Extraordinary Interiors: Decorating with Architectural Salvage & Antiques
Architectural salvage is all about saving and reusing bits and pieces of old buildings and construction, reminders of the talent and artistry of yesteryear. Brian Coleman shows how architectural elements and antiques--such as a 200-year-old solid-oak door, an Arts & Crafts fireplace mantel, a Victorian stained-glass window, or an Art Deco lamp--can impart character and heritage to any home. See how vintage sinks, hardware, and lighting are perfectly blended into new environments, giving the items a new lease on life and, in the process, preserving them for future generations. From a Manhattan brownstone to a Marin County barn-turned-cottage, Coleman has documented an exquisite array of home styles incorporating salvage items in imaginative ways. Extraordinary doors, mantels, windows, sinks, hardware, lighting, art pieces, and more are attractively blended into new environments to start a second life and give character to newer homes. No place to install a salvaged window? Why not turn it into a mirror and put it on prominent display in your living room. In need of window shades for a funky bedroom? Some quirky pull-down maps salvaged from an old school can give your room personality plus. Apothecary doors can become classy cabinet fronts; and antiques of every type can take clever places in your decor.  More than 150 photographs by Dan Mayers will inspire you to enliven your own environment with found and rescued objects from the lovely to the quirky. Brian D. Coleman, M.D., is a practicing psychiatrist in Seattle, Washington. Also an old-house enthusiast, he has grown his love for historic restoration into an active second career. He has written numerous articles on historic home design for magazines ranging from Old House Journal to Period Living in the United Kingdom and is the West Coast editor for Old House Interiors. Brian is the author of Scalamandre: Luxurious Home Interiors, Classic Cottages, Vintage Victorian Textiles and The Victorian Dining Room. He divides his time between New York and Seattle. Dan Mayers is a New York-based photographer whose work appears regularly in Country Decorating magazine's Cottage Style, Country Collectibles and Country Victorian as well as Old House Interiors. He was the photographer for Scalamandre: Luxurious Home Interiors, and his work has been included in such books as The Ultimate Kitchen and has been exhibited both nationally and internationally.