It's been a shock. Bigger hasn't turned out to be better and newer isn't working out to be nicer. As skeptical consumers grapple with how they really want to live, a growing contingent has turned away from the culture of McMansions and SUVs and back towards the iconic forms of a simpler life, searching out homes and home styles that speak of simplicity, comfort, authenticity. No residential style reflects the small-is-beautiful trend more beautifully than the cottage home. Quaint, personal, modest, and simple, the cottage is above all itself; there's not a pretentious rafter in its roof. The earliest cottages (many featured in this book) were built as retreats, summer getaways where families convened to relax in the quiet refuge of the wilderness. Constructed for practicality, comfort, and pure pleasure, cottages often feature capacious porches, gorgeous views, cozy living rooms, and quirky, colorful, above all comfortable furnishings. Ease of living was paramount. Over the years, the cottage has evolved into something less rugged than the early versions, but its primary virtues remain. Today's cottage may be carefully decorated but it remains a heartfelt home where quality of place is more important than quantity of space. In this gorgeous celebration of the cottage tradition, artist, designer, and cottage expert Carol Bass showcases some classic early cottages, all still in happy and active use, leads us through a collection of updated and new cottages, and delineates those stylistic elements that define cottage life. Reminding us of a saner, simpler life, The Cottage Book inspires an irresistible fantasy of a snug little home of our own.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Celebrating what Bass refers to as "the cottage sensibility," the pages of this book are filled with photographs that conjure late-summer melancholy and lazy afternoons on the porch. More evocative than instructive, the book is divided into two sections. The first section, which comprises more than two-thirds of the volume, is a nostalgic presentation of "Old Favorites": an early 1900s farm, a late Victorian waterfront inn and a classic shingled retreat are among the nine cottages featured. The second section, called "Fresh Ideas," is less striking if only because the thread-which, in theory, is the approach to decorating-is not convincingly present. The art is a little bolder in this section, and the wall colors are brilliant, but a good number of the cottages are of the same period as those presented in the "Old Favorites" and in the end, the decor-based distinction comes across as arbitrary. The real strength of this volume is its photographs. Unlike the text, which is forced, sentimental and only marginally informative, the images manage to capture the nuances of summer light and cottage life in a way that is entirely inviting. The rooms, though styled and uncluttered, appear natural and lived in-plain, but not pretentiously austere. This is a gentle and beautiful book, ideal for a coffee table, and quietly inspiring for anyone looking for decorating ideas. But it reaches in too many directions, and the result is a diluted presentation of what could have been a stunning show.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
"Bass has captured beautifully the intimate nature of these inciting retreats." -- House and Home
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Cottage Life at its Best,
By Beth Burke (Charleston, South Carolina United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Cottage Book: Living Simple and Easy (Hardcover)
Reading The Cottage Book is a vacation in and of itself. Tons of windowsill sunlight, fresh indigenous flowers, classic patchwork bed quilts, exposed cupboards textured with china patterns from generations past and present, a perfectly positioned telescope, clothes line dried in the fresh air, vintage tablecloths draped over a table offering ice tea and croissants, and porches inviting us to spend a leisurely day enjoying the outdoors--all these things remind us that every cottage has a story worth living! Each cottage in this book is presented as unpretentious and practical, yet bright and beautiful, highlighting the simplicity, comfort, humor, and traditions found there. Particularly unique is the author's note of vibrant color introduced in each cottage room, either through unique fabrics or pieces or furniture. The book demonstrates clearly that the colors around us can have a powerful effect on our feelings and even outlook on life. A touch of vibrant color should be a basic element of any cottage home.
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Simply the best.,
By Allan O'Donnell (DuPont, WA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Cottage Book: Living Simple and Easy (Hardcover)
Not so much a how-to book as it is a collection of homes to aspire to, The Cottage Book: Living Simple and Easy's combining of photographic examples and Carol Bass' prose transport the reader right into the cottages and their surroundings, with experiences beyond the visual alone. This is escapism at its asthetic best, a vacation-in-a-book. The title of the book is perfect, as are many of the featured rooms. Highly recommended for those who long to be close to nature and in touch with the past, with beauty all around as well. This is simply the best decorating book I've ever experienced. Inspirational!
19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Kudos for Cottage!,
By Patricia O'Shaughnessy (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Cottage Book: Living Simple and Easy (Hardcover)
Fresh and "reader friendly". The varied cottages presented by Carol Bass have soul and depth of character. And, they have a usefulness, charm and vitality that makes you want to re-create those kinds of spaces for yourself. What does the American cottage, camp or bungalow tell us about what we add to our life when we have a little time to get-a-way? This book gave me a chance to peek into special homes that show a sense of multiple generations beautifully layered into one place at one time. What feels very timely today is the bold use of color and the variety of different styles and materials to make a place personal. The book is useful in creating a meaningful home.
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