Traditional Mexican Style Interiors (Schiffer Design Book)

Customer Reviews:

Nice book, wonderful pictures, But not the best of Mexican Interiors.......2007-07-25

This is definately a well layed out book, with really nice high quality pictures, my only question is why are at least half of the picture in this book of houses in the United States? Granted they are in the Southwest where there is a obvious Mexican influence, but I refuse to believe the best examples of Mexican interiors are found in Tucson Arizona! And of the interiors in this book most of the ones from Mexico are from San Miguel de Allende, or Guanajuato which are two towns a hour apart from each other. There are extraordinary colonial gems in Zacatecas, Oaxaca, Puebla, México City, ect, ect, that could have easily been included in this book instead of some American's house in the Southwest... I would have liked to have seen a book on Mexican interiors that were 100% Mexican. The book MEXICOLOR, though not entirely consisting of interiors is a far more authentic book.

Great idea book.......2007-01-12

We were looking for ideas for our outside patio area, especially colors, and this book is great for various decors with vibrant colors. You will find yourself looking through it again and again.

Exactly what I was looking for........2006-07-29

I was looking for a reference book to guide my Mexican-style remodeling and redecorating efforts, and this is the best I've found yet. (I have about a dozen!) Gorgeous pictures, and plenty of them. Each section discusses a particular room type (kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms etc.) and each room type gets a good amount of attention. Something I dislike about other books is their tendency to look only at the courtyards or living rooms of Mexican or adobe-style houses -- not so useful if you're considering how to tackle your kitchen. This one covers it all, including touching on gardens and indoor-outdoor spaces that are such an integral part of Mexican living.

Definitely pick up the companion volume, "Traditional Mexican Style Exteriors", while you're shopping. Together they paint a vivid picture of the colorful and vibrant style of Mexico.

Great ideas for learning about Mexican .......2006-03-23

This is a great resource if you want to get an idea of traditional Mexican-style decor. The book contains beautiful examples of homes in Mexico and the US. If you're looking for ideas and inspiration, this is a wonderful tool!

Great photos of mexican homes.......2005-08-02

I bought this book to give me decorating ideas for a home that I am building in the Yucatan. This book is filled from cover to cover with great photographs of Mexican home interiors. From furniture to paint colors, it has given me many ideas that I have incorporated into my home.

Average customer rating:

For professionals
Unbelievable guide to Mexican design

Casa Mexicana Style
Annie Kelly
Manufacturer: "Stewart, Tabori and Chang"
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Architectural | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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

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

General | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

In A Mexican Garden: Courtyards, Pools, and Open-Air Living Rooms
Mexicocina: The Spirit and Style of the Mexican Kitchen
Traditional Mexican Style Exteriors
Traditional Mexican Style Interiors (Schiffer Design Book)
New Hacienda, The pb

ASIN: 158479528X

Book Description

In 1521, when the Spanish arrived in Mexico, they were amazed at the spectacular architecture and complex urban planning they encountered in the great city of Tenochtitlán (modern-day Mexico City). To the native Mayan, Aztec, and Olmec traditions that had flourished throughout Mexico, the Spanish brought their own influences, resulting in an extraordinarily rich design heritage that survives to this day.

Acclaimed architectural photographer Tim Street-Porter vividly captures this enduring passion for design in Casa Mexicana Style, the follow-up to his best-selling Casa Mexicana (more than 100,000 copies sold). In this gorgeous new book featuring more than 250 photographs, Street-Porter takes us on an insider's tour of 30 stunning homes, from urbane city apartments and modernist beach houses to stately rural haciendas and lovingly restored colonial townhouses.

All of the residences showcased here are enlivened by a natural blending of indoors and outdoors, a vibrant palette shaped by the sun-drenched surroundings, and an artful incorporation of the country's celebrated crafts and handiwork. Whether large or small, historical or contemporary, Mexican houses are artistic statements, expressing the unique and inimitable lifestyle of their creators. Casa Mexicana Style is a welcoming invitation to bask in the beauty of these homes, to enjoy their charm and sophistication.

Customer Reviews:

For professionals.......2007-05-25

This is a beautiful book, wonderful photography and architecturally very interesting. It is also very heavy, large, and it only shows buildings. I have no room or need for it on my interior design shelves.

Unbelievable guide to Mexican design.......2007-02-18

I am an interior designer and have always been fascinated by the use of color in Mexico. This book is eye candy for any designer. The pictures are amazing and the photography wonderful. I have picked up this book so many times I have bookmarked almost every page for ideas. Great inspiration!

In A Mexican Garden: Courtyards, Pools, and Open-Air Living Rooms

Average customer rating:

Mexican Garden
Beautiful Photo's
great book, terrible binding!!
Mexican Garden
It's a nice book...

In A Mexican Garden: Courtyards, Pools, and Open-Air Living Rooms
Gina Hyams
Manufacturer: Chronicle Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Landscape | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Garden Design | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Outdoor & Recreational Areas | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

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

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

Small Homes & Cottages | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Traditional Mexican Style Exteriors
Mexicolor: The Spirit of Mexican Design
Traditional Mexican Style Interiors (Schiffer Design Book)
New Hacienda, The pb
Mexicocina: The Spirit and Style of the Mexican Kitchen

ASIN: 0811841308

Book Description

The team behind the best-selling Mexicolor and Mexicasa has unlocked the gates to Mexico's patios, courtyards, and walled gardens. From private homes to luxurious resorts, In A Mexican Garden celebrates Mexico's hidden oases where lovers meet for margaritas at sunset and families gather for spirited fiestas. The dazzling array of featured properties includes rustic coastal hideaways, elegant Spanish Colonial mansions, rural haciendas, and Modernist architectural masterpieces. Melba Levick's stunning photographs capture page after vibrant page of bold Mexican design elements: swirling mosaic floors, elaborate frescoes, hand-carved stone fountains, and lush native plants. Gina Hyams' informative text explains the historic roots of these uniquely Mexican outdoor spaces. Garden design enthusiasts, fans of Mexico, and anyone who appreciates a siesta in the sun need only open this book to hear the quiet babble of fountains and glasses clinking to toast another beautiful sunset.

Customer Reviews:

Mexican Garden.......2007-09-27

I was very surprise whith the quality of the presentation and the beautiful pictures. Excellent!!

Beautiful Photo's.......2007-09-03

I love this book! The beautiful photographs give the reader great ideas on how to design and decorate.

great book, terrible binding!!.......2007-07-19

I love the pictures and ideas presented, but after 2 days, the binding had pulled away from the pages!! I think that is flaw that needs fixing.

Mexican Garden.......2007-07-06

I chose this book to help give me some ideas as to how to " Mexicanise " my garden.
So what with the yuccas, agaves & cacti i'm well on the way, just need to add more colour & fragrance to it.

I also bought Mexicasa and Mexicolor.

It's a nice book..........2007-06-13

Your basic coffee table book, nice photos of exactly what the book claims to be: Courtyards, Pools, and Open-Air Rooms. A lot of the subject matter is authentic, old and sometimes dilapidated. Don't expect to see many pictures of new or well kept patios, pools or gardens. This is the real McCoy, just like you'll see when visitng Old Mexico...not that there'e anything wrong with that.

Average customer rating:

PERFECT
Adobe Details
Especially for architecture buffs

Adobe Details
Karen Witynski , and Joe P. Carr
Manufacturer: Gibbs Smith, Publisher
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Reference | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Mexico | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

House Plans | Home Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Decoration & Ornament | Interior Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Interior Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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Small Adobe House, The
Behind Adobe Walls: The Hidden Homes and Gardens of Santa Fe and Taos
New Hacienda, The pb
Mexican Country Style, pb
In A Mexican Garden: Courtyards, Pools, and Open-Air Living Rooms

ASIN: 158685030X

Book Description

In their fourth book, authors/designers Karen Witynski and Joe Carr forage through the American Southwest and mountains of Mexico in search of the furnishings, accents and architectural elements that reveal its time-honored beauty and character. From rugged Arizona ranches and haciendas to contemporary Santa Fe homes, Adobe Details celebrates the natural materials--earth, wood and stone--that proudly bear evidence of the human hand. From adobe walls textured with agave fibers to hand-adzed vigas and gleaming Saltillo-tile floors, the adobe home is alive with rich surfaces that evoke a casual, timesless context. Adobe Details will show you how to achieve the look.

Customer Reviews:

PERFECT.......2007-09-15

This book is EXACTLY what I was looking for. Perfect condition and rapid delivery. Excellent service.

Adobe Details.......2003-05-26

Adobe Details is a small but powerful book. It is well written and beautifully photographed by Karen Witynski and Joe Carr. This book satisfies the reader's appetite for Mexican and New Mexican decor while challenging him or her to venture out to one of the several locations featured. Ideas abound for the novice decorator. If landscape design is more your style, this book will also energize your outdoor spirits!! The vivid color and simple elegance make the book a "must have" for any library, especially those chocked full of information on the southwest.

Especially for architecture buffs.......2002-07-12

Adobe Details by award winning Mexican design specialists Karen Witynski and Joe P. Carr is an impressive survey at the culture, furnishings, and especially the architecture prevalent in the American Southwest and the mountains of Mexico. The majority of Adobe Details is devoted to breathtaking, full-color photography of grand living spaces; brief text captions and essays provide rich detail on the history, functionality, and symbolism of these inspirational edifices. Adobe Details is especially for architecture buffs and a welcome addition to academic and community library interior design reference collections.

Mexicasa: The Enchanting Inns and Haciendas of Mexico

Average customer rating:

Beautiful Book!
I wanna move to Mexico!
Beautiful pictoral essay of historic Mexican inns and hotels
Give your coffee table a treat

Mexicasa: The Enchanting Inns and Haciendas of Mexico
Gina Hyams
Manufacturer: Chronicle Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

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

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

Mexicolor: The Spirit of Mexican Design
In A Mexican Garden: Courtyards, Pools, and Open-Air Living Rooms
New Hacienda, The pb
Traditional Mexican Style Exteriors
Traditional Mexican Style Interiors (Schiffer Design Book)

ASIN: 0811828069

Book Description

Perched on a rugged coastline, set in verdant ranch land, or tucked away in a picturesque colonial town, the magnificent inns and haciendas of Mexico spring to life in the pages of Mexicasa. Historically and culturally important, these living museums contain wondrous collections of Mexican arts and crafts as well as enchanting gardens and courtyards. Acclaimed photographer Melba Levick captures the stunning architecture and colorful folk art that draws admirers from all over the world, while author Gina Hyams reveals the tradition and unique story behind each retreat. An extensive directory listing the contact information for each of the 21 featured inns makes this an indispensible resource book as well as a celebration of the spirit of Mexico.

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful Book!.......2006-08-12

I can't say enough about the quality of the pictures in this book. Startling and brilliant color. Nice writeups about the inns and haciendas. For anyone traveling to Mexico and looking for unique and historical places to stay, this would be a great book to read before the trip. Highly recommend.

I wanna move to Mexico!.......2004-01-13

You can almost feel the colours and shapes, taste the food and smell the flowers in this lavishly illustrated book on Mexican Haciendas and Hotels. I can see why allot of the people that started these Inns sold everything they had and moved to Mexico to start a new life. This book will be an inspiration to architects and would also make a great coffee table book. Be careful to check the binding when you get it. The glue on mine all fell off in chunks after the first read!

Beautiful pictoral essay of historic Mexican inns and hotels.......2003-04-12

This book is good, maybe even great, but still can't compare to Melba Levick and Masako Takahashi's AWESOME "Mexicolor". Masako's other book, "Mexican Tiles" comes close, and still edges out "Mexicasa" a little bit as well, so when all is said and done I think I just have to chalk it up to Masako's EVIDENT love and appreciation for the unfathomable beauty of things Mexican. Melba Levick seems to me to see things more from the outside looking in, and without so much PASSION, kind of like a more disinterested spectator than a participant, but that could just be my opinion.

That said, this book is is REALLY NICE. I DO really like it and I highly recommend it- especially if you already own and really liked "Mexicolor" and "Mexican Tiles". Or if you aren't so much into artesanias and Mexican interior design, but are more of an armchair traveler or are interested in actual historic hotels and haciendas.

Give your coffee table a treat.......2002-06-21

What Gina Hyams and Melba Levick have created here is a wonderful compilation of photos of 21 of Mexico's most spectacular and beautiful inns and bed & breakfast places.
Melba Levick must have had a ball taking these shots. There's hardly a picture that isn't beautiful in its own right - and there must be at least 300 of them. For this observer, the Mexican talent for blending and matching and mixing colors is the highlight of page after page. We see gardens and patios and pool areas and bedroom and dining areas and a host of living spaces where the eye is simply enchanted by the way the owners of these homes have decorated their various spaces. My own personal favorite is, of all things, a bathroom wall composed of talavera tiles where almost no two tiles on the wall match each other.
All the houses are fully described by Gina Hyams and in most cases she gives us anecdotes and stories about how the various places came about. Thus, for instance, in Hacienda Katanchel in the Yucatan,we read that the present owners discovered the place in 1996. It had been abandoned for 35 years and originally dated back to the 17th century. So what they acquired were 740 acres of dense jungle in which were buried many crumbling buildings with trees growing through walls and ceilings. They gradually cleared the mess away and started building and renovating in a blend of Mexican, Mayan and Spanish styles. And you should see the place now.
On a less ambitious scale, we read about Mesón Sacristia de la Compañia in Puebla. This began as a family-run antique store which the owners turned into a restaurant and then an inn. It has one extra little twist for people who stay there - everything in the place is for sale. The owners are continually having to replace dishes and furniture.
And so the stories go... Pick up a copy and give your coffee table a treat.

Average customer rating:

If You Love Color!
so so
a great guide
A Good Summary of Mexican Colors
Visual Thrill

Mexicolor: The Spirit of Mexican Design
Tony Cohan , Masako Takahashi , and Melba Levick
Manufacturer: Chronicle Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Using Color | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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In A Mexican Garden: Courtyards, Pools, and Open-Air Living Rooms
Mexican Tiles: Color, Style, Design
Mexicasa: The Enchanting Inns and Haciendas of Mexico
Traditional Mexican Style Interiors (Schiffer Design Book)
Mexican Country Style, pb

ASIN: 0811818934

Amazon.com

Radiant color is not merely joyously prevalent in Mexico, it is part of the national psyche. According to this energetic celebration of Mexican style, "the color that floods Mexico's streets and plazas, markets and homes (and the pages of this book) is language and metaphor--a form of communication, deeply bound to experience. Day and night, birth and death, rich and poor, feast and famine: color is always there. Earth, sky, and history conspire to make it so." The profusion of multihued walls, tiles, ceramics, textiles, and folk art that fill the home; the riotous juxtapositions of vivid foods, flowers, supplies, and accessories that comprise the spectacle of the marketplace; the vibrant details that define everything from facades to clothing to handpainted toys--the Mexican obsession with color is everywhere, as is strikingly documented in this lively book. --Amy Handy

Book Description

Basking in sunlight and coursing with energy, Mexico enjoys a unique relationship with color-inspired, intrinsic, inseparable from life itself. This vibrance sings forth in the pages of Mexicolor, the collaborative project of an artist, a photographer, and a writer all in love with the brilliant displays of color seen everywhere in Mexico. Walls washed flamingo pink on top, deep matte blue on the bottom. A green flatbed truck heaped with orange marigolds. A sea of colorful skeletons at a Day of the Dead fiesta. The radiant reds, yellows, purples, and greens of the fruits and vegetables at el mercado. Mexicolor explores Mexico high and low, from colonial towns to dazzling beaches, from traditional ?workshops to contemporary interiors, from open markets to extraordinary homes and inns, uncovering the colorful artistry that permeates everyday life across this vast nation. Mexicolor is an ideal resource for anyone looking to brighten a home, and a beautiful picture book brimming with imagination, creative ideas, and pure pleasure.?

Customer Reviews:

If You Love Color!.......2007-03-25

If you love the bold, life-affirming colors of Mexican houses and interiors but not necessarily the traditional architecture and furnishings of the mexican tradition, this is the book for you! I ordered several books on Mexican interiors and details and this was the best. It gave me great ideas for using bold, bright color in my house without turning it into a hacienda. The book is beautifully designed and the color just blows off the pages. It has in it everything I love about Mexico that is bright, lively, joyous, and enlivening and nothing that is stodgy. As An artist, I found the book irresistable.

so so.......2007-01-19

i've been to colonial mexico, and i've seen more exciting stuff than what's on this book. also, the pages come appart easily

a great guide.......2006-04-06

I have always loved everything about Mexico, especially their use of color. When I bought my new house I wanted to bring that freedom and joy into my home.

This book was a wonderful guide. Almost every page reminded me to let go and celebrate. There are so many visual feasts and ideas. If you are timid about colors this book will definitely give you a new lease on life.

A Good Summary of Mexican Colors.......2006-02-28

I'm in the process of building on the Maya Riviera so this is important research looking for real ideas. Building in Spanish Colonial style can't be done without some thought given to the brilliant colors of Mexico.

Since I am interested in the home design many of the chapters are not as applicable. Chapters like Folk Art, Toys, wood, ceramics and the marketplace were just not really relevant to me. Prior to that are chapters on the painted wall, Tiles and the Kitchen that are very helpful. Later the book shows pictures of various homes, haciendas, and hotels. Even if I weren't investigating for decorating ideas this is still a coffee table book that I would be very proud to display in my house.

I now have many pages marked for further review and discussions. This is a great representation of Mexican color that I'm glad I own.

Visual Thrill.......2005-07-09

What a delight for the visual senses. Beautifully written, as well as, photographed.

Lifestyles Nature & Architecture: Mexican Weekend Homes (Lifestyle, Nature & Architecture)

Average customer rating:

Lifestyles Nature & Architecture: Mexican Weekend Homes (Lifestyle, Nature & Architecture)
Various Authors
Manufacturer: AM Editores
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Reference | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

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

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

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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Mexican Architects; Tradition and Modernism (Mexican Architects)
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Mexican Country Style, pb
Traditional Mexican Style Exteriors

ASIN: 9685336032

Behind Adobe Walls: The Hidden Homes and Gardens of Santa Fe and Taos

Average customer rating:

perfect
Nice photography!
The photos ARE in color...
I Live Here!
Colorful inspiration

Behind Adobe Walls: The Hidden Homes and Gardens of Santa Fe and Taos
Landt Dennis
Manufacturer: Chronicle Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

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Adobe Details
Small Adobe House, The
Santa Fe Houses
Southwest Style : A Home-Lover's Guide to Architecture and Design
The New Southwest Home: Innovative Ideas For Every Room

ASIN: 0811811646

Amazon.com

Once upon a time these New Mexico towns were rough-and-tumble settlements peopled by drifters and dreamers. Sante Fe and Taos are still very much a cultural rendezvous, but far removed from their humble beginnings; Sante Fe has lately become known as the Beverly Hills of the Southwestern U.S. Among its full-time residents are the Dennises, the husband and wife author-photographer team who host this tour of their neighbors' private homes. The owners and designers weigh in with their own words about creating these eclectic sanctuaries, making it a very personal tour.

Book Description

At last, a beautiful, affordable style book that offers a rare insider's look at the highly personal and innovative aesthetic for which the Southwest is famed. Santa Fe residents Lisl and Landt Dennis have documented eighteen of the most unusual and awe-inspiring homes and gardens of the Santa Fe and Taos area. Meet the owners and designers, tour their homes, and witness the grand vision and loving detail they have devoted to their living spaces. With two hundred gorgeous full-color photographs, Behind Adobe Walls is an essential keepsake for the Southwestern native or visitor, and a visual inspiration for anyone who would like to create their own Santa Fe, wherever they may call home.

Customer Reviews:

perfect.......2007-09-15

This book is EXACTLY what I was looking for. Perfect condition and rapid delivery. Excellent service.

Nice photography!.......2006-07-29

I am a native New Mexican and even though the others did comment on how nice a book about "real" New Mexicans would be, I do love this book for the excellent photography. It is on my coffee table now and I just love looking at it!

The photos ARE in color..........2003-08-07

Unfortunately, the sample pages are in black and white. Never fear, they're actually IN COLOR in the actual book!

Got this for my Mom, she loved it!

I Live Here!.......2001-05-01

I would NOT loan out my copy of this book! I live in Taos (moved AFTER reading the book) and have since been to some of these homes, they are wonderful...and not at all pretentious...as one reviewer said. I use this book even today for inspiration in my own Taos home.

Colorful inspiration.......2001-02-21

I was specifically on a quest for inspiration for Santa Fe style decorating with bold color schemes, somewhat off-the-wall furnishing choices and the like. This book fit my needs perfectly, I'm happy to say. I agree with other reviewers that the book is rather limited in scope, but it was exactly what I was looking for. Beautiful photographs, clear writing, overall a very dynamic book.

Average customer rating:

Mexican HOuses
Fell short of what I hoped
It is a great book!!
Nice Photos of Interiors -- Little Else
Beware! Text is Spanish

Casa Mexicana
Tim Street-Porter
Manufacturer: Stewart, Tabori and Chang
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Design & Construction | Home Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Style | Interior Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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Mexicolor: The Spirit of Mexican Design
In A Mexican Garden: Courtyards, Pools, and Open-Air Living Rooms
Mexican Country Style, pb
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Traditional Mexican Style Interiors (Schiffer Design Book)

ASIN: 1556700970

Customer Reviews:

Mexican HOuses.......2005-09-08

This is the best book I've seen on Mexican houses..comprehensive and are they beautifully photographed! and all kinds of examples, from the very oldest colonial, Porfirian, to modern. I
am so glad I got a copy, and too, that I found out about the book, as I wasnt aware of it when it was published some twenty years ago.

Fell short of what I hoped.......2003-04-12

I bought my copy because of the name, since I am FACINATED with interior design and decorating ideas with ANYTHING Mexican. My text IS in English, and if I would have known it was available in Spanish I would have preferred to have it that way!!

Anyway, this book DOES show the enormous VARIETY of what can truly be called "Mexican": from indigenous homes to still functioning haciendas to colonial-style buildings to the Broque French influence so many of the wealthy class favored before the revolution.

However, for me, it is just too cold, too sterile, for the Mexico I know and love. The colonial and Baroque-influenced homes look more like museums. They look like something only the extraordinarily wealthy could ever even dream of, and are far removed from the comfy, cozy, antique-filled hotels featured in "Mexicolor" or "Mexicasa". There is also a huge, AD NAUSEUM section on modern Mexican architecture -which I LOATHE- and a whole chapter on American, Chicano influenced houses -which I could CARE LESS about. All in all, I have my few favorite pages, which I love and look at repeatedly, but the majority of the book consists of large sections that I skip in their entirety. If you are looking for a treatise on the gamut of architectural styles in the country of Mexico, this is probably a good choice. If you want a book on Mexican interior design and decoration with a passion for things Mexican, this is NOT going to be your first choice.

It is a great book!!.......2002-02-07

I am a Mexican woman studying in the USA. I read a commentary above saying that these are European houses, they are not. We were conquered by the Spaniards centuries ago and thus the architectural style blended creating a "Mexican Style". This so called Mexican style includes european traces with Indian influences. This book represents Mexican houses that complies with this style. Obviously you can find native houses following Indian design, but for sure not in any Mexican metropoli.

Nice Photos of Interiors -- Little Else.......2001-09-05

Well, the book does have some nice photos. My copy is in english. However, it really falls short of what was promised. First, there is virtualy nothing in it about architecture. Very few photos of buildings, houses, etc. at all. It's just a collection of photos of the interiors of homes designed by famous people. I was very disappointed. For example, it goes on and on about european homes in mexico -- what does that have to do with mexican styles? If you are looking for a book that is basically a Home & Garden magazine with 270 pages then buy it. Like i said earlier - some nice photos. If you wanted somethign else, then search on. Cause this may leave you unsatisfied.

Beware! Text is Spanish.......2001-07-21

If you don't read Spanish then consider this book just a picture book. It would be nice if somewhere it had been mentioned that this book is NOT IN ENGLISH. The pictures are OK.

Tropical Houses: Living in Nature in Jamaica, Sri Lanka, Java, Bali, and the Coasts of Mexico and Belize

Average customer rating:

Island living
Beautiful and Exotic
Perfect for Decorating Ideas
Great book
The Best in Tropical Houses

Tropical Houses: Living in Nature in Jamaica, Sri Lanka, Java, Bali, and the Coasts of Mexico and Belize
Tim Street-Porter
Manufacturer: Clarkson Potter
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Island Style: Tropical Dream Houses in Indonesia
Tropical Interiors
Bali Modern: The Art of Tropical Living
Bali Houses: New Wave Asian Architecture and Design
Caribbean Elegance

ASIN: 0517704625
Release Date: 2000-11-07

Amazon.com

Before opening Tropical Houses, hide your passport. As soon as you get a glimpse of these incredible houses nestled among lush tropical landscapes, you'll want to head straight to the airport. Author Tim Street-Porter spent more than 10 years traveling through Jamaica, Sri Lanka, Bali, Java, Mexico, and Belize, meeting the owners of these Shangri-las and taking interior and exterior photos. Tropical Houses offers intelligent, dreamy commentary and over 272 breathtaking full-color photos.

Visit the House of Iseh in Bali and sit in the verdant shadow of the sacred volcano Gunung Agung. Said writer Anna Mathews of the view from the terrace: "Once you have lived in this place you can never be the same again. You are driven mad by beauty." In Jamaica, imagine you're a guest at Good Hope. Originally a plantation, Good Hope is now a 10-room villa that overlooks the Queen of Spain valley and the Cockpit Mountains. To look at these provocative photos is to imagine yourself in another life--one where you lounge on the veranda while white-jacketed waiters quietly replace your empty rum-and-pineapple drink. The owners of these estates have taken great care (at great expense) to create private, tropical paradises. One of the most stunning is Taprobane, an incredible retreat dominating the tiny island of the same name. Built by Count de Mauny-Talvande, the house is "an octagonal villa that allowed for verandahs in every direction; a 1930s folly, which, with small gardens extending through the foliage to the overhanging edges, fully occupied the crest of his island."

The careful architecture and landscaping of these estates "opens a world of sensual experiences." When the sky is gray and you don't have time for a vacation, Tropical Houses will lift your spirits and quiet your wanderlust. --Dana Van Nest

Book Description

The ambient warmth of the tropics causes architectural distinctions between indoors and out to evaporate, along with the walls that divide them. Houses expand into the landscape, while the sights, sounds, and scents of nature waft through living spaces. Indeed, one of the pleasures of living in the tropics is an awakening of the senses that brings us closer to nature.

Internationally renowned photographer and writer Tim Street-Porter has spent more than ten years traveling through Bali, Java, Sri Lanka, Mexico, Belize, and Jamaica. This book's 272 stunning photographs, supported by Street-Porter's fascinating and informed commentary, capture the appeal and the meaning of the enviable dwellings he found in his journeys. It may be the outdoor bath, a sybarite's delight, with sun filtering through a frangipani tree . . . the deep-eaved verandah, where one sips coffee while contemplating the neighboring valley shrouded in early morning mist . . . or the thatch-roofed palapa, its main supports local tree trunks wrapped in strangler vine.

These wonderful expressions of vernacular architecture -- many the products of the world's finest architects and designers--nest in jungles, perch over volcanic cliffs, stand placidly beside lagoons, and exist always in harmony with the nature that envelops them. These are real places where people really live, but each seems suspended in a setting that is at once dreamlike and elemental.

Customer Reviews:

Island living.......2005-08-02

Excellent book with something for all tastes. Beautiful pictures make you want to go home and decorate immediately.

Beautiful and Exotic.......2004-05-28

The cover is just a teaser to the exciting tropical houses Tim Street-Porter captures in this wondeful book. A real treat to exclusive tropical living around the world. Also an excellent reference to decorate in the tropical look. Street-Porter does it again as he did in Casa Mexicana. A book to enjoy over and over.

Perfect for Decorating Ideas.......2003-01-15

We are trying to get an "island" feel for our home and this book was the perfect reference. Not only are the pictures of the homes (inside and out) breathtaking, but there is enough detail about the decorating itself to be useful for our purpose. The only downside is that it makes you want to sell your current house and just travel the world staying in these amazing homes! Especially tempting is the contact information at the very end in case you actually want to rent one of them on vacation...

Great book.......2002-05-25

I found this to be a wonderful book - it has some amazing pictures. It affords you the opportunity to view some beautiful private houses that you are unlikely to be able to visit. Unlike some other books that focus primarily on houses in South East Asia, this one also features some great houses in Mexico and Jamaica.

The Best in Tropical Houses.......2001-11-29

Tropical Houses takes you around the globe to find some of the most interestingly designed homes in the world. The photographs are at once detailed and lush. If you are going to buy one book on tropical interiors, this should be the one.

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