Romance Of British Colonial Style, The

Rating:
Summary: I wasted my money on this
Review: Ok, so I read the other reviews, and since I'm in love with the style, I bought the book thinking it was going to be beautiful. At worst, I thought, I'll get one or two ideas from it. I got the book, and I couldn't believe my eyes. All the photographs look like they were taken with a 1 megapixal camera, then blown up to page size. I had read in a review that this is a "picture book." Well, there are a lot of photos, but they look like a pointalist's painting -- you can seriously see every dot of color throughout the entire photograph. I could not believe this was actually a published work. And the composition is awful. Either the photographer takes long shots of entire rooms that are boring and plain or close-ups that show you one chair and doesn't give you a clue how it would work in a room. I do not recommend anyone spending their money on this.

Rating:
Summary: A Gorgeous, romantic style of East meets West
Review: This is the definitive book on british colonial style. It shows the relaxed, romantic, and exotic sense of blending eastern and western styles, cultures, and manners. If you love England at the turn-of-the-century combined with exotic Asia and Africa, you will love this book. The photos are beautiful, with lovely captions and explanations for the style. Even if you don't decorate with this style, you will love it for the photos and armchair travel. Gentlemen's clubs, polo games, verandas, picnics, ....I love this book!