Built-In Furniture: A Gallery of Design Ideas (Idea Book) (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Deeply rooted in the Old World, from the ornate vestry furnishing of the church to the humble chimney cupboards of the peasant cottage, built-ins have..." (more)
Key Phrases: architectural furniture, glue film, china hutch, Craig Wester, Brian Vanden Brink, Louis Mackall (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

With Built-In Furniture Jim Tolpin has put together an idea book, a lushly illustrated look at built-in furniture through history and in modern homes, from Shaker attic storage systems to Frank Lloyd Wright room designs to contemporary dream houses. A blending of furniture and architecture, built-ins are known for saving space, but Tolpin takes us to a new level of art and inventive design; for example, he depicts a cleverly designed, secure document-storage area that is completely hidden behind a pivoting bookcase. Even a casual page-through reveals hundreds of useful, creative ideas, such as a revolving entertainment center, hidden storage rooms, and elegant but sturdy built-in shelves. Built-In Furniture will have you walking from room to room, fantasizing about built-in projects that you could construct yourself. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Description

Built-in furniture offers all kinds of benefits, both practical and aesthetic, but the design and construction can be intimidating. Cabinetmaker and best-selling author Jim Tolpin demystifies both processes in this combination of inspirational guide and how-to manual. The book starts with the basics of designing built-ins and the principles behind the construction, showing how to harmonize permanent furniture into its environment. Projects run the gamut, from window seats, benches, and couches, to bookcases, cupboards, and cabinets.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Taunton Press (February 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1561583952
• ISBN-13: 978-1561583959
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #64,939 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #23 in	Books > Home & Garden > How-to & Home Improvements > Furniture
  #50 in	Books > Home & Garden > Crafts & Hobbies > Woodworking > Furniture & Carpentry

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Useful resource for someone building a custom home with built-in furniture and storage, March 6, 1998

By	[e-mail] (Boston, Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Built-In Furniture: A Gallery of Design Ideas for the Home (Idea Book) (Hardcover)

This book is useful for anyone building a custom home who wants lots of wooden built-in furniture and storage. The pictures are lush, and the ideas plentiful. I don't know if a woodworker would find it useful, but as someone in the process of planning a customized home, I find Tolpin's work the most helpful way to show my architect what I had in mind.

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Neat Stuff !!, January 19, 2003

By	Edward G. Hurlburt (Lincolnville, ME United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

Built-In Furniture is a great book for everyone who's ever dreamed of having a secret door to a hidden room or just wants to utilize seamingly wasted space. This book of ideas has been a great launching pad for my own new home design. It's NOT a project book with plans and instructions but if you're in the "looking for ideas" phase this is a good picture book.

67 of 81 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars So disappointed!, October 28, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Built-In Furniture: A Gallery of Design Ideas for the Home (Idea Book) (Hardcover)

I can't tell unsuspecting readers and would-be remodelers how disappointed I was in this book. I bought the book for ideas for our major remodelling. In particular, I was looking for great pictures of clever, contemporary ideas for our sons' bedrooms and for our family room. The pictures in the book are very poor quality, grainy and faded, and most appear to have been taken well before the mid-Nineties. This book was published in 1997; it's now 2000. Why would I want to look at a room clearly designed for and in the 70's? What's with the crocheted pillow (p. 149)? I suspect that room has long since been RE-modeled. While I did enjoy the historical background on Gusbav Stickley's Structural Furnishings, I certainly didn't feel inspired by the already-dated examples of "contemporary" interpretations. While I am sure that Jim Tolpin is a competent carpenter, his taste and presentation are NOT for the style-conscious.