The New Eighteenth-Century Style: Rediscovering a French Décor

Book Description

Whoever said “Everything old is new again” could have been talking about French Pompadour Style. The flamboyant, opulent, refined aesthetic—so characteristic of the eighteenth century—has enjoyed a spectacular revival in recent years. In The New Eighteenth-Century Style, journalist Michèle Lalande and photographer Gilles Trillard, both experts in the field of interior décor, survey 30 examples of this quintessential blending of exquisite detail and ostentatious affluence. From lush velvet upholstery to the emblematic use of turquoise with gold accents, these perfectly captured interiors beguile the reader with well-worn extravagance. In an era of “shabby chic” the more refined, more pristine accents of Pompadour may be just what the world of interior décor needs—and this beautiful book provides an indispensable guide.

Customer Reviews:

Love that shabby chic French style!.......2007-06-01

An absolutely smashing book, full of details. After all, it is the details that make the room finishesd and unique. This is a classic look in my way of thinking, but then again, it is my style! A decorator by trade, I am always open to new concepts, and I found the book to offer many different perspectives on the same style, pages after pages of them. Excellent book layout and design, and wonderful photography.

Lovely book.......2007-04-04

I'm an artist & antique collector and not an interior designer by trade, so I am totally enjoying this book. I find it to be a lovely book full of great photography and many interesting details to spark one's imagination. Regardless of the fact that all the styles are not necessarily my own taste, the book as a whole is great fun to look at and I found it inspiring. Each time I looked at a room, I found some new little detail that I'd missed the first time around. It made me itch to re-vamp a room, stat, and I consider anything that inspires me or makes me feel creative money well spent.

Dangerous Liasons.......2007-02-09

This is a pretty, pretty book with lots of great stuff to look it, lots of interesting vignettes. It's French shabby, chippy _hit, uh, I mean chic. This was a great trend in the mid 1990's here in the USA before Rachel A. made shabby and chic a brand. Big style on a budget using detrius no one wanted. And it was cheap back then. Just took a can of white paint to chic up everything.
These French 18th century and 18th century inspired objets in this book, are not cheap. They are shabby and they are beautiful. The vignettes look like the Broadway stage set for the play Dangerous Liasons - decay, messy, artful, romantic, monochromatic and mad.
Like many decor books, the vignettes are impossible to see as life like - like does anyone really live in these vignettes. Still, they are beautiful to look at. The new 18th century style is a little like the new emperor's clothes. Smoke and mirrors to the highest degree of accomplishment. Get this book for the fun of it.

Fabulous Book! .......2006-11-18

If you're style is that of a Paris flea market, the bazaar in Bombay or a eclectic old shop somewhere in Eastern Europe, you'll love this book. Great photography; the individualism of each space comes through with color and texture. My new favorite. The highlight is more photos of the Stockholm attic apartment, which is a true style icon.

French Flea Market (if you like that look).......2006-11-02

More like Madame Pompadour is probably rolling over in her grave. I hope to goodness gracious that this isn't the new 18th century style. If you like 18th century style on a seriously tight budget then you may enjoy this book. It's full of pages of colorless 'schemes', seriously abused furniture and icy cold lighting. Was it all photographed in rooms with Northern exposure? The editors of Veranda will love this book. I am an interior designer who collects period 18th century furniture and art. I have truly studied 18th century furniture, decorative arts and customs for years and this is a popular look although I find it horribly depressing. On the positive side - the photography in this book is very well done. If you like French flea market 'junk' then you'll love this. I gave it a 4 vs. a 2 because the quality of the book is excellent and the photography is excellent but much of my disdain for this book is from this horrendous & prevalent style that I wish would go away.

Average customer rating:

FRENCH BY DESIGN
Should you buy French By Design?
Beautifully presented.
Brilliant, Great Sense of Design, a Visual Delight
France, American Style

French by Design
Betty Lou Phillips
Manufacturer: Gibbs Smith, Publisher
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Similar Items:

Unmistakably French
Provencal Interiors: French Country Style in America
French Influences
Villa Decor: Decidedly French and Italian Style
Secrets of French Design

ASIN: 0879059729

Book Description

The enduring appeal of French-country style spans the centuries, a gracious mingling of elegance and ease. After years of largely echoing the furniture, fabrics, and accessories linked with the region of Provence, these days French country is often far removed from the primitive images that hearken back to the early seventeenth century. Room by room, FRENCH BY DESIGN reveals the secrets to creating a contemporary French-country look, including textiles, furniture, floor coverings, window treatments, color palettes, wall treatments and lighting, thus allowing anyone to bring the look home.

Customer Reviews:

FRENCH BY DESIGN.......2007-01-12

I ACTUALLY BOUGHT THIS BOOK BY MISTAKE AS I THOUGHT I HAD ORDERED "UNMISTAKENLY FRENCH" BY THE SAME AUTHOR.

Should you buy French By Design?.......2005-08-13

I just did. The homes & rooms featured in this book indicate that money is no object and these homeowners want you to know it. Subtlety is non-existant. Rooms are very "we had a decorator & we spent a LOT". Most items looks too new, too ruffled, smocked, tucked and otherwise adorned. HOWEVER, if you can get past the pictures & READ THE TEXT- Phillips has a lot to say that is excellent. She lists sources & frequently shares fascinating comments on everyday details of French style (who knew about brass hardware vs brushed nickel?). If you read; buy it. If you look only at photos, don't! Charles Faudree is much better in the genre in my opinion.

Beautifully presented........2005-01-20

Another of Philips' beautiful French decorating books. Homes presented in this book, as with her other books are high end showing us the sumptuous fabrics, and lovely French furniture she specializes in. Homes shown are mostly mansions, not the average house. Good coffee table book.

Brilliant, Great Sense of Design, a Visual Delight.......2004-04-22

Not unlike all of Phillips' books, this book is a masterpiece of European syle and design. No detail is left unnoticed. The furniture, fabrics, antiques, architecture, artwork, and carved stone are each carefully considered and beautifully photographed. Every page is a visual delight. I cannot recommend it highly enough!

France, American Style.......2003-04-03

Beautiful photos and interesting commentary on French social customs. However, the featured residences are not French, but American homes decorated "in the French style," which is somewhat disappointing.

The French-Inspired Home, with French General

Average customer rating:

Every page is a treasure!!
Disappointed
Defining What Is French Decorating or a French Home
Bravo!
The French-Inspired Home

The French-Inspired Home, with French General
Kaari Meng
Manufacturer: Lark/Chapelle
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Decorating | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Style | Interior Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Pretty Little Things: Collage Jewelry, Trinkets, Keepsakes
Romantic Home Sewing: Cottage-Style Projects to Stitch for the Home
Where Women Create: Inspiring Work Spaces of Extraordinary Women
Simple Sewing with a French Twist: An Illustrated Guide to Sewing Clothes and Home Accessories with Style
For the Love of Old: Living with Chipped, Frayed, Tarnished, Faded, Tattered, Worn and Weathered Things that Bring Comfort, Character and Joy to the Places We Call Home

ASIN: 1579909965

Book Description

Kaari Meng’s first-hand knowledge of what makes a beautiful, French-inspired home comes from years of combing French flea markets for unique treasures. Her popular shop, French General, offers handpicked linens and collectibles from her yearly visits to the south of France, plus an array of products to awaken the senses, from bath and laundry potions to ribbons, beads, and baubles. Here, she distills her much sought-after sensibility into 40 charming projects that capture the sights, scents, and textures of the French countryside. They include lavender sachets, lovely etched glasses, pillows, covered hangers, French potting boxes, and herbal lotions.

A Selection of the Homestyle Book Club.

Customer Reviews:

Every page is a treasure!!.......2007-08-18

I read this book from first page to last right after I opened it from the mail. It is filled with inspiration, helpful hints, decorating ideas, and an archive of full colored images that you can scan into your computer and use yourself. I love how she does not force her shop onto the reader, she states that you can find the items that she is explaining at flea markets and antique sales all over the world. I would rate this book 5 stars, for helpful insight into creating a "french inspired home." Cant wait for the next one!!

Disappointed.......2007-08-08

I must say I was disappointed in the book. I thought that it would have been more ideas of what furniture and fabrics to use to create a French inspired looking home.
I am in the processing of trying to create a French looking kitchen and I had hoped that would be inspiring.
But unfortunately for me it wasn't.

Defining What Is French Decorating or a French Home.......2007-06-12

I would have given this book 3-stars, if I hadn't read the 5-star view of C Albers. I realize that perhaps I didn't read the fine print regarding the book's description. Based on the title "French-Inspired Home" with French General -- who I don't know, I expected a book with a greater focus on rooms (a suggestion also made by Albers). In fact it is essentially a vintage crafts book with a French flavor.

I've visited Paris and the south of France well over 250 times on business and pleasure, and this particular style of French decorating is not prevalent. In fact, the most inspiring to me aspect of French decorating is the mix of old and new, ornate and clean modern. I spent two nights at the Louvre in Jan. 07 and marveled that only the French would be flashing modern blue lights on a heap (truly) of ancient Greek and Roman columns, with modern dancers and acid jazz playing to create a "new" mood for ancient art. THIS is French imagination at its best.

The photos in this book, while lovely, are stylized in a very old-fashioned attitude . . . great-grandmother's attic. Most of us don't live this way and what we appreciate are touches of these special memories, not an entire house full of them. Who has time to dust. Just kidding. Some of the bath projects look like easy pampering to make for yourself or special gifts to create.

In summary, if you know French General, then I would follow the Alber's review and 5-star recommendation. If you are expecting a sophisticated book of French home and country decorating, this is not it. Like me, you will be disappointed. A more descriptive and informative title would have saved me the money.

Bravo!.......2007-05-29

Charming book brimming with inspiration - well done! The photography is wonderful! Geared to encourage shoppers to visit Meng's store (brick & morter and on-line), you'll want to incorporate all of her ideas. Lots of how-to's. Meng's creativity and ideas are not just crafty - she looks to Europe for clues to create a relaxed French life. C'est tres bonne.

The French-Inspired Home.......2007-05-09

If you are looking for pictures of French decorated homes this is not the book you want. This was more like a craft book on how to make things for the French home. If thats what you are looking for it is a good book, I wasn't. If you want pictures and ideas buy Charles Faudree's Country French Living.

Provencal Interiors: French Country Style in America

Average customer rating:

Sun-drenched colors of Southern France
For Americans creating French style, who can't go to France
French Provencal style influences American interiors
Provencal Interiors?????
Provencal Interiors: French Country Style in America

Provencal Interiors: French Country Style in America
Betty Lou Phillips
Manufacturer: Gibbs Smith, Publisher
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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French by Design
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ASIN: 087905848X

Book Description

8 1/2 X 10 In, 160 Pp, 125 Color Photos. Provencal Interiors: Inspired by the sun-drenched colors of southern France, french country, or provencal, decorating is the epitome of understated luxury, as fitting in the city and suburbs as in rural reaches. No matter that it's roots are firmly planted in the small stone farmhouse, or mas, the typical dwelling in the provencal region. It is eqaully appealing in a remote chateau as in a stately manor house, or bastide. The most inviting homes exude comfort,tradition, and grace. Most people, though, say it is charm that best characterizes the french interior. Through stunning photographs, informative text, and an extensive resource list, provincal interiors detail everything necessary for creating this harmonious mingling in america.

Customer Reviews:

Sun-drenched colors of Southern France.......2004-03-03

"French country decorating at its finest is the harmonious mingling of fabrics, textures, and patterns - an artistic blending of the familiar with warmth and sophistication."

As you open this book, you may start to have the desire to suddenly order hundreds of pastel pink tulip bulbs. While this book is not quite as lavish as "Villa Décor" it is much more practical. There are extensive instructions for using color, texture and scale.

Betty Lou Phillips has included a wonderful picture of a library with bookcases spanning the library walls. Her work has appeared in Southern Accents, Traditional Home & Bath, Window and Wall, and Decorating as well as many magazine covers. She is a professional member of the American Society of Interior Designers.

There are eight main chapters:

What Is Provencal Charm?
Making an Entrance
French Quarters
Table Matters - Kitchens and Dining Rooms
Bedrooms, Bedding, and Baths
French Accents
Outside Interests
Trade Secrets

I loved reading the "Table Matters" section which includes a comparison between French and American kitchens. The bedroom section had me wishing I had some fresh croissants on hand for a breakfast tray.

There is no need to travel to France to buy beautiful fabrics, furnishings and fixtures. A complete list of catalogs is also included.

This is "French Country Style in America," so it is a fusion of various ideas from a variety of locations in France.

~TheRebeccaReview.com

For Americans creating French style, who can't go to France.......2001-12-28

Ok, so this isn't "authentic French Provence design." Suppose you won't be visiting Aix-en-Provence and running around looking for all the pieces you need, and then figuring out how to fill up a shipping container and send it through customs, etc etc, (can you imagine doing this in a foreign country in a foreign language?!) You just aren't going to find a lot of genuine French furnishing and fabrics in the US. What if you want to use French elements in your decorating (as we did) and only have access to American furniture lines and the fabrics sold here?

This book provides a great solution. American houses are DIFFERENT than European, and what's sold in furniture and decorating supply shops is different, too. "Provencal Interiors" shows you how to get that effect with things you can get here. THAT'S great. If it isn't authentic, that's ok. If you don't have unlimited funds for a decorator to buy worldwide to create "real" Provencal, this book works really well. Maybe better.

The pictures give good examples of Provencal style rooms, and there are lists of suppliers that are helpful. The color schemes are perhaps the most useful part. Another useful thing are the fabrics and how to mix them. I myself have problems figuring that out; this helps.

French Provencal style influences American interiors.......2001-10-27

I found this book a wonderful view of French Provencal style, blended with American verve and elegance. Many of us have traveled in France, and know the French are also very influenced by the freshness and ease of American design.

Remember it was not an English, but an AMERICAN interior designer, Nancy Lancaster from Virginia USA, who revolutionized English Country style. She became Lady Colfax and changed the look of country houses from stiff to chintz.

I think the author introduces the beauty of Euro/American design in this book. The French Provencal Style in AMERICA title is a great clue that the pages are not full of 17th century French country village interiors.

Also, it always helps to read a book before you judge it!

Provencal Interiors?????.......2001-08-08

This is a nice book but it does not contain Provencal style interiors! I am not sure how the author came up with that title since anyone who is interested in French country will not find it here. If you are truly looking for Provencal decorating ideas-this is not the book for you. CONFUSED!!!

Provencal Interiors: French Country Style in America.......2001-05-23

I haven't even read the book, but I LIVE in PROVENCE, and I have to agree from what I see on the cover that the style is not typical of Provence, however pretty it may be... If the inside is different, then feel free to correct me!

Average customer rating:

SPLENDORS OF FRANCE
Gorgeous book

The French Garden
Jean-Pierre Babelon , and Mic Chamblas-Ploton
Manufacturer: Vendome Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0865652163

Book Description

The English garden, no matter how grand, is an outgrowth of nature, while the French garden, or "jardin a la francaise, " is a place of formality and grandeur. The origins of the latter are to be found in the Italian Renaissance, which sought inspiration in antiquity. Architects were hired for gardens for the first time, and expected to create a work of art by taming nature to their purposes. The French garden makes use, above all, of geometric design, symmetry, repetition of decorative elements, and perspective created by seemingly endless rows of trees, carefully tended paths, and man-made linear bodies of water, cascades, and fountains. The French garden is an intellectual conception that culminated with Andre Le Notre and the sumptuous and vast gardens he created for the Sun King at Versailles. The King, the court, and the newly rich all sought to express their power through the chateaux they built, inherited, or bought, as well as through the richness of the gardens that surrounded them on all sides. Into these, they integrated statuary by the great sculptors of the day, as well as stone and metal pavilions and other follies.

Versailles set the tone for Europe's palace builders, and thus it is no surprise that the French garden became part of every royal or aristocratic residence built since. For the first time, all the major French gardens have been gathered here in one book, all specially photographed over several years. Among the thirty-six seen here are Versailles, the Tuileries, Saint Cloud Marly, and Villandry in France, as well as Queluz in Portugal, Drottinghulm in Sweden, Peterhof near St. Petersburg, and Schonbrunn, the Habsburg Versailles. This is a major reference book that will delight travelers, gardeners, and historians.

Customer Reviews:

SPLENDORS OF FRANCE.......2006-09-04

A beautiful book from cover to cover. The images are crisp and the subject matter simply breathtaking. The French garden is the Italian Garden talken to the formal extreme. The master of the French garden, the incomparable, Le Notre, brought the formal garden to its apex, with his work at Veax le Vicomte and Versailles. This book does a wonderful job of capturing the French garden at its most spectacular. If you have any interest in formal gardens are just appreciate amazing photography and beauty in general, then i can't imagine you not loving this book. As for the the other reviews comment about this not being a self help book on French formal gardening..i concur, but honestly madame, were you going to go out and create the the Neptune Fountain at Versailles? I suggest u invest in a copy of the Sun King's notes on the gardens of Versailles, they are well written and quite in depth, I mean what else did Louis have to do, I suppose... I mean get real; it's good to be da king..

Gorgeous book.......2005-08-04

If you are looking for a coffee table book with gorgeous pictures, this is definitely a wonderful book. If you are looking for a book, as I was, that would show you photos of complete gardens so that you might create your own French-inspired garden, this is not the best choice. However, it is a delightful addition to any garden library. If you have been lucky enought to visit France, it brings back fond memories of the landscape. Enjoy!

Cezanne to Picasso: Ambroise Vollard, Patron of the Avant-Garde (Metropolitan Museum of Art Publications)

Average customer rating:

Great Footnotes
The quintessential art dealer
A real keepsake!
worth every penny
At Last, a Tribute to an Art Dealer!

Cezanne to Picasso: Ambroise Vollard, Patron of the Avant-Garde (Metropolitan Museum of Art Publications)

Manufacturer: Metropolitan Museum of Art
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Modern | Schools, Periods & Styles | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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Americans in Paris 1860-1900 (National Gallery Company)
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Glitter and Doom: German Portraits from the 1920s (Metropolitan Museum of Art Publications)
Barcelona and Modernity: Picasso, Gaudi, Miro, Dali
Louis Comfort Tiffany and Laurelton Hall: An Artist's Country Estate (Metropolitan Museum of Art Publications)

ASIN: 0300117795

Book Description

Ambroise Vollard (1867–1939) played a key role in the transformation of the art world in the late 19th century. A pioneering Parisian dealer, Vollard introduced many of the era’s leading artists to the public. This beautifully illustrated catalogue, accompanying the first comprehensive exhibition devoted to Vollard’s extraordinary achievement, presents 130 important paintings, sculpture, and works on paper that he promoted, exhibited, and sold.
Vollard’s groundbreaking exhibition in 1895 of Cézanne’s work definitively established the artist’s reputation, and Vollard subsequently organized major exhibitions of the Nabis, Gauguin, and Van Gogh; promoted the work of artists ranging from Degas to Rouault to the Fauves; and gave many young artists, including Picasso and Matisse, their first solo shows. In addition, Vollard published print albums and livres d’artiste that are among the most celebrated of the early 20th century. This important volume features twenty-two essays that examine Vollard’s career and expertise in the art market, his relationships with individual artists and collectors, and a wealth of previously unpublished material from the newly available archive of Vollard’s documents and from the archives of the artists he represented.

Customer Reviews:

Great Footnotes.......2007-05-13

Lot's of footnotes and academic prose.
Good if you want a bibliography item on your art history/museum paper.
Otherwise, an achievement in taking an interesting subject and turning it into a boring one. A reasonable number of color plates but unremarkable as they (mostly) have the same values--that is, tonally, they look too similar.
DS

The quintessential art dealer.......2007-04-02

A great exhibition, a great dealer and a great book. Very well documented, even though Vollard seems to have been very secretive. He certainly was at the right place, at the right time as the book very well shows . He no doubt was an opportunist, but with an eye and a love of art unmatched by his peers. He also invented the art market of his time and certainly deserved such a beautiful tribute.

A real keepsake!.......2007-01-15

My daughter was an Art History Minor and had expressed interest in this book. I bought it for her as a holiday gift and she treasures it. Amazon got it to me in time for me to enjoy leafing through it as well. It is extraordinary both in picture and text. It is truly a keepsake.

worth every penny.......2007-01-11

This book is jammed with fascinating information,gorgeous reproductions and is extremely well priced.Anyone interested in 20th cent.art will welcome this book!

At Last, a Tribute to an Art Dealer!.......2006-10-17

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has produced yet another fine curatorial statement with their exhibition 'Cezanne to Picasso: Ambroise Vollard, Patron of the Avant-Garde' and fortunately the accompanying catalogue is as bold and beautiful as the exhibition itself. The concept of discussing artists of international stature from the stance of the man who gave their careers the jumpstart needed is unique and valuable and is a tribute to the work that art dealers around the world perform in assisting artists in their career paths.

Ambroise Vollard (1867-1939), a Parisian art dealer, played a significant role in molding the art movements of the late 19th and early 20th century. The stimulus, according to the curators and essayists of this lavishly illustrated book, was the 1895 exhibition of Cezanne's art, an exhibition which triggered the movements of modern art as followed by such artists as Gauguin, Van Gogh, Degas, Rouault, Matisse and Picasso. Some credit Vollard with the development of the Fauvist school simply by his intelligent, sensitive, provocative exhibitions of the right artists given space beside each other that created comparisons and links.

The concept of art dealer as innovator is a fresh one and one handled with sufficient intelligent documentation by the various writers contributing to this catalogue to lend credibility to the premise. But over and above the curatorial concept is the pleasure of the exceptional illustrations of works by familiar artists not usually seen in books of this sort. The writing and design make this catalogue/book a collector's item that will enhance not only art school libraries but also the personal libraries of all art lovers. A very fine addition to the information about the artists included in this exhibition and catalogue. Grady Harp, October 06

Average customer rating:

McMansion Style
Beautiful Book
Much more of the same.
gorgeous book, great ideas

Unmistakably French
Betty Lou Phillips
Manufacturer: Gibbs Smith, Publisher
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Decorating | Interior Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Interior Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Style | Interior Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

French by Design
Secrets of French Design
French Influences
Provencal Interiors: French Country Style in America
Villa Decor: Decidedly French and Italian Style

ASIN: 1586852892

Book Description

Unmistakably French, the fifth book in Betty Lou Phillips' best-selling series on interpreting French decor for American homes, broadens yet again the limits of what French style can do for a home. No matter the location or size of the room to be decorated, the French rarely stray from favored and well-known characteristics of design-eighteenth-century furniture, sumptuous textiles, distinctive porcelains, and oil paintings in original carved-wood frames. In Phillips' newest book, she defines some of these specific secrets that French designers use to create an authentic French look-these certain basic decorating values they hold dear, seducing us with their self-assured approach to glamour, culture, and enduring respect for history. The book includes four sections: Passion for French, Art of Living, Savoir-Faire, and Fluent French. The style and settings seen in these contemporary homes, while American, are Unmistakably French! Betty Lou Phillips, ASID, is a renowned designer and the best-selling author of Provencal Interiors, French by Design, French Influences, and Villa Decor. She lives in Dallas, Texas.

Customer Reviews:

McMansion Style.......2005-05-30

If you like the newly built McMansion-styled homes, then this is the book for you. If you are looking for authentic French decor and tips, don't buy this book. This is no more "unmistakably French" than la Madeline food is to French cuisine.

Beautiful Book.......2005-03-20

I love all of Betty Lou Phillip's books. I really like her style - scrolled iron work, marbled tile and other beautiful touches. Some of the photos are of very extravagant homes, but they contain ideas that those of us with less imposing homes could include in our decorating. I could just sit and look through her books for hours. (Actually, I think I have!)

Much more of the same........2005-01-21

This book shows us several mansions, just as her other books do. They are very polished and show-roomy-think of the TV show Dynasty from the 1980's updated! The text is snobby, and it appears she doesn't intend to relate her ideas to her readers, but glorify herself.

gorgeous book, great ideas.......2003-10-17

At first glance just picking up the book and looking through it makes you want to run out and redesign you home. I don't have a french style in my house, more modern, but I picked up a lot of ideas from just frist glance. The pages are bold and dramatic with gorgeous colorful pictures on every page, the hints and descriptions are smaller and easier to read but you pick up a lot by the artistic photography. I love the book and look at it from time to time for inspiration. Great for anyone looking for ideas from beginning to advances levels of interior decorating.

Charles Faudree's French Country Signatu

Average customer rating:

Freast for the Eyes...
Pleased with this purchase
Good Coffee Table Travel
WOW! Love It !!!!
My New Bible

Charles Faudree's French Country Signatu
Charles Faudree , and M.J. Van Deventer
Manufacturer: Gibbs Smith, Publisher
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Decorating | Interior Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Interior Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Charles Faudree's Country French Living
New French Country: A Style and Source Book
Provencal Interiors: French Country Style in America
French by Design
Secrets of French Design

ASIN: 1586852884

Book Description

Charles Faudree has elevated French Country style to a fine art. With an exuberant decorating attitude based around his favorite principle that "too much is never enough", Faudree has achieved an international reputation for creating settings that have all the elegant accoutrements of a French Country estate, lacking pretension but never charm. With a discerning taste for the eclectic, Faudree is a master at one of the main tenets of this style-combining traditional prints, patterns, colors, and textures with just the right furnishings. Faudree has always been drawn, almost charismatically, to the charm of Country French. He comments, "There is simplicity, a gentle softness to the furnishings I find very calming and soothing. I love the mix of fabrics, blending plaids with florals and old tapestries. Country French is a truly working-class style." Faudree is delighted to finally share his extensive knowledge with the public, in this long-overdue book that focuses on how to make any home into an elegant, inviting, and comfortable French Country retreat. Charles Faudree graduated from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, with a degree in art. His client list is international, and he is regarded as a master of Country French style. This is his first book. He lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Customer Reviews:

Freast for the Eyes..........2007-06-11

If you have enjoyed Charles Faudree's beautiful rooms in Traditional Home Magazine over the years, as I have, you will love this book. It is absolutely loaded with wonderful rich-colored pictures/photos. It is divided into sections by the room (kitchen, bedroom, etc...) and each section begins with the author's commentary about these rooms and how he chose the design/pieces. Next follows the gorgeous pictures/photos with wonderfully descriptive captions that give the origin of the piece, fabric or wallpaper. This is one of those books you will pick up again and again...and you will most likely see something great you missed the time before. After pouring through this book, I immediately ordered Faudree's other book, "Country French Living". After just one time through this beautiful book, I came away with three or four ideas that I was able to immediately implement in my own home. One suggestion: when you sit down to enjoy this book, do so with paper and pen close by. The pictures are so detailed that I was able to read the titles of many of the wonderful books Faudree has displayed throughout his home. I recognized some I have collected but jotted down 6 or 7 titles that I had never seen or had seen but wasn't sure if I should buy. Also, if you love animals (dogs and cats) this book will definitely make you smile. Almost every page has a snoozing, pampered pet curled up for an afternoon nap. This book contains a wealth of information, but putting that aside...it is a feast for the eyes!

Pleased with this purchase.......2007-03-09

I like this book, and keep it on my coffee table for others to enjoy. The only reason that I haven't given it 5 stars is because the kitchens section wasn't anything particularly inspiring.

Good Coffee Table Travel.......2007-02-08

Profusely illustrated with dreamy, close focus photographs, this book seems to sweep the reader right into each French Country room. This style of interior design is a little too fussy for my taste, but I enjoyed the authors' ability to take me on a tour of these homes as if I were on a mini-vacation.

WOW! Love It !!!!.......2006-05-09

It's Charles Faudree!! What more needs to be said. I've been a fan of his for years. Noticed his rooms in some of my favorite magazines. Especially Traditional Home. He NEVER fails to delight and inspire. Tons of ideas on every page. Wish he would publish a book every year !!

My New Bible.......2005-12-22

Charles Faudree is my ultimate favorite designer and this book is not a dissapointment. It is something I can study over and over again. Being close enough to Tulsa, I recently got to experience Mr. Faudree's personal decorating first hand. This book is testament to his impeccable taste.

Why the French Don't Like Headscarves: Islam, the State, and Public Space

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An Anthropology of Public Reasoning

Why the French Don't Like Headscarves: Islam, the State, and Public Space
John R. Bowen
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Textile & Costume | Design & Decorative Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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Similar Items:

Integrating Islam: Political And Religious Challenges in Contemporary France
Muslims and the State in Britain, France, and Germany (Cambridge Studies in Social Theory, Religion and Politics)
The Islamic Challenge: Politics and Religion in Western Europe
Muslim Girls And the Other France: Race, Identity Politics, & Social Exclusion
Breaking the Silence: French Women's Voices from the Ghetto

ASIN: 0691125066

Book Description

The French government's 2004 decision to ban Islamic headscarves and other religious signs from public schools puzzled many observers, both because it seemed to infringe needlessly on religious freedom, and because it was hailed by many in France as an answer to a surprisingly wide range of social ills, from violence against females in poor suburbs to anti-Semitism. Why the French Don't Like Headscarves explains why headscarves on schoolgirls caused such a furor, and why the furor yielded this law. Making sense of the dramatic debate from his perspective as an American anthropologist in France at the time, John Bowen writes about everyday life and public events while also presenting interviews with officials and intellectuals, and analyzing French television programs and other media.

Bowen argues that the focus on headscarves came from a century-old sensitivity to the public presence of religion in schools, feared links between public expressions of Islamic identity and radical Islam, and a media-driven frenzy that built support for a headscarf ban during 2003-2004. Although the defense of laïcité (secularity) was cited as the law's major justification, politicians, intellectuals, and the media linked the scarves to more concrete social anxieties--about "communalism," political Islam, and violence toward women.

Written in engaging, jargon-free prose, Why the French Don't Like Headscarves is the first comprehensive and objective analysis of this subject, in any language, and it speaks to tensions between assimilation and diversity that extend well beyond France's borders.

Customer Reviews:

An Anthropology of Public Reasoning.......2007-02-25

Three years after the facts, is it still worthwhile to revisit the French government's decision to ban Islamic headscarves and other religious signs from public schools? Should we not rather just let go, have time heal whatever wounds may have been caused, and move on to something else? If John Bower chose to dedicate a book to that decision and to the deliberations that led to it, it is not just because the law seems strange to outsiders and cannot be easily interpreted starting from a liberal viewpoint. It is, above all, because he felt that "its passage was one of those key moments in a country's life at which certain anxieties and assumptions come to the surface, when people take stock of who they are and of what kind of social life they wish to have."

To be true, the French are adept at staging such debates about themselves. The nation that invented the salons philosophiques and the art of conversation has a passion for probing into its own identity and entertains the belief that all social ills may be amenable to abstract reasoning and enlightened lawmaking. This is not only a matter of belief, but of social organization: the author finds that "French politicians, writers about public affairs, television 'talking heads', and philosophers are much more likely to read one another's work, be related to one another, or indeed be the same person than is the case in most other countries." These literati tend to base their opinion about social trends on anecdotes and media commentary, not hard data or sociological evidence. In a strange twist of cartesian thinking, they believe that if a theory is refuted by facts, then you have to change the facts, not the theory.

The theory here is that schools are a sanctuary of republican values, a sacred institution whose mission is to create a universal social morality in the minds of French pupils and to mold them into autonomous, rational and public-minded citizen. Philosophically, this conception is rooted in a certain brand of political philosophy originating with Jean-Jacques Rousseau, one that emphasizes general interests and shared values over individual interests and pluralism. Historically, it is associated with the figure of the hussard noir de la Republique, the schoolteacher in rural districts who was the designated agent to turn "peasants into Frenchmen" and have the Catholic church abdicate its control over the minds of primary school pupils. The reality is that state schools in contemporary France have to integrate an increasingly diverse population, notably the children of immigrants from North Africa, and that they cannot really cope with all the social requests that are imposed upon them.

It is in this context that wearing headscarves in state schools came to be seen as a threat to the central values of the Republic and a challenge to three hard-won battles: the fight to keep religion from controlling young minds, the struggle to forge a common French identity, and the promotion of gender equality in public and private life. The law banning headscarves in schools can therefore be seen as a product of a historical trajectory as well as a political response to the perceived threats of Islamism, communalism and sexism. Explaining that law, as the author does, "requires unpacking a great deal about France, including France's very particular history of religion and the state, the great hopes placed in the public schools, ideas about citizens and integration (and the challenges posed by Muslims and by Islam to those ideas), the continued weight of the colonial past, the role of television in shaping opinion, and the tendency to think that passing a law will resolve a social problem." That the author does so without losing a sense of sympathy and understanding for the young girls most directly affected by this measure is a testimony to his humanity and to his skills as a storyteller.

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Another Winner
Tables Turned
A very pretty book

French Island Elegance
Michael Connors
Manufacturer: "Harry N. Abrams, Inc."
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

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Caribbean Elegance
Cuban Elegance
Island Life: Inspirational Interiors
On Distant Shores: Colonial Houses Around the World
Tropical Modern

ASIN: 0810958414

Book Description

They are the jewels of the Caribbean, gorgeous prisms through which we see reflected the opulent world of the French Creole aristocracy. The French-speaking islands of Martinique, Guadaloupe, Marie-Galante, and Saint Martin come alive as never before in the pages of French Island Elegance, a lavishly illustrated look at one of the most intriguing and beautiful parts of the world. More than 160 color photographs taken especially for this book give readers a privileged glimpse inside a world rarely seen by most visitors—the palatial, elegantly furnished homes of the islands' affluent sugar, cotton, and tobacco barons, both historical and contemporary. An authoritative text sheds light on the area's rich social, architectural, and interior design history—a vital past that still influences French Island taste and cultural life to this day.

Customer Reviews:

Another Winner.......2006-11-18

Having read Dr. Connors' previous books, Caribbean Elegance and Cuban Elegance, I looked forward to French Island Elegance. I was not dissapointed.

Once again Dr.Connors has provided us with a well-researched and easily readable narrative accompanied by Bruce Buck's sumptuous photographs. The two of them have developed into a winning team.

French Island Elegance will not only look great on anyone's coffee table, but is a wonderful resource on a subject that heretofore has had none.

Tables Turned.......2006-11-14

Sure this could be seen as another stylish table topper where we imagine ourselves sipping bellinis while overlooking fishermen--but what's rare in French Island Elegance when compared to the other three inch thick coasters, is that the author and photographer really did their homework. This is not an embellishment. It's not an ambiance bound between covers either. Connors discusses the rare qualities of Martinique, Guadaloupe, Marie-Galante, and Saint Martin in their own histories of sugar plantations and tobacco dynasties. He examines, quite aesthetically, how the cross section of economic and social histories compose a unique archicture and style not yet lost to the modern world--no, it's not just a pretty book for the coffee table after all.

A very pretty book.......2006-11-12

This is a lovely book - suitable on any coffee table.
I had been looking for a book on Caribbean architecture - historic and contemporary, but had come up short and this book too, did not fit the bill. I found it is mostly about the FURNITURE of the French Caribbean islands. As such, it does an excellent job and in that way, it is fairly similar to the author's other book `Caribbean Elegance'. It certainly has the same look and I think many of the examples are the same. The pictures are lovely, the furniture quite unusual and the text interesting, though I could have had more.
The closest I have come to finding a book on Caribbean architecture is `Caribbean Style'.

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