Colonial Style [Hardcover]

Treena Crochet (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2005

California Cape Cods and 21st-century Colonials proclaim the enduring popularity of colonial architecture. Colonial Style provides both inspiration and practical advice to homeowners looking to increase their home's livability while retaining its classic charm. The book explains the differences between three styles - Colonial, Cape Cod, and Saltbox - and chapters cover doors and windows, trim work, built-ins, floor and wall treatments, paint colors, and incorporating today's kitchens and baths into a timeless colonial interior.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Nostalgia for a past that "was simpler, somehow better" has led to the enduring popularity of Colonial-style architecture and decor, writes Crochet (Designer's Guide to Furniture Styles). While new Colonial-style houses are being built across the country, older homes are being restored to their past glory. Focusing on three house styles from the 17th and 18th centuries—Colonial, Cape Cod and Saltbox—Crochet shows readers how such homes can retain historically accurate features while accommodating modern needs. Without being too much of a purist (she advocates knocking down interior walls if a house feels claustrophobic), Crochet stresses the importance of creating a unified look: she's particularly keen on concealing televisions, microwaves and sinks by adapting period pieces of furniture to house them. While restoration buffs will relish the book's details on such things as quirk bead molding, gunstock corner posts and strap hinges, those seeking to bring some history to a newer home will find hints on incorporating salvaged floorboards or recreating authentic-looking plaster walls and wood paneling. Although the book is generally helpful and looks beautiful, it's marred by poor editing: some writing is sloppy, and repetitions abound (must we be repeatedly told, for instance, that decorative molding was more ornate in public rooms than in kitchens and servants' quarters?). Still, Crochet's enthusiasm for her subject is evident, and her vast knowledge will please historically minded homeowners.
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From the Author

This book is for homeowners who appreciate the historic character of their old house, whether Colonial, Cape Cod, or Saltbox style. The numerous examples are from actual homeowners who updated their 17th or 18th century homes with a sense of the past without sacrificing modern amenities or luxuries. It is meant to inspire homeowners to learn about the inherent qualities of these older homes while making it loveable and liveable for themselves in the 21st century.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Taunton Press (January 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1561586226
• ISBN-13: 978-1561586226
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 9.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #68,400 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #81 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > How-to & Home Improvements > Remodeling & Renovation

More About the Author

Watch for the release of the third edition of Designer's Guide to Furniture Styles -- fully electronic -- coming January 2012 from Pearson/Prentice Hall.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great photos, ideas, March 2, 2005

By 

Jonathan A Feist "zootjs" (Harvard, MA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Colonial Style (Hardcover)

This is another gorgeous edition from Taunton, whose books seem to have just the right balance of photos, text, ideas, thoroughness, and entertainment value. (I also like Shaker Legacy by Christian Becksvoort.)

This volume has really great photos and discussions of many aspects of colonial architecture and furnishings. Some helpful contemporary treatments of traditional spaces, such as modern kitchens in antique houses, reproduction lighting, and so on, as well as more "period" photos, showing how things might have looked when these houses were new.

This is my newest coffee-table/reference book, which I was turned onto by an architect friend (Frank Shirley of Cambridge, MA) one of whose projects was featured in it (the cover photo, the gorgeous newell post , etc.). Though my own old house isn't of this style, there are some elements of the Colonial style that have found their way in, here, and many of the concepts are relevant to anyone, really, who is interested in living in old houses, planning renovations/restorations, and so on.

Highly recommended.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good for some ideas., May 18, 2005

By 

David Swanson (Providence, RI) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Colonial Style (Hardcover)

I'm a traditionalist in the sense that I want to preserve the integrity of my old house 1765, and I'm looking at options with regards to bringing some of the old feel within a newer addition.

I actually thought this book had more actual period interiors, but they're a combination of some old with more new construction approximating the look of old with varying degrees of success.

What I feel is successful is retaining period color and contruction to mimic the period. I'm all for modernization where appropriate but not at the expense of destroying the fabric of history for modern convenience. To haphazardly mimic a style becomes mere embelishment which is fine in new construction but unconscionable distruction to an actual historic property.

18th century or 17th century structures didn't use bright colors and lighting. Part of the charm in an actual period home is viewing the environment as it was ment to be viewed. Much like the distain people have for colorized films, so goes bright overhead lights in a 18th century colonial keeping room.
The warm glow of candlelight or there aproximating that allows the room to feel as it was. (why and where blue, red, green etc. were or were not used and why).

On the otherhand, juxtaposing contemporary modern convieniences within an attached modern structure (relatively speaking) or renovation a disintigrating section, while intergating and leaving the old as art and accent from old can be a wonderful contrast in texture and environment.

This book is more along the lines of renovation, maybe restoration is a stretch but you might get some helpful photos. It's definitly not in the preservation category.

Overall I've gotten some descent ideas for my renovation project.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, taken as a whole, February 18, 2007

By 

Ryan McNabb (Ooltewah, TN USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Colonial Style (Hardcover)

This is a book which explores (mostly) middle class home interiors of the 18th and early 19th century. Yes, there are some odd digressions, but by and large it's a fine work brimming with great photos and ideas, mostly taken from original homes. This book is a solid effort, showing what appropriate 18th century interiors should look like when cleaned up in a modern restored house, or a recreated one. Those who like authentic interiors will like this book. Those who do not want an authentic interior, but want to mix and match taking a bit of this and a bit of that, but still want to call it colonial, will possibly find these interiors "dark and provincial". Well - news flash: 18th century middle class and lower class interiors in North America were, by their very nature, both dark (candle light, small windows, soot, dark paint) and provincial (being the colonies, after all). The word colonial has its own cachet, and many people insist on applying it to their house, no matter what kind of eclectic mish mash it is.