Customer Reviews

Sonoma Valley Style: At Home in California's Wine Country

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Sonoma Valley is not far from it's better known neighbor Napa Valley. What that really means is that it's not nearly as crowded with tourists. Still prime wine growing country the first vinyards date from the middle 1800's. It also seems that wine people tend to not be poor. The houses from the old vinyards are classical and elegant. The houses from the new vinyards are not bad either.

In this book you'll see a lot of kitchens with Viking type stovetops. There aren't many stoves from Sears purchased second hand. The book is a description of some of the more elegant houses in Sonoma Valley. It is profusely photographed by Steven Brooke an architectural photographer of reknown. His works include books on Rome, Jerusalem, Savannah, Napa and others. His pictures have a warm, creamy look that I find very inviting. The description that goes with the houses combines descriptive information with history and tales of the people who buile/remodeled them.

The book is about what you would expect of a coffee table book on a region: high quality pictures, high quality writing, high quality printing.

They desperately need to do an "new and improved" edition of this book as I felt it was severely outdated and quite ostentatious. My hobby is home remodeling and I got ZERO inspiration from this book. I was in the market for a Sonoma County property at the time. It's not even that pretty as a coffee table book!

Book arrived promptly. Wrapped in brown paper with no padding. Bubble wrap or mailing in a mailer envelope may have prevented the edges of the dust jacket from wrinkling and the corners from being bumped. Advertised as new but had a remainder mark on it which removes it from the gift giving category. Also had a price sticker stuck to the front of the DJ which, when removed, left residue. DJ was wrinkled at bottom edge. Lessons learned: email seller and ask if remainder mark and/or price stickers are on book and if the book is in gift giving condition. Yes, it was new but not in pristine condition. Sellers should mention remainder marks and price stickers as well as the condition of the DJ.

In summary, ask lots of questions if you intend to buy from this seller as a gift and want a book in new, pristine condition.. If you're buying for yourself, the seller is fine.

Author Kathryn Masson is a native Californian with access to some of the finest private homes and gardens in the area: Sonoma Valley Style: At Home In California's Wine Country pairs lovely color photos by Steven Brooke of both exteriors and interiors with Masson's feature of wine country homes and weekend retreats. Each home receives descriptions of the homeowner's goals, collaborations between architects and builders, and review of unique design attributes and challenges. From a historic Craftsman farmhouse to a 21st century interpretation of Arts and Crafts style, Sonoma Valley Style contrasts and highlights a variety of elegant homes, from restored Mexican adobes to Victorian farmhouses.