Casa California: Spanish-Style Houses from Santa Barbara to San Clemente
Twenty-one private homes built between 1922 and 1991 in South California's eclectic and individualistic Hispanic mission and Mediterranean revival styles are vividly captured in this resplendent work. The book transcends Sunset Magazine-style coverage through a learned foreword by David Gebhard (art history, Univ. of California, Santa Barbara) and an informative introduction by former Architectural Digest editor McMillian, who also supplies captions and one- to two-page introductions to each home. Beyond their unique designs and ornamentation, the homes feature dazzling Spanish and Mexican folk art, antiques, tiles, fountains, and landscaping, all luxuriously photographed. Ownership, especially when tied to the area's movie industry, along with details of restoration and renovation, is noted and quotations from architects provided. Although more visual than analytical, the work delightfully captures the vitality and variety of Southern California's most important vernacular architecture. Recommended for regional and interior design collections.?Russell Clement, Univ. of Tennessee, KnoxvilleCopyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.