Customer Reviews

Linoleum

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I just renovated my 1949-50 ranch house's kitchen into a retro look from the date the house was built. I ordered "LINOLEUM" with great anticipation. It was totally worthless to me. My expectations may have been too high since I had not seen the book before I ordered it online. So before you order it, make sure you check it out in a bookstore. It made maybe a total of about a page worth of comments on current products. No mention of all on their durability or success in today's real world.

I was disappointed in this book, not because I was expecting a comprehensive reference work, but because it was so extremely narrow and artificial in scope. I had hoped to see vintage linoleum patterns in vintage rooms. Instead, the focus seemed to be on the rarest and wildest linoleum rugs - most of which were displayed rolled up - and all of which seemed to come from the same store in lower Manhattan. I could have achieved the same effect by visiting the store's website, which shows all the same pictures.

I'm considering replacing a 50 year old kitchen linoleum tile floor in our 1886 home with a new linoleum tile floor so was interested in seeing all the vintage patterns. An added bonus was seeing the bathroom sink on page 114 that's exactly like one in our home that has a date stamp of 1841. I thoroughly enjoyed the "walk down memory lane" and found the book to be a great value for the price.

While linoleum has become a generic term for a particular kind of floor covering, it's not the same as vinyl and has a long history as a popular residential and commercial use. Jane Powell examines the history and evolution of linoleum coverings, blending some gorgeous photography with a focus on home interior design which will please a wide audience. Any who would collect, use, or design with linoleum will find Linoleum to be a unique, remarkable, informative, and unexpectedly colorful history.