Customer Reviews

Bamboo Style

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Bamboo is appealing because of its beauty and because it's a renewable resource. While it takes 25 years to grow an "old timber" forest before it can be harvested, it's only a few years before bamboo shoots grow into usable, er, timber.

This book provides a great overview of how you can decorate a home with bamboo, inside and out. You'll find plenty of beautiful pictures with everything from Balniese homes to all-bamboo living rooms, to furniture, flooring and fencing.

However, if you're looking for a how-to book, you may be disappointed. Bamboo Style's emphasis is definitely on _style_ rather than construction. It devotes quite a bit of (well written) text to the reasons to choose bamboo, and those many photographs do an excellent job of demonstrating the breadth of what the material is capable of, both physically and in a decorating sense (i.e. it can fit into a modern decor or an Arts & Crafts scheme). Plus, the book has an extensive resource section, in case you want to explore more.

There are indeed a few hands-on projects, but they're more illustrative of what you can accomplish than anything else. If you want to start building with bamboo, you should definitely get this book -- it's quite inspiring! -- but you'll want another book for the how-to.

It's true, bamboo is the future. With all the many ways bamboo can be used it will continure to grow in popularity. This book does a great job educating the reader about this unique plant. The photographs of the many ways bamboo is utilized in the home and garden are beautiful. This book makes a great gift for the plant lover.

Everywhere you look, you see bamboo -- advertising, catalogue goods, book lists. If you have noticed and are intrigued, if you have EVER considered bamboo, then you want Bamboo Style on your bookshelf and in your hands. The author is a well-traveled architect and her skills and experience are reflected in her offering. The publisher is well-known for beautiful "style" books, among others, but it is the author who determined the scope of this publication: Why Choose Bamboo, The Ways of Bamboo, Bamboo Inside, Bamboo Outside, On Your Own, and Afterword: Bamboo and Beyond. There are many ways to read this book and benefit -- hit only the photos and captions, read the chapter you already know you'll love, try the "how-to" projects or use the resource lists at the end. Any single approach would be sufficient to warrant the purchase of this book, but do yourself a favor, and go through the entire book! There is a wealth of information here. Enjoy every bit of it and welcome to BAMBOO.

Absolutely fantastic book if you are looking for design ideas on for making bamboo furniture, artwork, fences etc. Has some very light-weight how-to's as well. Has an enormous number of high quality pictures. Just tons of great inspiration here! If you have no idea of how to even begin to build with bamboo, then this book does not go into great detail but its still pretty good. It should get you started.

Bamboo Style by architect Gale Beth Goldberg is an amazing and superbly presented guide to crafting works of beauty and wonder from bamboo for the purpose of adding either a functional or an elegant touch to home decoration and interior design. Enhanced with lavish color photographs throughout, Bamboo Style offers an informed and informative history of bamboo uses the world over, as well as offering simple projects that anyone can create, this unique reference and truly beautiful book is enthusiastically recommended for the professional as well as do-it-yourself interior decorator wanting to try something fresh and vibrant.