Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Cute colorful book. However, it is not what I envisioned from the reviews. It is all about decoration design studies and furnishings. If you want to see how to set a table, arrange items on a crowded shelf, hang antiques on a wall, then this book is for you. Unfortunately, this is NOT what I was looking for. Apparently, there is little in the way of comprehensive SW/pueblo style architectural and style books available. My search continues!

This book should probably be called "gated communities" rather than "hidden homes" - the homes photographed are the super-expensive vacation retreats of people who only live in the area periodically. These interiors are the work of professional designers, static "museum spaces" for the art collections of movie producers and ex-fashion models. The book is sadly lacking in the integrity and spirit of the people who actually live in the area, where a distinctive architectural and decorative style has evolved over thousands of years of human habitation.

It would be a pleasure to see a book about northern New Mexico houses that are designed, built, or lovingly restored by people who actually live in the area.

I got this book so I could see more examples of the contemporary solutions in Southwest design. It has some good ideas, but most are more folk-art-based. Some of the photograhy is centered around the object more than the space, so it's not very effective if you are looking at it from an architectural point of view. It is a good start for ideas if you are looking to add some flavor to a design. Also realize that the book is not just gardens but interiors, too.

Most of this work is very elegant; some is kind of gaudy.

Like another reviewer, I purchased this book because I will soon be building an adobe style house. The pictures are beautiful and the houses are full of imaginative touches. For my own purposes, I would have liked to be able to see more of the rooms (rather than the interior decoration), so that I could get more ideas for the architecture of my new home. This book is mostly focused on unusual interior decoration (and ideas for rich people, I might add).

I purchased the book because I'm planning on either buying or building a retirement home in the SouthWest - preferrably an adobe. I've looked through the book many times for ideas. The photos are excellent and the book is well written. The text provides a good sense of who the owners are. Unfortunately, little of the contents of the homes are anything which I've "envisioned" for myself. New Mexico represents much more to me than the luxory and expensive furnishings on the pages. Perhaps if the book had been done by someone born in the land of enchantment it would have more value to me. Overall, a very nice book for the coffee table, for a while.

Lovely looking book features plenty of gorgeous photos of Santa Fe & Taos gardens BUT I was hard-pressed to find a prototypical southwest garden in the lot.

Therefore, I suppose this would be most useful to the person who wants ideas for something atypical in the region. (Or just the thing for the person who's seen the usual sunflower, skull, and terra cotta styling and is dying to see some new twists on the Santa Fe look). There's some extreme modernity in here, bold color choices, and very individualist gardens. So although it was not what I wanted, it is indeed a collection of hidden, off-the-beaten-track Santa Fe gardens.

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.

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.

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!

This book is filled with idea inspiring photos of southwestern adobe homes. The rich descriptions combined with the photos have given me many decorating ideas for my own home. If you love southwest and adobe style as I do, you'll love this book.