Search results for ""Author Melba Levick""

The great appeal of Spanish Style homes lies in their aura of romance and drama, a sense of story, of magic, as well as in their very comfortable and engaging proportions and the great livability of the interior spaces. Deep shadow, arched doorways, trickling courtyard fountains, climbing bougainvillea on wrought-iron window grilles, wood-beamed ceilings, and white plaster walls are all hallmarks of the style. Here, through a celebration of contemporary and historic homes in Southern California, as well as existing historic precedents in Andalusia, Spain most notably the intricately detailed Casa de Pilatos in Seville and the Alhambra of Granada The Spanish Style House presents the definitive picture of the style as it exists today. Featured homes include the George Washington Smith-designed Casa Blanca (1928) a fantasy made real in stone and stucco replete with the romance of old Morocco in its horseshoe arches, domes, and evocative tile murals and a Marc Appleton-designed beach house (2007) in Del Mar, California, which is a dream on the sea and an eloquent testament to the virtues of the style for today.

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The twenty-one missions of California, from San Diego to San Francisco Solano, are historic treasures and sites of pilgrimage for visitors from the world over. Intrinsically beautiful structures typically built of adobe brick and wood, adorned with towers, domes, whitewashed stucco, often surrounded by lush gardens, the missions are at the very heart of California. Established by Spanish padres and preserved and restored by historians and architects, California s missions are unique monuments to the region s early Spanish history. This colourful, informative exploration of all twenty-one missions, each with its own rich story to tell, journeys along the historic Camino Real, from Mission Dolores with its flower-strewn courtyard gardens, in San Francisco, to San Juan Capistrano, famous for the swallows that flock to its inviting grounds. With lush photography that captures the missions details so splendidly, this is the perfect book for mission visitors and lovers of their strong and simple forms.

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Desert hues, natural materials, thick hand-plastered walls, and adobe brick construction are hallmarks of the Santa Fe Style, which is as much an expression in architecture, interior design, art, and crafts as it is a way of life. Rooted in a sense of earthy comfort inspired by its history, the surrounding desert, and Native American and Hispanic design influences, the style has a timeless appeal and vibrant ongoing life that has resulted in these extraordinary homes. With features such as eighteenth-century peeled vigas, tin chandeliers, romantic iron sconces, and hand-hewn wood-beamed ceilings, each house is a rich yet harmonious invitation that will engage the senses and speak to the soul. Beyond the houses, the writer and photographer spotlight those details and spaces that together convey the magic of this very special place, including patios and gardens; fireplaces, kivas, and hornos; ceramics; Native American arts; cabinets and trasteros; folk art; and weaving. Casa Santa Fe is the definitive sourcebook for architects, designers, builders, homeowners, and interior decorators seeking to expand their visual repertoire of historically defined and classically inspired architectural details and interior appointments.

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Dreaming Small is a celebration of 22 jewel box homes, each marked by a sense of style that marries eclecticism, practicality, beauty, and livability. In addition to quintessential bungalows, classic Spanish-style casas, and Tudor fantasies designed and built largely by anonymous master craftsmen, the book explores the possibilities that exist in a group of mostly unpublished gems by legendary architects Irving Gill, Richard Neutra, Rudolph Schindler, and Paul R. Williams. Each under 2000 square feet and primarily pre-war, and shown in brilliant new photography specifically commissioned for this book, these delightful abodes are models of rich diversity and inspired living. Some homes featured are period-perfect time capsules, harkening back to the '20s, '30s, and '40s, while others are wildly re-imagined recreations that are entirely of today. In an age where many are downsizing, this book will be welcomed: a quality, small house is nothing if not manageable - it can be artfully livable, as well, as demonstrated here. While showcasing a mix of architectural styles, the book, at its heart, emphasizes light, bright, and inspiring interiors that are beyond distinct architectural styles and are filled with ideas for the home. The trend of reviving old houses will continue to grow steadily and this book will be inspirational for those looking to do it right.

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The lure of the West has been strong in American history, representing the promise of beautiful, wild landscapes, broad vistas, clean air, and bright skies. Set on this magnificent land are the homes and their interiors-from the 150-year-old Rancho Camulos of Ramona fame to Jack London's Beauty Ranch on the slopes of Sonoma Mountain to the working ranches of today. Ranches: Home on the Range in California presents an expression of a lifestyle steeped in self- sufficiency, love of the land, and unpretentiousness. Arising from the tradition of the Mexican land-grant ranchos and the spread of Spanish Catholic missions, the ranches of California have a long and multifaceted history, which is examined by author Marc Appleton, who himself can attest to the challenges and charms of ranch life. Located in dramatic landscapes of rolling hills, upon the sides of mountains, or in vast plains bordered by snow-capped mountains, the featured homes demonstrate archetypal types-from the Spanish-style hacienda form of historic Rancho Camulos, with its open porch and broad eaves, to the New England clapboard traditional, as seen in Jack London's Beauty Ranch. At once a tribute to a historic form and a fading way of life, as well as a celebration of renewal, architectural beauty, and the romance of the West, this book offers the reader an immersive experience of living on the land.

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This sumptuous and comprehensive volume embraces one of the most beloved house forms, the Spanish Colonial Revival, presenting at once a lavish portrait of the style as well as the definitive statement on the subject through more than three hundred color photographs. The Spanish style in architecture encompasses facets from a vast array of traditions, many of which are in evidence in these extraordinary houses. Elements include thickset, whitewashed stucco walls, deeply recessed doors, lushly planted courtyard gardens, intricate and colorful tile work, telescoping towers inset with Juliet balconies, elaborately traced wrought-iron window grilles, and richly appointed interiors heightened by drama in light and shadow cast by moody pendant lamps and low-burning fires. The houses featured are the very best of the type, both famous and little-known, and showcase the work of architects such as George Washington Smith, Bertram Goodhue, Wallace Neff, and Paul Williams, from the early twentieth century, to the work of contemporary practitioners, including Marc Appleton, Michael Burch Architects, and others. These homes are a fantasy for living made real in the Southern California sun.

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