Monet's House: An Impressionist Interior [Paperback]

Heide Michels (Author), Guy Bouchet (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 10, 2006

Claude Monet was as meticulous in the decoration of his family home at Giverny as he was about the planting of its world-famous garden. Hundreds of thousands of people visit the house and gardens every year, enchanted by the vibrant-colored rooms restored just as they were in the house's heyday and decorated according to Monet's revolutionary views on color and light. As he moves through the house the author describes the mealtime rituals of the yellow dining room, the studio where Monet worked and entertained and the family activities that animated the blue room. She also opens the door to rooms not normally seen by the public - we catch a glimpse of private bedrooms and the cellar where wine was bottled and fruit preserved. This book is an invitation to visit the house on a summer's day in the 1890s to marvel at Monet's decorative vision and to experience some of the behind-the-scenes activities that underpinned the busy household.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Not only was Claude Monet (1840-1926) a leading member of the impressionist movement, he was also, as this charming book reveals, a master interior decorator. A virtual room-by-room guided tour of Monet's beautiful and much-visited home at Giverny, this volume offers a vivid impression of daily life in the beloved house where the artist lived for 40 years with his second wife and their eight children. With its pink stucco walls, green shutters, and brightly painted original furniture, the house reveals Monet's brilliance and innovation as a colorist, which transcended his light-infused canvases to inform his choice of hues for wall paint and furniture. Each room is explored in its own chapter with glorious color photos: the dining room, painted in two shades of yellow and adorned with Japanese prints; the blue-and-white-tiled kitchen; the blue drawing room; the studio as it appeared in its heyday. Enlarged paint swatches of Monet's unique color combinations accompany each chapter so that readers can reproduce them in their own homes. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Frances Lincoln; 1 edition (May 10, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0711226083
• ISBN-13: 978-0711226081
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 9.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,082,514 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #61 in Books > Arts & Photography > Schools, Periods & Styles > Impressionism

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A visual treat for the eye created by Impressionist Monet., July 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Monet's House: An Impressionistic Interior (Hardcover)

The impressionist master,Monet's home represents a palette of vibrant color harmonies, and light fused into a radiant home of personal warmth and beauty. A perfect setting for the lush gardens flourishing outside. A full view of the rooms, that made Monet's house truly an artists abode with its elegant, yet simple furnishings.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Decorator's Delight, October 19, 2010

By 

endless summer (Boston, Ma) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Monet's House: An Impressionist Interior (Paperback)

This is a superbly photographed book of a lovely, intimate home created by Claude Monet, one of the masters of impressionism whose artistic sensibility clearly spilled over into many aspects of his life, namely, the creation of his living space. His use of color has a surprisingly modern feel. From the lush blooms of the garden and the subtle pastel tones of green, blue, and violet of his wife's bedroom to the vibrant blues of the kitchen tiles and bright yellows of the dining area, all help make this book a delight for anyone who appreciates design, color and texture. He deftly uses many different color hues to create a warm, comfortable living space that many today might love to emulate. Although I have yet to see Giverny, I am aching to visit this remarkable home for myself. Until that time, I will content myself with paging through this lovely book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Monet's House makes me want to go back and see the house again, September 28, 2009

By 

Deanna F. Pierpont - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Monet's House: An Impressionist Interior (Paperback)

I have toured Monet's home and garden two different times and wanted to read a book that told about the different things that made the home special. This book did that and even makes me want to go back and tour the home again now that I know how much input Monet had in the decorating of the home.