An Affair with a House (Hardcover)

by Bunny Williams (Author), Christine Pettel (Author), Fritz VonDerSchulenberg (Photographer), Richard Felber (Photographer)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
For 28 years the world-renowned interior designer Bunny Williams has been involved in a passionate love affair with an18th-century New England manor house that she found in sad repair. From the moment she walked up the driveway and her palms began to perspire, Williams knew she wanted the affair to last forever. In her sumptuous new book, An Affair with a House, the venerable decorator describes in detail how she and her husband, antiques dealer John Rosselli, rescued, nurtured, renovated, and decorated the well-worn house, giving it new life as they restored each room, resurrected the abandoned gardens, and filled this weekend home with family and friends.

Through photographs, anecdotes, how-tos, and recipes, Williams provides a rare inside look at a top decorator's retreat and explains how she approached the joys, pleasures, challenges, obstacles, and day-to-day realities of creating a beautiful, comfortable country home. An Affair with a House provides a wealth of advice on interior decor and such topics as mixing design styles, but it also addresses such practical matters as stocking the pantry and outfitting the linen closet. Beautiful photographs of the house, the gardens, and the property's rustic structures provide an intimate glimpse of the couple's lifestyle and illustrate a way of life we can all appreciate and learn from.

About the Author
Bunny Williams, a world-renowned interior designer and garden expert with her own Manhattan-based company, has been creating stylish interiors for almost 30 years. Her work is regularly featured in such publications as Architectural Digest, Elle Decor, House & Garden, the New York Times, Town & Country, and Veranda. Williams is also the author of On Garden Style. With her husband, antiques dealer John Rosselli, she owns Treillage Ltd., a home and garden decor shop in New York City. Their weekend home is in northwest Connecticut.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: "Stewart, Tabori and Chang" (October 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584794704
• ISBN-13: 978-1584794707
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 10.7 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #10,576 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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

  #11 in	Books > Home & Garden > Interior Design > Decorating
  #11 in	Books > Home & Garden > How-to & Home Improvements > Decorating
  #21 in	Books > Home & Garden > Home Design > Remodeling & Renovation

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

121 of 125 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Have for Every Coffee Table, October 8, 2005

By	Foodie NYC (New York, New York, USA) - See all my reviews

If you love home decorating and interior design, this is a must read. Filled with wonderful anecdotes and useful tips on decorating any room in the house (there are even recipes for entertaining out of town guests), this visually stunning book deserves a place on every coffee table. Ms. Williams shares her decorating expertise with readers while taking them on a tour of her magnificent country house. Along the way, we learn everything from setting the perfect table, hanging art on the wall, arranging flowers, the art of placement, and where to find the best antiques and other furniture finds. This is a book you can read over and over again.

83 of 85 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Many Dimensions of Excellence, December 31, 2005

By	Lightman (New York) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

"I am not sure if I believe in destiny, but I do know that after years of looking for a house, my palms began to perspire as I turned onto a tree-lined driveway in a small New England village." This is the beginning of a beautiful tale that grows in the telling, as Bunny Williams invites the reader into a creative journey that is uncommonly rich, deep, and satisfying.

The author has in fact woven a number of story lines together into a seamless fabric of exceptional beauty. Each chapter begins with a piece of the actual love story - the room by room accounting of how Williams transformed a dilapidated 18th century manor house and the property on which it stands into a masterpiece of surpassing elegance and style. This is followed by a photographic exploration of each area in which every image is a composition that would stand on its own as fine art. Captions to the illustrations are instructive and helpful without deconstructing the harmony of the spaces that Williams has created. And, interspersed throughout it all, are practical tips and advice on a variety of subjects such as hunting for antiques, arranging flowers, and even setting up for a picnic.

Totally absent is the self absorbed, prissy, and obsessive tone that often attaches itself to the work of great decorators. Instead, this is an intimate celebration of life complete with dogs, chickens, vegetables, flowers, and a very beloved husband. Williams makes the point that a zest for living and a keen understanding of human behavior underscore every successful design.

This book is beautifully conceived, beautifully written, beautifully illustrated, and beautifully executed in every aspect. I give it my highest recommendation.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A sumptuous book, February 6, 2006

By	W. Oliver "scudder" (Alabama) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This lavish book is a document of the author's 30-year restoration of her sprawling 18th century country house in Connecticut, complete with a guest barn, pool house and aviary. While many of us don't have the access or funds for beautiful antiques or a head gardener, Williams is refreshingly unpretentious. She wisely took her time, taking each room in her home at a time, lovingly creating rooms with vibrant color and immense charm. Outstanding photography and design make this a book to savor and return to again and again for inspiration. In addition to the outstanding photographs, there are recipes, advice on living with dogs, and integrating exotic plants into the garden.