, simple, yet well-made American houses, it's a volume you're sure to enjoy. For restorationists, decorators, historians, and architecture buffs, it's a beautiful and indispensable volume.

I had wanted to get this book for years, and now that I have it I can't stop glancing at its pages. The book is so rich in history, the houses chosen are awesome, and Ange Bourda's work is impecable, as always. A book worth having on your collection to make you proud you are Guatemalan.

Great photographs, incredible mansions at antigua, ideal for people interested in decorating with antiques. Beautiful gardens, magnificent to watch how architects mix so artisticaly the ruins at antigua with the new homes without destroying the sense of such an old and historic city.

I just move to the usa and because I wanted to have something that reminds me of home with the decoration of my apartment I had to buy it I saw the book in a furniture store in Antigua Guatemala days before I left but I couldt buy it!!
I decided to search and I found it, I am so happy

For a Guatemalan like myself, it is a thrill to have a book like this in order to show people some of the best our country has to offer in the way of art, architecture, use of space and color and textiles. I am sorry Amazon does not make this book available. However, it is found in both English and Spanish in Guatemala. Anybody going down there should pick it up. I picked one up during my last trip as a gift for my mother-in-law, a tenured ASID Interior Designer in San Jose, California (she was very thrilled!). My only 'complaint' is that they did not show more houses outside of the Antigua/Guatemala City circuit, e.g. Quetzaltenango, the great estates in Escuintla, etc. In fact, it is a bit too Antigua focused, which in that case it should have been called "Casa Antigua". However, do not let this detract from acquring this wonderful book.

We bought 2 of these books in Guatemala and paid almost twice Amazon's price! Bummer but we loved the book. Pictures are awsome and when we got home everyone wanted our books to keep so I was so pleased to find it on Amazon and at a bargain price.

Not only is it a wonderful collage of home styles and decorating ideas with professional quality photos but the history of the architecture is a very interesting read as well. I'd call this one of the best books we ever purchased. If you are interested in Guatemala and/or Central American architecture, I think you'll love this book.