Napa Valley Style [Hardcover]

Kathryn Masson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 8, 2003

California's Napa Valley is as renowned for its extraordinary beauty as it is for being the
preeminent region in America for growing and producing world-renowned wines. Although there are many guidebooks, cookbooks, and wine books available on this immensely popular region, there is no book that shows the Napa way of life. Napa Valley Style takes us on a
private tour of the houses and magnificent gardens that make 'Napa' synonymous with 'heaven'! This lively trip through the wine country illustrates for the first time, and in lavish color, the extraordinary Victorian mansions, Italianate villas, hillside cottages, converted barns, hand-made houses, wineries, and custom-designed residences, some of which have been designed by today's most renowned architects, such as Michael Graves, Ricardo Legorreta, William Turnbull, and Herzog and de Meuron. A uniquely revealing tour of this extraordinary region, Napa Valley Style is a fascinating, beautifully photographed extravaganza.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

More a tour through luxury homes than a study of design style, Masson's coffee-table book showcases Napa Valley residences that "celebrate a vision of the 'good life.'" The volume, which is illustrated with 137 color photographs, presents 22 homes. Some are converted farmhouses or wineries; others are designed to resemble villas or bungalows; several are contemporary or modernist structures. What all these homes have in common, however, are their careful detailing and their enviable locations. Jan and Mitsuko Shrem's modern villa, for example, is located in the Clos Pegase Winery, and Pat Kuleto's timber and stone house has a view that extends over Lake Hennessey and most of the Valley. Masson begins her book with a brief history of the region's transformation from cattle-grazing ranchland to wine lovers' mecca, and throughout the volume she emphasizes the history of the homes that she has selected, as well as their owner's personalities. The result can sometimes feel a little like an episode of Lives of the Rich and Famous: all extravagant particulars and no overarching vision.
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About the Author

Kathryn Masson, a native Californian now living in Virginia, served for six years as chairman of Santa Barbara's Historic Landmarks Commission. She is the author of Rizzoli's Santa Barbara Style.

Steven Brooke, Miami-based author and photographer, is the author and photographer of Rizzoli's Views of Rome and Views of Jerusalem and the Holy Land, and photographer of Rizzoli's Savannah Style.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Rizzoli (November 8, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0847825701
• ISBN-13: 978-0847825707
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 1 x 10.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #897,650 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good but wanted more..., June 11, 2007

By 

puppy's gal - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Napa Valley Style (Hardcover)

This is a very nice book with stunning, crisp and clear photos of Napa Homes. There is a description for each home, many of which are estates on family run wineries. There is some text and a few photos of beautiful Napa itself that made me want to book my trip right away. Many of the photos in the book really focus on the homes exteriors - their architecture, gardens and beautiful views. That is followed by only a couple of photos of the interiors. I wanted to see so much more of the interior spaces to get a better sense of design inspiration. So while this is really a nice book it just left me wanting more for the price. If it had more Napa descriptions and listed some hot spots and had more interior design inspiration I would have raised my rating...oh well.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Napa Valley Style, December 17, 2007

By 

D. Piele (Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Napa Valley Style (Hardcover)

This is NOT a very good idea to buy if you are looking for decorating ideas. It was not at all what I was hoping it was going to be, if you are building or decorating this "style" of house.

12 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sure to be in any good California collection, December 20, 2003

By 

Peggy Vincent "author and reader" (Oakland, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Napa Valley Style (Hardcover)

Private tour of the houses and the marvelous gardens that make the California Napa Valley so very special. This book illustrates for the first time the extraordinary Victorian mansions, Italianate villas, hillside cottages, converted barns, wineries, and custom-residences that make Napa Valley a place you'll want to return to again and again.
Beautiful photographs and informative commentary. You won't regret this purchase.