Customer Reviews

Southwest Style : A Home-Lover's Guide to Architecture and Design

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Author, Linda Mason Hunter and photographer, Peter Vitale, have truly created a beautiful book showcasing the architecture and design of the American southwest. Spectacular photography and rich in text make this a visual feast for the eyes and mind.

Hunter divides this book into two parts: Elements and Regions. Part One contains chapters on Territory, Architecture, Architectural Details, Soul (my favorite chapter) and Rooms. Part Two covers West Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and the Four Corners region. From large, minimalist rooms with an alter or wall dedicated to the minutia of masks or milagros to rooms packed with painted furniture, baskets, deer horns, glassware and old family portraits indicative of the American West, Southwest Style demonstrates this often casually eclectic decorating form.

This unique marriage of cultures and landscapes has become a personal and spiritual decor favorite worldwide. Ms. Hunter states it best in the opening paragraph of Chapter Four, SOUL, "Southwest style includes a range of design concepts which, when found in combination, conveys a unique spirit of place." It is that "unique spirit of place" that this beautiful book offers to the reader.

Living in Ontario, Canada and designing an adobe like home is difficult and we need lots of inspirational books. This one is highly valued in our home during this design period and we recommend this book for anyone in our circumstances. We found it inspirational and useful to our architect who has little exposure to the southwestern style. But...we need more books just like this and find it difficult to buy a book on your site without you providing additional information about the book...for exmample...peeks inside at some of the photographs. That would be so useful. But don't hesitate to order this one; it is well worth the investment.

Modern Southwest style blends Native American and Spanish cultures as Linda Hunter's Southwest Style artfully displays the architectural styles of the region, blending over two hundred fine color photos with details on accents and decorating style. An excellent display of architectural options in this design.

Given my passion for the southwest, I expected to love this book, but I didn't. Certainly I found the photos lovely, but somehow the overall package does not convey the excitement, spirituality, and drama of the region. In other words, the book is a little flat. And what I expected to be a good read turned out to be more of an encyclopedia style rundown of facts (in other words, boring). The book comes off as a cold report on what is in fact a fabulously exciting and inspiring region.

MY HOME IS FILLED WITH SOUTHWEST DECORATING. THIS BOOK NOT ONLY GAVE ME ENJOYMENT, BUT HEPLED ME CONFIRM WHY THIS STYLE IS SO WARM AND ENVITING. IT ALSO GAVE ME NUMEROUS REFRESHING IDEAS IN ADDITION MY OWN DECORATING FLARE BOTH INSIDE AND OUT!

I noticed that some of the reviewers were dismayed that this book was so limiting to the southwest style, but that is exactly why I purchased it. If you want information on a specific design,and love the southwest, you will truly enjoy this book.

I noticed that some of the reviewers were dismayed that this book was so limiting to the southwest style, but that is exactly why I purchased it. If you want information on a specific design,and love the southwest, you will truly enjoy this book.

I do NOT find this book limiting; when searching for decorating style of the SW; there is so FEW out there, it is refreshing to find one that covers such a broad area of the SW. I LOVE THIS book...Normal decorating books have so LITTLE of this area and for those of us who LOVE IT, the book is wonderful. REFRESHING and NOT CUTESY! At present I live in the Midwest of America and it is so limiting to NEW ideas so often. Our local library had this book, and I was searching to see how many others were out there, not many... so I MAY end having to OWN this book.

Thank you for carrying this as well as several others pertaining to this area of the USA.

This book is filled with history and ideas for living. It's about regular houses inhabited by regular people, but the flowing writing style and beautiful photos make you feel rich.

Extremely beautiful and informative. Finally a substantive look at the style of the southwest.