Rating: 
Summary: Stunning Spanish Style Homes!
Review: This book is well worth the price tag. I found many ideas in here, and am planning to model my house using a few aspects from most of the houses featured.The photography in this book is absolutely beautiful, and would make a great addition to your collection, even as a coffee table book! I am very interested in the Spanish Style, but even if you're not, and just want to see 21 beautiful homes, buy this book! It will not disappoint you!
Rating:
Summary: Gorgeous book!
Review: This is a gorgeous book full of color photos and description of Spanish Colonial Revival style architecture in Southern California. The beginning of the book provides a review of the style with information on stylistic influences and historical setting. As another reviewer mentioned, the homes in this book are mostly huge, and it really would have been nice to see some well-done modest homes (i.e. the 1000 or 1600 square foot variety). Nevertheless, this is the ONLY full-color book I have been able to find on this style, and I do think it provides helpful elements for use in smaller houses, but one needs to be imaginative to find them. If you are living in a smaller house, you can't just lift a whole room out of this book. For example, the cover photo features a huge staircase and fountain. It is very difficult (and would be inappropriate) to duplicate this type of thing in a smaller home, but I might notice that the decorative tile on the stair risers and the saltillo tile on the steps could be used on the steps up to my own modest front porch, for example. We have used a number of individual elements from this book in our own home, and we've used the photos to get an idea of what "works" and what doesn't in this style. I do really wish, though, that there was a companion book that showed how this style can be used to advantage in smaller homes, since the vast majority of homes of this style are in the 1000-2000 square foot range. Overall a beautiful and helpful book, and I do think it was worth the money.
Rating:
Summary: Gorgeous book!
Review: This is a gorgeous book full of color photos and description of Spanish Colonial Revival style architecture in Southern California. The beginning of the book provides a review of the style with information on stylistic influences and historical setting. As another reviewer mentioned, the homes in this book are mostly huge, and it really would have been nice to see some well-done modest homes (i.e. the 1000 or 1600 square foot variety). Nevertheless, this is the ONLY full-color book I have been able to find on this style, and I do think it provides helpful elements for use in smaller houses, but one needs to be imaginative to find them. If you are living in a smaller house, you can't just lift a whole room out of this book. For example, the cover photo features a huge staircase and fountain. It is very difficult (and would be inappropriate) to duplicate this type of thing in a smaller home, but I might notice that the decorative tile on the stair risers and the saltillo tile on the steps could be used on the steps up to my own modest front porch, for example. We have used a number of individual elements from this book in our own home, and we've used the photos to get an idea of what "works" and what doesn't in this style. I do really wish, though, that there was a companion book that showed how this style can be used to advantage in smaller homes, since the vast majority of homes of this style are in the 1000-2000 square foot range. Overall a beautiful and helpful book, and I do think it was worth the money.
| 
