HOLIDAY GIFT BOOKS : House and Garden
Flourishing behind towering hedges, revealed only at the end of winding private drives, Montecito’s most spectacular gardens were virtually invisible until the publication of MONTECITO GARDENS: California’s Garden Paradise by Elizabeth E. Vogt, Steve Eltinge, Mario E. Quintana. (M.I.P. Publishing: $50; 274 pp.) , which not only welcomes you to these delightful enclaves, but offers an illuminating history of California landscape architecture from its formal 19th-Century origins to the more casual, environmentally sensitive designs popular now. Best of all, the photos show the gardens at their peak, moments after the grounds keepers have left--and occasionally before.
Even if the Royal Chamberlain himself could arrange a Royal Garden tour on the scale of ROYAL GARDENS by Roy Strong (Pocket Books: $40; 161 pp.), you wouldn’t have the benefit of Sir Roy Strong’s informed and erudite commentary. Strong leads a leisurely stroll through Britain’s most lavish gardens, describing the changing patterns of Royal taste as reflected in the landscape designs chosen for their palaces and lodges, serving up some titillating English history as a bonus. The lush photographs are supplemented by a selection of paintings and prints from the 17th-Century to the present, making this an ideal book for nature lovers, history buffs, and Ex-pat Brits, monarchist or not.
Almost limitless in variety and in application, tile is virtually the only universal form of decoration. As appropriate to humble domestic uses as it is to magnificent public spaces, tile transcends cultural and temporal barriers, impervious to the vagaries of fashion. Unearthed in ancient structures, reaching surprising levels of sophistication in the medieval era and pinnacles of glory during the Renaissance, the inherent possibilities of tile continue to inspire artists and designers. TILES: 1000 Years of Architectural Decoration by Hans van Lemmen (Abrams $60; 233 pp.) concentrates on European and American work, but the beauty of the illustrations and the comprehensiveness of the text encourages readers to explore this versatile medium to the Middle East, the Orient and beyond. DESIGNING WITH TILES by Elizabeth Hilliard (Abbeville Press: $35; 129 pp.) is a more modest and practical ceramic celebration, covering some of the same ground but concentrating on ideas for using tiles in contemporary settings. The author supplies explicit hands-on information for the intrepid on techniques for choosing the best kind of tile for the purpose, preparing the surface, cutting and setting the material and preserving the attractive results.
Introduced by the Queen Mother, CLASSICAL FURNITURE by David Linley (Abrams: $60; 187 pp. ) is superbly illustrated and crisply written by Viscount Linley, the craftsman son of Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon. An inventive woodworker and knowledgeable historian, Linley’s literary style is as highly polished as his furniture, coveted by collectors throughout the world. Inspired by the great traditional models, Linley’s distinguished modern pieces can blend gracefully into interiors furnished with Chippendale, Hepplewhite and Sheraton originals, or stand alone as uniquely creative achievements. The text provides a 2,000 year overview of styles, with photos, drawings and paintings meticulously selected to show how furniture evolved to suit changing cultural needs. In addition to the hundreds of masterpieces in various genres, the illustrations show a selection of Linley’s original work.
Encyclopedic in scope, THE COMPLETE BOOK OF SHAKER FURNITURE by Timothy D. Ruman and Jean M. Burks (Abrams: $75; 400 pp. ) traces the history of the Shaker movement, relating the functional and austerely simple piece of Shaker furniture to the specific communities where they were made. Flourishing for 150 years despite mandatory celibacy, the Shakers survived by adopting orphaned children and attracting converts to their tranquil, industrious philosophy. Following the lofty moral values of the leaders, the members lived and worked in amazing harmony, prospering through the sale of their fine products to worldly outsiders. A practical, progressive and enlightened sect in all respects but the one essential to permanent survival, the Shakers managed to make a significant contribution to American craft from the late 18th Century until the 1930s.
Although the simplistic text and schoolbook illustrations lack verve, KILIM: The Complete Guide by Alastair Hull and Jose Luczyc-Wykowska (Chronicle Books: $65; 339 pp.) should please the growing number of people interested in the flat weave rugs and tapestries of Central Asia and North Africa. Less luxurious than knotted carpets, kilims are equally dramatic and considerably less costly, facts accounting for their relatively recent surge of popularity. The authors describe the various weaving techniques, explain the meaning of the geometric motifs, and do a conscientious job of connecting the craft to Islamic tradition.
Weathered barns, slick contemporary houses, gracious plantations, whimsical Victorians, seaside cottages, and abandoned factories are all brilliantly photographed and treated with equal respect in EXTERIORS by Inger McCabe Elliott (Clarkson Potter: $40; 168 pp.) . The author has organized the book according to color, covering virtually the entire spectrum. The succinct text is meant to inspire readers to enhance their lives by painting their houses in shades chosen to delight the eye, calm the spirit, blend with the surroundings, dramatize the structure and charm passers-by. Examples range from subdued to outrageous, but all are distinctive, demonstrating the importance of exterior decoration to every sort of architectural concept.
VICTORIAN AMERICA by Wendell Garrett; edited by David Larkin; photographed by Paul Rocheleau (Rizzoli: $65; 300 pp.) is a gorgeous book by a recognized authority on decorative arts. It prefaces the photographs with a concise history of the development of the style in the Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western states, showing how and why each section of the country modified the mode to suit specific conditions. With every possible surface fringed, tufted, carved, swagged or gilded, Victorian interiors were a testimonial to the owners’ prosperity. Born too soon to have heard that “Less is More,” an idea they would have rejected as subversive, the Victorians enjoyed gilt without guilt.
