California Beach Houses: Style, Interiors, and Architecture [Hardcover]

Pilar Viladas (Author), Mark Darley (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1996

Overlooking the shimmering waters of the Pacific, the beach houses of California are as spectacular as the coastal paradise they adorn. Their allure is one of relaxed glamour, their possession an American dream. California Beach Houses leads readers on a private tour of over 25 of the state's most fashionable homes. Enter a nautical-themed cabin perched in the coastal hills of Mendocino, a sprawling mansion on the beach of Malibu, or the chic, renovated motor home of a Los Angeles designer in Venice Beach. With over 200 lavish, full-color images by Architectural Digest photographer Mark Darley, an informative text by Pilar Viladas, and a foreword by Interior Design editor Stanley Abercrombie, this lovely volume captures the dreamy elegance of some of California's most stylish interiors.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Pilar Viladas has been senior editor at Progressive Architecture, architecture editor at Home and Garden , and is now contributing editor at Architectural Digest. She is the author of Los Angeles: A Certain Style, also published by Chronicle Books. Ms. Vil

Mark Darley's work has appeared in Architectural Digest, among other publications. He lives in Mill Valley, California.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 204 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books; First edition. edition (August 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811812189
• ISBN-13: 978-0811812184
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 10.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #594,795 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Allows for luxurious dreaming about California living...., June 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: California Beach Houses: Style, Interiors, and Architecture (Hardcover)

I bought this book several years ago & have enjoyed it many times since. Luxurious photos showing a wide range of styles of coastal houses from ultra modern to rustic to contemporary. The reader can get good interior design ideas no matter where their own home is located. Interesting descriptions of the owners of these homes as well and why they wanted to live where they live. I wrote this review as a compliment to the author and photographer...a job well done. My copy will be enjoyed for many more years.

2.0 out of 5 stars Misleading Cover Photo, February 7, 2011

By 

Travelgirl - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: California Beach Houses: Style, Interiors, and Architecture (Hardcover)

Based on the Beautiful front cover photo & description I expected to find the book full of stylish beach houses, shots of beautiful interiors & architecture. I was very disappointed however. The houses depicted rarely look like what one would imagine as a California Beach House. As someone who loves travel, interior design, beach life; I found most of the photos boring. There Are some nice photos of beaches... However, I counted at least! 20 photos of empty vases, single vases with flowers, vases with flowers on window sills, vases of flowers on desks, desks with straw hats & a pot of flowers, desks with just straw hats, desks w/ chairs in general... Lots of plain chair shots. Really? This book was not specifically about stylish, beachy interiors, as one would expect based on the beautiful cover shot, which is probably the best one in the book. Too little to do with California "beach style" at all.
The text was even worse at times "So and so built this house together... but now that they're divorced just Sally and her dogs live here now..." Sorry to be so honest. Waste of money. Try "Coastal Sytle" or "Coastal Living: Beach House Style" if you want to see stylish beach houses w/ excellent text.