Storybook Style: America's Whimsical Homes of the Twenties [Hardcover]

Arrol Gellner (Author), Douglas Keister (Photographer)

Book Description

Release date: October 29, 2001

In the tradition of the Bungalow series, here is a marvelous celebration of the twentieth century's most delightful and whimsical architectural style

Storybook Style, the rambunctious evocation of medieval Europe in American housing, was born in the early 1920s and almost forgotten by the late 1930s. It took its inspiration from the Hollywood sets that enthralled Americans of the period and that still appeal to our jaded modern eye. Half timbered and turreted, pinnacled and portcullised, these houses owed their fanciful bravura to architects and builders with theatrical flair, fine craftsmanship, and humor. In Storybook Style, architectural information enhances the stunning color pictures by Bungalow and Painted Ladies photographer Doug Keister to impart a wealth of information and enjoyment.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Studio (October 29, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670893854
• ISBN-13: 978-0670893850
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 0.8 x 11.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #448,041 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Arrol Gellner, a residential architect, lives in Emeryville, California.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Studio (October 29, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670893854
• ISBN-13: 978-0670893850
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 0.8 x 11.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #448,041 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 52 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Rare original idea October 9, 2003

By misterbeets

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

My first impression of this book was that it was a trifle; once I started to read it though, I discovered it was surprisingly substantial. What a joy to look at these quaint medieval-inspired houses. Lots of them, and all those turrets! You won't find mention of this phenomenon in any of the popular books on house styles, and the author deserves credit for documenting it.

The book displays a professional knowledge of architecture, unlike many in this category which seem to be written by art historians, and you can rest assured the author will not confuse a mullion with a muntin, or claim, as another one once did, that Tudor is an early Rennaissance style. (Although he happens to be incorrect in saying "terra cotta" means "hollow tile"; it means "baked earth".)

No vacant catalog-esque prose here; the author knows his subject and enjoys telling others about it.

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Homes out of Hollywood fantasy land March 25, 2003

By Jim Tolpin

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Idea books for cottages and cottage detailing don't get much better than this. This book tells the story of the emergence of the Storybook style in the early part of the 20th century-- a style that came right out of the fantasy world of Hollywood. In fact, many of the homes featured in this book were commissioned by the movie folk of this era. This is a larger format book-- and you'll be glad it is when you see the pictures!

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Whodathunkit - a page-turner architecture book! September 16, 2003

By GEM

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

5 stars plus! A book to delight the heart! It's so well-written you don't want to stop reading, yet you want to see what delight awaits on the next page. My suggestion - page through and look at all the pictures - then go back and read it all. Great job - please do another one!
These guys did a similar book called Red Tile Style, on spanish revival architecture - if you like this one, check it out- it's also very well done.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Book - From a Builder January 12, 2002

By David Lee [e-mail]

Format:Hardcover

This is the best compilation of pictures of Storybook homes, elements of Storybook architecture and the history of this wonderful style of building I have seen. As a builder of Storybook homes it is gratifying for me to see a quality book bringing attention to this subject. From my experience I know there is material for another edition, perhaps with more details of each home and the people who own them.
Thank you for publishing this treasure.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Living in fantasyland - wonderful! February 19, 2002

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

This is exactly the book I was looking for. I love this style home, but I never knew exactly how to describe it (or that it was even a 'true' architectural style). This book has not only given me some ideas about what I'd love to have in a home, but also made me aware that there are such homes in my area :) The pictures are really wonderful. A lovely book for anyone with a sense of whimsy.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Thrilled to find this book! June 7, 2005

By Nita C. Stacy

Format:Hardcover

I happened upon this book on Amazon last year - shortly after purchasing my very first home - a little storybook cottage. I've always adored this style of home but never knew what to call them. I was so happy to find this book and see someone had come up with a name for these enchanting homes. This book has brought me hours of enjoyment. I read it cover to cover immediately but I look through it over and over again. It has been such a help in giving me inspiration and information for the restoration of my little storybook home. I cannot sing enough praises for this book - my only complaint - I want another volume. If a Storybook Style 2 were to be published - I would buy it the very day it came out!!!!

This book is both informative and beautiful. It's a must for any storybook owner and anyone that is interested in architectural styles or anyone wishing to create their own storybook home.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the book I've been looking for. November 22, 2001

By Michael J. Kissimmee

Format:Hardcover

I like castles and medeival houses especially with timber-beam construction like Old English villages & Bavarian Forest inns. This book has those styles in brilliant color photos. Although there are no floorplans to speak of, Storybook Style is a refreshing, enchanting look at homes that only your immagination could have dreamed up from half-forgotten fairytales of a place that time forgot. Most of the featured buildings are in California. These are the kind of homes I would like to build for my mom for her retirement and a place I could visit to get away from the real world.
Charming, distinctive, quaint, eclectic, fanciful, old-country... Some of the adjectives to desribe these homes that are so far from the typical modern boring houses of today.

A book well worth the money for the coffee table or for design ideas.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars If only I could give more than 5 stars!!! November 20, 2001

By "lolalu"

Format:Hardcover

You know how it is---you wander into a bookstore, vaguely hoping for something at least interesting, but at heart, you want to find the magical, special book that will change your life. This was it for me: the most blissful collection of my favorite style , Storybook. (It's also known as Hansel & Gretel, fairytale or even Disney.) It flourished in the 1920's as a subset of Romantic Revival which also spawned Tudors and Mediterraneans with a few Norman towers thrown in.

But this----!!! Apartment courts, small houses, large mansions, all styled with whimsy and craftsmanship, all quirky and utterly adorable. Some are handmade, some are architect's designs but all have that sense of magic. Sarah Susanka's "Not So Big House" became a best-seller for advocating some of the principles which got lost in the shuffle of Depression era/Art Deco/Moderne style, such as human-scale coziness. (Note: HGTV's "Extreme Homes" sometimes shows Storybook houses, too, such as castles and cottages.)

Every page is a delight and a revelation, each picture is like a piece of fine chocolate. "Storybook Style" reminds me why it's important not to settle for less than perfection in our homes.

I'd give this book 10 stars if I could.