Mexican Country Style (Paperback)

by Joe P. Carr (Author), Karen Witynski (Author) "FOR CENTURIES, THE MEXICAN CRAFTSMAN HAS INSTINCTIVELY COMBINED BEAUTY WITH function, using the materials provided by nature to create furniture, culinary vessels, architectural elements, implements,..." (more)
Key Phrases: United States, New Mexico, Banana Republic (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
$19.95 gatefold paper * 1-58685-255-8 * April

8 1/2 x 10 in, 160 pp, 140 Color Photographs, 30 Black & White Photographs,

Rights: W, Design

Now in paperback, Mexican Country Style is the classic that helped launch the popular Mexican design revival. Authors Karen Witynski and Joe P. Carr navigated coastal villages and old colonial mining towns by bus and burro, bumping down narrow cobblestone streets in search of simple and utilitarian elements like country tables, workbenches, storage trunks, corral gates, and heavy old doors. Intrigued by the diversity they encountered, the authors documented the wide variety in style, design, and shape of each object they encountered. Weathered coffee mortars, milking stools shaped like animals, and sculptured sugar molds reflect a rich local history as well as the ingenuity of the hands that crafted them. Mexican Country Style is the result of those fascinating journeys and boundless discoveries, a celebration of a rugged, romantic beauty and magical antiquity that continues to make its way into the contemporary interiors, gardens, and commercial settings across the country.

Award-winning authors Karen Witynski and Joe P. Carr have been at the forefront of the Mexican design movement for over twenty-five years as interior designers and antiques dealers. Their Mexican design book series includes six titles: Mexican Country Style, The New Hacienda, Casa Adobe, Adobe Details, Casa Yucatán, and Mexican Details.

Based in Austin, Texas, Carr and Witynski are the owners of Texture Antiques, an interior design firm and gallery specializing in hacienda style, Mexican colonial furniture, and architectural elements. Their design work has been featured in Architectural Digest, House Beautiful, and dozens of other magazines and newspapers. Individually, Witynski photographs homes and gardens for national publications and Carr is a hacienda consultant and furniture designer.

From the Inside Flap
Authors Karen Witynski and Joe P. Carr have spent years winding their way by bus and burro through coastal villages and old colonial mining towns, bumping alongside sugarcane fields and down narrow cobblestoned streets in search of simple, robust country tables, workbenches, storage trunks, corral gates, and old, heavy doors. They were intrigued by the diversity they encountered--the variety in style, design, and shape of utilitarian vessels and carved wooden objects. From milking stools shaped like animals to grain-measure boxes and sculptural sugar molds, the pieces were like mirrors reflecting a rich local history as well as the ingenuity of the hands that made them.

From mesquite-carved beams and window lintels to jail doors and coffee mortars, Carr and Witynksi found new homes in the United States for their salvaged finds. Although artists and collectors have been enjoying and living with Mexican antiques and accents for decades, the last ten years have seen a meteoric rise in their popularity in every corner of the country. Carr and Witynski soon found that their customers were as intrigued as they were with these Mexican objects and shared their curiosity to know more about their origins. The result is Mexican Country Style, a showcase of the rich heritage of Mexican antiques.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Gibbs Smith (March 17, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1586852558
• ISBN-13: 978-1586852559
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #87,489 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The definitive book on Mexican country decor!, May 5, 2000

By	Dari B. Wayne (Lawrenceville, GA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Mexican Country Style (Hardcover)

Beautifully photographed with a pallete of colors that invite you to decorate a small space or an entire home. Mexican Country Style is the definitive volume for those of us who seek southwestern/south of the border interior design, furnishings and accessories. Sumptuous photos that invite you to sit down with a margarita and explore this comfort feel decorating style. Authors, Witynski and Carr, have an enthusiastic love and flare for this style decorating and this book showcases their skills.

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Stylish Presentation on Style, December 14, 1999

By	Joel Marcus Johnson "chesapeakebishop" (Easton, MD United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Mexican Country Style (Hardcover)

With the proliferation of websites offering Mexican furniture, it has become difficult to tell the real from the ersatz - and especially when it comes to antique furniture, and in the colonial style. The authors have taken all of the doubt out of the search process through an amazing inventory of furniture, accessories, and hints for discovering provenance. It's a must-read for those considering furnishing and decorating their homes in the Mexican style.

It is also an important companion volume to Mexicolor; and to those years-ago titles published by Architectural Publishing.

For the would-be the hunter of these pieces, however, this book makes one fact quite clear. The treasure troves are to be found outside the major Mexican cities, out in the provinces. But with the skills to be learned in this book, the search will be more rewarding.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent book for those interested in Mexican furniture., September 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Mexican Country Style (Hardcover)

Mexican Country Style is a very informative guide to furniture, handicrafts, textiles, and much more from South of the Border. A must read for anyone slightly interested in the colorful world of Mexican living. Karen Witynski doesn't leave you hanging, the book also comes with many references as to where one can find such pieces that are pictured in the book. I'm already planning a trip to Mexico! Thanks for opening my eyes to the colorful world around me!