Mary Emmerling's Beach Cottages: At Home by the Sea (Hardcover)

by Mary Emmerling (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
beach house.
The words alone have the hypnotic associations Henry James once famously ascribed to summer afternoon–“the two most beautiful words in the English language.” Lifelong beach girl Mary Emmerling captures that implicit promise of freedom in her captivating volume celebrating the American beach cottage.

Much of the beach house’s allure is in its reflection of a simpler way of life, a pared-down existence where the breeze is the housekeeper, the furnishings don’t mind a damp swimsuit, and the most precious treasures are seashells and memories. In Mary Emmerling’s Beach Cottages, Mary invites us into seventeen coastal retreats that capture that spirit, and introduces us to the people who take joy from them.

Join Mary on a warm, intimate tour of unique seaside escapes, including:

•A pint-sized artist’s studio in Key West
•A dramatic black-and-white retreat in Newport Beach, California
•A shell-lined jewel box in Laguna Beach, California
•A nautically inspired Cape Cod getaway
•A haven in Galveston, Texas, with sea-grass rugs and matchstick blinds
•The homes of designers such as Barclay Butera and Rachel Ashwell
•Mary’s own charming cottage, complete with beach balls, sailfish, and beaded curtains

With gorgeously photographed profiles of easy-going seaside homes and innovative design solutions for everyday living, Mary Emmerling’s Beach Cottages is both beautiful and inspirational. Like a beloved seaside haven, this is a book to return to again and again.


About the Author
MARY EMMERLING is the bestselling author of more than twenty books. She is the creative director of Country Home magazine, hosted HGTV’s Country at Home show, and worked as the decorating editor for House Beautiful and Mademoiselle.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Clarkson Potter (April 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307338223
• ISBN-13: 978-0307338228
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #7,503 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #1 in	Books > Home & Garden > Expert Advice > Mary Emmerling
  #1 in	Books > Home & Garden > Small Homes & Cottages
  #3 in	Books > Arts & Photography > Architecture > Interior Design > Style

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved this Book!, May 8, 2008

By	pitaprice (Oreland, PA United States) - See all my reviews

I have been waiting for this book as I am one of Mary's devoted fans. After reading the reviews from other customers, I was feeling let down before I even saw the book. I have to say that I was happily surprised and thought it was BETTER than her previous books. I love the size of the book - it has a cozy feeling - and the photographs are perfect. I, for one, enjoy seeing pictures of people's swimming pools (even if they are part of a beach house). I loved her choice of homes and don't really care if some are redundant (Rachel Ashwell) because a lot of these designers/homeowners move all the time and there is always something fresh to see. Count me in as a continuing huge fan of her taste and joie de vivre. So many books today (in the dying era of coffee-table tomes) are sterile and boring. You can tell she cares about her subjects - both the homes and the people who inhabit them. Go Mary!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Seaside Sublime, May 31, 2008

By	mary kay andrews - See all my reviews

I'm a longtime fan of Mary Emmerling's work, and was thrilled to find BEACH COTTAGES. I've dog-eared favorite pages, and find myself returning to them over and over again for inspiration. I loved the diversity of design styles, and even when the homes shown are waaaay out of my own budget, I enjoyed seeing how the other half lives. This is a book for dreamers as well as doers.Of course, it doesn't hurt that she recommended one of my books, SAVANNAH BREEZE, in her list of great beach reads. I'll be buying more copies of BEACH COTTAGES for my beach dreamer buddies.
Mary Kay Andrews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I must not be looking at the same book, May 6, 2008

By	Noticat (Pasadena, CA) - See all my reviews

as the previous reviews. I found the book to be full of wonderful pictures and very evocative of a wonderful stay by the seashore. The houses were not the usual beach cliches.... they were very elegant and had a lot of personality and individuality. I would recommend. A concise, nice little volume.