Found Style: Vintage Ideas for Modern Living [Hardcover]

David Butler (Author), Amy Butler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2003

For most folks, creating a home where the decor reflects their personal style and taste requires more than just simply perusing the pages of a catalog. Unique style comes with successfully blending the old and new, the unexpected with the familiar - a white antique stove and modern chrome refrigerator placed side by side, or a 50s kidney-shaped coffee table accented by an Adirondack chair. Enter Found Style, the modern-day guide to the mix-and-match aesthetic. From vintage treasures to contemporary furnishings, family heirlooms to flea market finds, authors David and Amy Butler take a friendly approach to creating spaces that are courageously unique - and undeniably stylish. Illustrated with 200 inspiring color photographs, Found Style offers up a host of innovative ideas, as well as tips for honing one's flea market savvy, and blending old and new with unexpected dash. Found Style is a celebration of creating eclectic personal style and a resource for those who live for the hunt.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Fans of un-stuffy antiques, eclectic design and soothing tones will appreciate the ideas set forth in this practical volume. The Butlers' concept of "found style" has to do with creating a comfortable and inviting space that reflects individual character, not cookie-cutter catalog shopping or an extravagant budget. There are five simple guidelines, the authors say, to finding your style: use restraint with the objects of your desire, blend old and new, create a keynote ("one thing in the space that will draw attention and set the tone"), buy pieces with a purpose, and don't fret-because it won't happen overnight. Each chapter focuses on a different room or area of the house, from "living, breathing rooms" to bedrooms to outdoor spaces. Full-color photographs on every page by Colin McGuire show off relaxing rooms; quick descriptions by the authors explain what's going on and why it works. Next to a photo of a clean-lined yet cozy dining room, for instance, they helpfully explain, "Rooms with great found style look like they've always been there. Using the visual cues of the home's interior, this dining room carries an unpretentious grace... the large table is casually arranged with old ironstone pottery and glassware; nothing fussy or formal." 200 color photographs.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

David and Amy Butler own and operate Art of the Midwest, a design studio in Mount Vernon, Ohio. They are contributing editors to Country Living.

David and Amy Butler own and operate Art of the Midwest, a design studio in Mount Vernon, Ohio. They are contributing editors to Country Living.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 220 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books; abridged edition edition (July 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811836738
• ISBN-13: 978-0811836739
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 9.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #732,829 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Decorating for those with more creativity than money!, March 7, 2005

By 

Petrushka "worn torn and tattered" (Colorado) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Found Style: Vintage Ideas for Modern Living (Hardcover)

This book is full of wonderful, artistic ideas; each page better than the last. I wistfully moved from an old, 1920's bungalow into a brand-spankin'new townhome and have referenced Found Style many times for ideas. This book isn't for the cookie cutter, Christopher Lowell set; it's for creative people who prefer to have homes that reflect who they are artistically. I don't want my home to look like a Pottery Barn showroom. I want to create a comfortable and cozy, yet clever environment that you just can't find at a home decor store. Just as the name implies, the book imparts creative ideas for found objects, salvage and thrift store finds. For those of us who love frequenting flea markets and thrift stores, Found Style is the perfect book for giving us ideas on how to use our finds in clever and unique ways. It has enabled me to turn my suburban, builder beige townhome into something distinctive with vintage character.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, a MODERN vintage syle book, August 20, 2005

By 

Book Lover - See all my reviews

This review is from: Found Style: Vintage Ideas for Modern Living (Hardcover)

I own 2 decorating books, and this is one of them. What separates this book from the other "vintage" or "flea market" books is that the syle is MODERN and artful, not the shabby chic-ish or country styles that I detest. These looks are for people who love the look of vintage and flea-market finds, but with a hip, modern, and arty spin.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My new design bible, April 18, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Found Style: Vintage Ideas for Modern Living (Hardcover)

This book really made my day: full of fabulous, inspiring photos of the exact style I aspire to in my home: vintage but never cutsey, a little edgy and raw, but still cozy and natural and playful. Ingenious ideas here, and a great blend of folksy, country and urbane and sophisticated. I only wish there was a whole series by these two.