califoria country style
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Here in California, a country home can be a log cabin in the mountains, a beach cottage, a getaway among the vines or a myriad other possibilities. Our geographic diversity makes for a fascinating diversity in style, and this book documents some of the unique ways homeowners have expressed it.
Many of the homes are in Napa Valley, giving us here on the Central Coast an opportunity to compare wine country styles. The homes featured range from grand villas to intimate cottages, all designed and decorated to create a strong sense of place. Californians’ penchant for mixing the old and the new, the formal and the casual are on display. French antiques coexist happily with wine country modern, sophisticated with rustic.
Author Diane Dorrans Saeks doesn’t neglect the outdoors, leading us through a selection of colorful, inviting country gardens.
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Sun-Drenched Gardens
The Mediterranean Style
Monday, September 03, 2007
For those of us on the Central Coast, a Mediterranean garden is a no-brainer. It suits our dry, sunny climate perfectly. In “Sun-Drenched Gardens,” author Jan Smithen visits stunning examples of the style in Italy, France, Spain and California.
Central Cost gardeners can learn a lot from this book, not just about design and appearance, but about the benefits of the plant species that make up a Mediterranean garden—their love of sun, their drought-tolerance, their classic shapes and inimitable fragrances. She also delves into the hardscape and the structure—the fountains, terraces, statuary, topiary, pergolas and terra-cotta pots that are the fundamental elements of Mediterranean style.
This beautifully illustrated book is an inspiration to local gardeners considering a change to a more eco-friendly landscape while retaining color and density. Our fortunate climate allow us to enjoy Mediterranean gardens to their fullest, whether, as in this book, in intimate courtyards or grand estates.
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Conventional Wisdom Wrong
Green Building Not More Expensive
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
There is no statistically significant difference between the cost of green and non-green buildings, according to a recent report.
The July 2007 “Cost of Green Revisited” report updated an influential 2004 study of the cost of green building by Lisa Fay Matthiessen and Peter Morris of Davis Langdon. The authors concluded that there are so many huge cost factors in construction that it is not possible to detect any cost difference between sustainably constructed and conventional buildings.
Based on an analysis of the budgets for 221 projects, the report concludes that “buildings cannot be budgeted based on averages,” leaving open the question of whether a green approach affects cost.
Green Remodeling
Changing the World One Room at a Time
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
This is deservedly one of the most popular books on remodeling using sustainable resources. It treats the home holistically, showing how one element affects the others and how it affects the environment at large. We see how our choices for door or window materials for example, affects not only our health and well-being inside the home, but the home’s systems and the impact on the environnment from logging to transportation.
Room-by-room, with the aid of checklists, anecdotes and advice from other experts, author David Johnston shows us how to achieve healthier, more energy-efficient living spaces.
Crossing Boundaries
A Global Vision of Design
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Famed interior designer Vicente Wolf combines travel and design in this delightful book celebrating the design inspirations of exotic locales like Madagascar, Borneo and Syria. He takes cues from the colors, textiles and architecture of these cultures and incorporates them into his work. He shows us how to mix those ethnic influences to spice up our own environments, using pattern and color and proportion.
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California Mediterranean
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Although its roots are elsewhere, California Mediterranean architecture is one of our few modern indigenous forms. This book, by Melva Levick and Marc Appleton, celebrates the best examples built during its heyday in the early part of the 20th Century. Architects like Addison Mizner, Wallace Neff and Julia Morgan (of Hearst Castle fame) contributed to some of the grandest and most pure expressions of the form.
California Mediterranean architecture flourished primarily along the coastal strip from Santa Barbara to San Diego, and this book includes several examples in Santa Barbara. It’s not only a celebration of an exuberant tradition, it’s a primer on the details that make up the form.
This is one coffee table book that won’t lie on the coffee table for long!
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