American Farmhouses: Country Style and Design - Hardcover

Rosch, Leah

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0743219295 ISBN 13: 9780743219297

Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2002

Synopsis

A country farmhouse surrounded by fields and trees is a quintessentially American secene, but it's one that has universal appeal. These simple homes speak to us of history and values, promising both comfort and protection.
The "country look" remains the single most popular American style. Despite social and economic changes and the whims of fashion, it continues to shape our design and decorating tastes. Now in these lavishly illustrated pages, American Farmhouses offers a rich and inspiring survey of country architecture and design, from painted furniture to porches, stenciling to saltbox houses.
Part of the appeal of country homes lies in their hand-hewn individualism and heritage of Old World charm. Many familiar design elements derived from distinct traditions brought by the early settlers, then adapted to local conditions and materials. Even in the early twentieth century, most country houses were still designed and constructed by local craftsmen, resulting in an immensely rich variety still visible in farms large and small across the country.
Today, the interior of a country home can be a meticulous restoration in a traditional style or a flea-market mix of furnishings and collectibles. The nearly twenty profiles of country homes in American Farmhouses, ranging from a rustic German-style house in Texas to a classic Greek Revival in upstate New York to a contemporary reinterpretation in Connecticut, are full of stimulating and original ideas.
To help readers bring the "country look" home, whether in a city apartment or a rural getaway, American Farmhouses also includes a detailed sourcebook of manufacturers, craftsmen, and architectural antiques dealers nationwide. Here is everything from cast-iron firebacks to milk paint to farmhouse tables, from suppliers who continue to keep the spirit of the farmhouse vital and alive today.

About this title

About the Author:

Leah Rosch, formerly the executive editor of American Homestyle & Gardening magazine, has written for The New York Times as well as This Old House and Metropolitan Home magazines. Keith Scott Morton, the principal photographer for Country Living magazine, has been a leading photographer of country homes and interiors for fifteen years.

From Booklist:

"Few history books capture the story of America's past as vividly as the farmhouses that fill our countryside," says the author in this excellent primer to America's "most prevalent form of architecture." Rosch, a former editor of American Homestyle and Gardening magazine, introduces the evolution of farmhouses, from the log cabin and saltbox to ornate Greek revival and Queen Anne, illustrated throughout in a fine mix of color photographs. She also notes the major architectural and interior features of farmhouse design, explaining the often pragmatic history that spurred their invention--how rooms were used, why materials were chosen. Closing chapters spotlight stunning homes across the country that show the evolution of the farmhouse form, including small cottages and sprawling homes that ingeniously connect barns and outbuildings to the main structure. The interiors represent both preservationist and eclectic aesthetics; several homes successfully blend traditional and contemporary sensibilities. Extensive lists of craftsmen and suppliers of period furnishings and materials conclude the book. More than just a glossy coffee-table book of cozy nostalgia. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About this edition

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0743219295
• ISBN 13: 9780743219297
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 4
• Number of pages: 208