New Country Color: The Art of Living (Decor Best-Sellers) [Hardcover]

Susan Sargent (Author), Jake Chapline (Author), Eric Roth (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2002 | Series: Decor Best-Sellers

This is the paperback reissue of the style and decorative arts book reflecting the design philosophy of Susan Sargent, emphasizing spontaneous creativity, do-it-yourself decorative accents, and ideas for adding self-expression to any and all furnishings. Her fresh interpretation of classical forms celebrates design, proportion, and colour with a subtle whimsy and playful spirit. Her style is distinguished by a look that is elegant and relaxed, with a tasteful use of colour patterns and imagery. Her innovative and refreshing approach draws from many influences in design: William Morris, Vanessa Bell, Roger Fry, Carl Larsson, Laura Ashley, and Marimekko. Filled with over 250 resplendent full-colour photographs and inspiring text, New Country Color displays the hundreds of ways beautiful, handcrafted objects and vibrant, unexpected colours can enhance one's home and life.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Susan Sargent is a renowned artisan and colorist who founded a home design products company that sells sophisticated yet warm and beautiful objects and furnishings for the home. She has been featured in many women's magazines as well as in the book, The Intuitive Businesswoman. Her products are licensed through major furniture, linen, and department stores. She lives in Pawlet, Vermont. Jake Chapline is a writer with an extensive background in home design and interiors. He lives in Manchester, New Hampshire. Eric Roth is an internationally known interiors and architectural photographer based in Boston, Massachusetts.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Watson-Guptill (May 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 082302184X
• ISBN-13: 978-0823021840
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 9.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,010,148 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I love color!!, September 30, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: New Country Color: The Art of Living (Decor Best-Sellers) (Hardcover)

Okay, so I am one of the color converted-'white wall phobic' folks. I find a colorful environment so much more pleasing to return home to every day. This book is nice because it gives you ways to introduce color into your home without painting the walls shocking pink, although that's always an option, too. The quality of the photographs is nice, as well; I have seen some design books with photos that look like they were made on a photocopy machine! If you are thinking about having some fun with your home, this book is a great place to start for ideas!
Why not 5 stars? Well, I would have liked it if the book was even longer.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Color Explosion at its' best!, October 18, 2002

By 

Roni Rohr "Santa Fe Floorcloths" (Santa Fe) - See all my reviews

This review is from: New Country Color: The Art of Living (Decor Best-Sellers) (Hardcover)

This book has inspired me like no other has in a long time!
As a trained textile designer who went into surface/stationery and product design I have loved Susan's style and color sense for quite awhile but never thought to see her philosophy in print as well as her magnificent work as shown in these stunning photographs .
Reading her story and how she relates to color confirms what I have always thought when it comes to design...brighter is better, and sure makes you feel good!Reading how she started out to where she is today should be inspiring to many an artist as well as others.
Every page of this book is eye candy, and her words are inspiring for the novice artist and craft person as well as professionals. I recommend it to designers, students of design, and all.
Thank you Susan for the inspiration, and for following your bliss!Buy this people, truly the world would be a better place if we were all surrounded by such beauty.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Exceptionally pretty book with good advice, October 14, 2003

By 

Catherine S. Vodrey (East Liverpool, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: New Country Color: The Art of Living (Decor Best-Sellers) (Hardcover)

Weaver, artist, colorist, free spirit--Susan Sargent is all these and more. After having trained and worked in textile art in Scandinavia, Sargent brought her bold, free-wheeling color and pattern sensibility back to the United States, where it has had a considerable impact on modern country decorating. Once the province of dove greys, white, taupe and beige, the boundaries of country decorating have been pushed out by Sargent, who is interested in helping us not be afraid of pattern and color--and in fact, she urges us to embrace both.

The book is an exhilarating visual punch. Sargent blithely combines acid green, periwinkle, daffodil, a deep coral red and a host of other colors to show us that--far from being intrusive or hard to live with on a day-to-day basis
--color can be simultaneously stimulating and calming.

The practical advice in here isn't anything you haven't read elsewhere already, but the book is worth the price just to see Sargent's heady color experiments and her considerable control of pattern as well.