Book Description
Natural swimming pools rely on the correct balance of plants and microorganisms to clean and purify the water. They are a safe place for children to play and birds to drink, and are a dramatic example of ecological design, combining the natural and man-made worlds while creating beauty. These pools offer enjoyment not only in the warm months, but during winter, too, when they can be used for ice skating and other activities. Often the focal point of a garden, natural swimming pools blend into their environments, flowing into the surroundings with plants and rocks.They reflect the changing seasons and they enhance the environment naturally. They are easy and less costly to maintain than chemical pools, providing significant savings in water. Chlorine and other common pool chemicals are hazardous to human health and are not used. This book is a necessary resource for anyone interested in having a natural swimming pool and shows how a natural swimming pool system works, as well as the environmental, health, and safety benefits it offers. Drawings, diagrams, and charts cover planning, design, biology, materials, construction, planting, and maintenance. Over 300 beautiful color pictures feature projects that will inspire you to have your own natural water garden where you can swim in harmony with nature at any time.
Customer Reviews:
Perfect book.......2007-09-04
Great book for all aspects of creating a variety of green/natural pools. Beautiful pictures and good illustrations and copy to help in decision making.
YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK .......2007-08-22
Simply put this book is a MUST READ for anyone intersted in any aspect of Sustainable and Ecological Design. It should be read right along with Permaculture by Mollison, the Passive Solar Handbook by Mazria, Rainwater Harvesting by Lancaster, and ecocities to Living Machines by Todd. Even if you aren't specifically interested in making a swimming pool (which you will be after reading it) the insights into the workings of hydro-ecologies and how to design natural systems are invaluable!
If you aren't interested in the whole range of sustainability but just this particular topic of pool design then this book is STILL A MUST READ. If you're an ecologist who wants to make a pool, or a pool designer who wants to do something ecological this book provides an excellent layman's understanding of ecological design, with good technical and artistic advice for how to do it, and good technical and artistic advice for swimming pool construction.
I would still advise you to also purchase the book Poolscaping as a companion to this one.
This is an all around excellent book buy it now.
Beautiful photos; strange text.......2007-08-01
Thumbing through the book will make you want to move to Austria or Germany where beautiful "natural" pools are somehat established. Why is the U. S. so environmentally backward? Unfortunately, the text is awkwardly translated at times such that one has to struggle to figure out what is meant with limited success.The assumption is that one is swimming only in the summer, but in California we may want to swim year round. Useful especially since so little information is available. Can't understand why the publisher didn't insist on professional proofreading.Buy it for inspiration, or wait for the next edition, or wait for one more applicable to your area. It does provide info in the back about two U.S resources, one in CA.
Very complete book .......2007-02-24
Is the book i need for learning on natural swimming pool. Now i can make my own pool
Surprisingly COMPREHENSIVE!.......2007-02-09
This large sized book covered the subject exceedingly well in lots of color photos with explanations and, more importantly, in lots of diagrams and nuts and bolts descriptions. I only read sections here and there but what I did read clearly indicated to me that you could actually use this book to build a natural swimming pool. At the least, you could definitely make a solid decision whether or not you could build or would want to build such a pool on your property. These pools are basically like salt water aquariums in that you have to make a biosphere and monitor it. In some ways it's not as easy as it sounds but also not as hard as it sounds. However, start up takes time and it can be tricky to finally reach environmental stabilization. I am not going to build a natural pool but I still found this book very useful. At the end this book are MANY pages of water plants and trees recommended for certain types of water areas. There are zone maps of the US included for reference. So even if you just want to make a little ornamental fountain in a big pot on the patio deck or a pond or a bog out back, this book has a VERY comprehensive set of plant lists you will find exceedingly useful. 18 pages of them. Categories include Submerged Plants, Floating Plants, Floating Leaved Plants, Shallow Marginal Plants, Deep Marginal Plants, Moisture-loving Plants, Bog/Marsh Plants, Waterside Plats-Trees & Shrubs, Ferns, Grasses Sedges Reeds and Rushes. Botanical and Common Names are listed along with height, spread, water depth, flower color, flower period, foliage, position, comments and plant zone. It's the best I've seen in any book so far.
Book Description
Inspired by a desire to design a new pool for her own Long Island backyard, Kelly Klein sought out and put together the most arresting and iconic photographs of swimming pools in all their various forms to create this unique and stunning book. The photographs are as inspiring as they are moving, revealing an incredible wealth of styles and designs in climates and cultures across the globe, and evoking the sensations of rest and nostalgia, the clarity of water and light, the coexistence of coolness and warmth, and the insinuations of sex and romance that can bring such character to a swimming pool. Included are pools in all shapes, sizes, colors, and settings, from Tangiers and Miami to the ancient magnificence of Hadrian's Villa; from Coney Island to the Côte d'Azur; from the robber baron 1880s through the prosperous 1990s, and captured by great photographers such as Lartigue, Stieglitz, Munkacsi, Weston, Mapplethorpe, and Weber. Republished in its entirety from the original first edition of 1992, including 187 photographs and a note from Esther Williams, Pools is a classic of modern design photography and an inspiration to aesthetes and creative homeowners alike.
Customer Reviews:
Fell Short, Very Short.......2007-09-10
Kelly Klein explains that she was inspired to create a comprehensive design reference for those wanting to complement their own backyard with a swimming pool. While the book does provide dozens of interesting and beautiful photographs of pools, water and people, it provides little, if any, inspiration for those hoping to design their own oasis. There are dozens of books that offer better photographs and design ideas for modern backyard swimming pools. In addition, there are thousands of photographs on the internet that would offer more help than most of those shown in Klein's book.
If you are desperately looking for a coffee table book, you may find this one appealing. Personally I think there are dozens, if not hundreds, of better collections of photographs. Other than the quality of the paper, this pretentious volume wouldn't warrant a $12.00 price tag.
An elegant and soothing read.......2007-08-11
This book is like getting a massage for your eyes. Its photos range from anecdotal to iconic to escapist, and span several time periods and social classes. The foreword by (who else?) Esther Williams is an excellent treat. My coffee table would be bare without it.
Captures the art and majesty of the swimming pool in all it social and radiant beauty..........2007-07-20
Sensual, reflective, glimmering, surreal. The notion of the swimming pool means many things to many people. From the large public pool arenas from the turn of the century to the private, architectural masterpieces of the late 20th century, Kelly Klein's 'Pools' captures the art and majesty of the swimming pool in all it social and radiant beauty. Since it's original publication in 1992, Kelly Klein's 'Pools' (with a forward by Esther Williams) has been one of the most sought after large format photography books in the out-of-print world. Now, with this new long awaited edition by Rizzoli, the magical aura of the pool is captured again in both luscious and historical photographs from the likes of Jacques Henri Latique, Edward Weston, Herb Ritts, Robert Mapplethorpe, Greg Gorman, Bruce Weber and others. Pools from Beverly Hills to Europe to Japan to San Simeon's Hearst Castle are depicted in breathtaking spender spanning a full century of coverage in both black and white and color. For someone who didn't even have a pool at the time of the book's original publication, Klein has assembled a vast compendium of the scope of the manmade aquatic experience as both a physical pastime as well as an aesthetic window into the liquid life. As a summer treat or as a historical perspective, 'Pools' is a welcome refresher and certainly one of the best coffee table art books of the year. - BlogOnBooks
A long awaited re-release of a classic coffee table book........2007-06-27
I always regretted not buying the first edition of Kelly Klein's POOLS in 1992 and was thrilled to learn of this Rizzoli re-release in May 2007. It's one of the ultimate iconic coffee table books - famous pool photos by legendary photographers as well as photos of just plain gorgeous swimming pools around the world. Well worth the money and just looking at it makes you want to take a dip, plus the commentary by Esther Williams is a plus. And it looks fabulous on the coffee table! Would make a great gift too.
An awsome photographic book of pools around the world.......1999-05-19
I really enjoyed this book. There were very beautiful pictures of pools from all over the world. Every pool was an art piece in its self. I really enjoyed the pictures of the cascading pools that seemed to almost go to nowhere in particular. If you can get a copy of this book I highly recommend it for the photo or pool enthusiasts.
Book Description
A practical, easy-to-understand guide to adding both still (ponds) and moving (waterfalls and streams) water features to any garden.
Includes complete, easy-to-follow instructions on designing, establishing, and caring for a variety of eye-pleasing water projects.
More than 220 vivid photographs and illustrations, plus detailed instructions, make this guide a must-have for garden enthusiasts looking to plan and build a water feature.
Expert advice on selecting the right fish and plants for embellishing any backyard aquatic paradise.
Solution-based format inspires homeowners to confidently create water havens in their own yards.
This all-new second edition provides the very best instructions for building ponds, waterfalls, and streams.
Customer Reviews:
Needs more specifics.......2007-07-13
I liked the idea pictures in this book, but ultimately the "how-to's" left me wanting for more. I didn't feel it went into enough detail of things such as, how to make the rocks look natural and how to place them on the rubber liner so they don't wash away immediately. A good idea book, though.
Major waterfalls.......2007-06-26
This was a good book if you are going big time waterfalls. I was looking for something a little bit simpler.
GREAT PURCHASE AND VERY HELPFUL.......2007-01-10
THIS IS THE BOOK YOU NEED IF YOU ARE GOING TO CONSTRUCT A WATERFALL ETC. PACKED FULL OF USEFUL INFORMATION. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Most complete and detailed book for creating Ponds and Streams.......2006-06-12
Good book. Pictures are good and the descriptions and details from the creation of Ponds, Streams and Waterfalls is the most complete of all the books that I have purchased or read. It could do a little better job of describing how to integrate a Bog Garden with a Pond. I still have questions about that.
Overall the best of the breed.
Average customer rating:
- Every page of this book is fascinating
- Sheer magic
- Sets the benchmark
- Beautiful Book!
- Unearthly
|
Pool Light
Manufacturer: Watson-Guptill Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Graphic Design
| Design & Decorative Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
| Airbrush
| Animation
| Books
| Calligraphy
| Clip Art
| Commercial
| Graphic Arts
| Lithography
| Pop Culture
| Printmaking
| Silk Screen & Batik
| Typography
General
| Instructional & How-To
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Collections, Catalogues & Exhibitions
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Photographers, A-Z
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Photo Essays
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Arts & Photography
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Water Dance
-
Botanica
ASIN: 188800147X |
Customer Reviews:
Every page of this book is fascinating.......2004-11-01
Whereas "Water Dance" took off from an experiment, "Pool Light" appears to be the result of a complete mastery of this unique form of photography which combines beautiful bodies with dazzling fluid effects. Every image in this book is a sight to behold, combining the beauty and grace of the human body with the imagination and emotion brought forth by an underwater stage.
Photographer Howard Schatz has advanced beyond "Water Dance" to perfect his art of underwater photography through a more effective use of the pool's characteristics to portray motion, suspend animation, and produce some of the most fantastic images of the human body. Every one of the 120+ photos is worth a long look. The bodies of the dancers, models and swimmers are not all there is to admire, but take a look at how Mr. Schatz uses the surface of the pool as a mirror or as a screen to either reflect or shield portions of the physique. Every aspect of each image seems to be perfectly in place, even air bubbles and ripples of the pool's surface, which add an interesting quality of depth and lighting.
As a nice complement to the images, there are several pages of commentary which describe the artists' (photographer, collaborators and models) inspiration and efforts, as well as some of what goes into making a book like this. For example, it's noted how Mr. Schatz prepares his "liquid studio" to be more tolerable to the subjects, such as using ozonated (not chlorinated) water, and matching the pool's pH balance to that of human tears so that models can keep their eyes open longer. Interesting reading indeed.
"Pool Light" is one of my favorite photography books of all time, and I would recommend it to anyone.
Sheer magic.......2003-03-10
A magic delight to any person with or even without sensibility.
A must see for photographers and artists. It is a source of inspiration for my paintings and sculptures.
The beauty of the human body as if we were still in Eden.
After this book I was hooked on all Schatz books.
Do not miss it.
Sets the benchmark.......2001-10-17
I have now bought three copies of this book, one for my house in London, one for my house in the country, and one which I cut up - so I could frame and hang my favourites. It IS that good: this is a truly-wonderful collection. Howard Schatz is a great photographer and in Pool Light he sets the benchmark.
Beautiful Book!.......2001-05-25
Absolutely beautifully photographed book. Schatz captures the God given beauty of the models under water with perfect taste. This is his best book by far. Yes far better than his most recent book Nude Body Nude.The dancers and models in this book appear to be much more natural and have a graceful beauty that almost makes you forget their nude; as opposed to the cliche "sexy" look that is typical of other models.
Unearthly.......2000-05-07
With production values like a Hollywood movie, this book still manages to be intimate, and at the same time, otherworldly and unattainable. More technically accomplished and more luxurious compared to "Water Dance" (although the latter is also a must-have), I can pour over this book time and again, and find another detail or expression to seduce me.
Book Description
A practical, easy-to-understand guide to adding both still (ponds) and moving (waterfalls and streams) water features to any garden.
Includes complete, easy-to-follow instructions on designing, establishing, and caring for a variety of eye-pleasing water projects.
More than 220 vivid photographs and illustrations, plus detailed instructions, make this guide a must-have for garden enthusiasts looking to plan and build a water feature.
Expert advice on selecting the right fish and plants for embellishing any backyard aquatic paradise.
Solution-based format inspires homeowners to confidently create water havens in their own yards.
With an additional 32 pages of information, this second edition provides the very best instructions for building ponds, waterfalls, and streams.
Customer Reviews:
Great Ideas.......2006-11-03
The book was great for visualizing what we wanted and to convey that to our landscape architect. It also provided good information regarding care of a pondless waterfall.
Fairly detailed.......2006-03-07
This book isnt overly long and filled with over the top water gardening items most people cant afford. The applications discussed a common and to the point. The
contenet isnt bad for a beginning pond builder but you can gather most information from the book from websites online like pondmegastore or lilypons.
Beginners & Novices go ahead.
Ortho's Building Ponds.......2005-09-07
Gives how to, how much, where and why. Probably the best pond construction book I bought.
Great Teaching Tool.......2005-05-21
Great book to learn about building water gardens. Excellent resource and I would highly recommend it.
GREAT STARTER.......2005-03-16
This book is excellent for the price and with a handyman mentallity you might be able to figure our the blind spots yourself and commence your pond.
Book Description
The team behind the best-selling Mexicolor and Mexicasa has unlocked the gates to Mexico's patios, courtyards, and walled gardens. From private homes to luxurious resorts, In A Mexican Garden celebrates Mexico's hidden oases where lovers meet for margaritas at sunset and families gather for spirited fiestas. The dazzling array of featured properties includes rustic coastal hideaways, elegant Spanish Colonial mansions, rural haciendas, and Modernist architectural masterpieces. Melba Levick's stunning photographs capture page after vibrant page of bold Mexican design elements: swirling mosaic floors, elaborate frescoes, hand-carved stone fountains, and lush native plants. Gina Hyams' informative text explains the historic roots of these uniquely Mexican outdoor spaces. Garden design enthusiasts, fans of Mexico, and anyone who appreciates a siesta in the sun need only open this book to hear the quiet babble of fountains and glasses clinking to toast another beautiful sunset.
Customer Reviews:
Mexican Garden.......2007-09-27
I was very surprise whith the quality of the presentation and the beautiful pictures. Excellent!!
Beautiful Photo's.......2007-09-03
I love this book! The beautiful photographs give the reader great ideas on how to design and decorate.
great book, terrible binding!!.......2007-07-19
I love the pictures and ideas presented, but after 2 days, the binding had pulled away from the pages!! I think that is flaw that needs fixing.
Mexican Garden.......2007-07-06
I chose this book to help give me some ideas as to how to " Mexicanise " my garden.
So what with the yuccas, agaves & cacti i'm well on the way, just need to add more colour & fragrance to it.
I also bought Mexicasa and Mexicolor.
It's a nice book..........2007-06-13
Your basic coffee table book, nice photos of exactly what the book claims to be: Courtyards, Pools, and Open-Air Rooms. A lot of the subject matter is authentic, old and sometimes dilapidated. Don't expect to see many pictures of new or well kept patios, pools or gardens. This is the real McCoy, just like you'll see when visitng Old Mexico...not that there'e anything wrong with that.
Product Description
Home Landscaping: Texas is the latest edition in Creative Homeowner's best-selling Regional Home Landscaping series, providing easy, practical ideas to beautify outdoor environments. Starting with the 200 best plants that thrive in the region, landscape professionals from Texas created 46 outdoor design concepts. Included are easy-to-follow instructions to create the paths, fences, walls, and arbors included in the designs, as well as information on plant care and maintenance. Clearly written in a friendly style, Home Landscaping: Texas provides the insider advice to turn even a novice gardener into a landscape pro.
Over half a million copies of the Regional Home Landscaping series sold
46 creative designs developed by landscape professionals
Over 400 full-color photos and illustrations
Easy-to-follow instructions
Complete descriptions of the plants plus advice for plant care
Full cross-referenced index and glossary
Softcover, 208 pages, Published 2004
Customer Reviews:
useful.......2007-05-07
An excellent book for beginners. It features great landscape designs and a good overview of plants. Colorful illustrations, easy to read and practical. I highly recommend it.
Errors make me scared to try his plans........2007-04-05
This was one of the first landscaping books I purchased when I moved back to Texas and bought a newly constructed (read barren all but grass) house. It IS very inspirational and I always thought that it would be the first book I would reach for when I could afford to start my major landscaping project around my property. Now I'm ready to really begin planting and I've bought a few other books in the past few weeks to assist me in planning. (Other reviewers who say that you'll also need a plant guide specific to Texas are right, in my opinion. The plants the author picks may do well in Texas, but they're not necessarily natives and some will need special attention in the vastly different growing conditions throughout our great state.) I really thought the other books I purchased would supplement this one but then I sat down with all my books, pencil and graph paper, my property survey, and my local (native) nursery's plant list. I was finally making actual plans, not dreaming about it.
What do I see on page 28 as I work on plans for my front bed? A Red Oak planted 7 feet from the front window. HUH? I'll confess myself to be a novice but I'm not THAT much of a novice! Most people with a shred of common sense know that a tree that will eventually attain both a height and spread of 80 feet should not be planted anywhere near that close to your house.
Sadly, the book does not have any actual photos of the landscape designs presented, only illustrations. Lovely though they may be, they are not necessarily realistic. I'm guessing that a real picture of a Red Oak 7 feet from a home might be hard to find, since few people would be silly enough to do it. Due to my lack of faith in the plans, this book rapidly went to the bottom of the pile for my planning. Even the plant portraits he provides (the only photos in the book) could be found in better books.
Here's something interesting. If you click on the author's name above, you will see that he's produced these landscape designs for almost every region in the US. So, I'm guessing this is actually a mass-market production. I would be interested in comparing the Texas book to the others to see if there are many differences. I have a guess already. In this book, he does discuss hardiness zones but in every other Texas landscaping book I have, the actual regions of Texas are the focus. Hmmm, specifics about Texas in a book with Texas in the title. How novel.
Some books I can recommend wholeheartedly are the following (in the order I think they're useful to my paper and pencil, real, true planning):
Texas Wildscapes: Gardening for Wildlife LOVE LOVE LOVE it! This book does it all. I'm particularly interested in attracting birds and butterflies to my yard. This book discusses the regions of Texas and their different needs, gives you a step-by-step plan for developing your own landscape design and gives a rundown of the needs of local wildlife and instructions for completing specific projects. You will need a supplemental plant guide though because this book is not photo rich in that area. The book was poorly reviewed for having a vast plant list that was not searchable but someone from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept. left a review telling how to get the searchable index by e-mail. I got it within hours of sending off a request.
Native Texas Plants: Landscaping Region by RegionWONDERFUL! Gives professional quality landscaping plans for each region plus other landscaping plans for specific needs like wildlife, water, etc. It also has an excellent written and photo description of the plants she uses.
Landscaping with Native Plants of Texas If you're not interested in the Wildlife book above, this one is another that presents a great step-by-step plan for the creation of your own landscape design. Unfortunately, it doesn't give any sample plans for you to look at like Native Texas Plants does. It does offer some useful information about wildlife and xeriscaping.
Month by Month Gardening in Texas: What to Do Each Month to Have a Beautiful Garden All Year (Month-By-Month Gardening in Texas) Excellent book for the planner. Not what to plant but a calendar to tell you when. It might make you puzzle about how hard it is to find a tree or perennials at Home Depot or Lowe's in Fall and Winter but check out your local nursery that carries natives and you'll find plenty.)
Texas Gardening the Natural Way: The Complete HandbookHoward Garrett is widely recognized as an authority on Texas gardening and uses organic methods. The book has an excellent section with photos and descriptions of all kinds of plants but lacks the landscaping plans I was after. Also, they're not all natives although not everyone minds that so I included it in this list because it is a good reference.
Great landscaping guide.......2007-02-20
This book is great -- it has info on lots of local plants that really grow. I think one of the best features are the plans they have for different areas in your yard and sun exposure with excellent renderings to go with them. They even take you through the seasons so you can see how an area looks in December as well as May. Very user friendly!
very helpful, informative.......2007-01-13
Great book, especially for novice garders and those learning gardening in a new climate. Easy to use and full of good ideas.
Not Enough Texas.......2006-12-05
This is an okay general guide for beginners in home landscaping. However, it is not particular to Texas, despite its title. There are only about 30 pages devoted to plant material, and this is not covered in depth. The text makes no real attempt to help gardeners select plant material suitable to the many different soil types and environments found in Texas.
Book Description
Bare, stark swimming pools - those rectangular concrete holes in the ground surrounded by a chain-link fence - are going the way of the dinosaurs. Pool owners (and there are 7 million of them across North America) have begun to see the pool and the area around it as an outdoor living space, a place for entertaining a crowd or relaxing alone. In response to this hot, new trend, gardener and landscape designer Catriona Tudor Erler has written POOLSCAPING, a one-of-a-kind handbook overflowing with inspiring ideas and practical advice on how to make your swimming pool the lovely, welcoming centerpiece of your property.
Erler takes readers step by step through the poolscaping process, whether starting from scratch or renovating an existing pool. She begins with choosing the best location for the pool and designing (or refurbishing) the deck and edging that will surround it. She presents a host of ideas for dramatic pool lighting, including underwater options. The fencing chapter addresses choosing styles as well as safety issues and even how to disguise a fence with plantings.
Erler explores design options for building or renovating a spa adjacent to the pool, as well as how to incorporate furnishings, pergolas, and pool houses into the poolscape. A plant directory features the best poolside plants, with a focus on varieties of flowers, vines, and shrubs that are low maintenance and look attractive throughout the pool season. Erler also offers ideas for outstanding poolside planters and containers for bringing greenery and color right up to the pool.
Illustrated with beautiful full-color photographs of outstanding poolscapes, this unique guide demonstrates how any pool owner can transform the pool area into the showpiece of the neighborhood.
Customer Reviews:
what I needed to know.......2007-08-22
This book was an excellent resource for the designer looking to work with swimming pools. The ilustrated examples and artistic tips were an invauable inspiration for sparking the imagination when designing pools. Before reading this I did think of pools as slabs of concrete filled with water, but I believe this book has put far down the path of being able to design elegant swimming pools. I consider this a must read for any architectural designer.
Not a great source for landscaping ideas.......2005-08-09
Based on the description, I believed this book would be full of design ideas and photos of well-landscaped pools. It isn't. If you are looking (as I was) for examples to show a landscaper (or to do it yourself), you should look elsewhere.
Not so good.......2005-04-29
This is one of the not so good books for pools like many many others. I don't know may be it is too hard to write for pools. There are inside some pictures but nothing to catch the eye neither spectacular. THis book was suppouse to guide you how to create your own pool but I have see much better books!
So if you are going to spend money to build a pool keep on searching for another book!
Covers swimming pool decor and appropriate landscaping.......2004-03-04
Transform the swimming pool of a backyard into a Tuscan paradise with tiles and flowering plants, or create a pool with a beach-like presence filled with beach plants: that's the idea of Pool Scaping, a title which covers both swimming pool decor and appropriate landscaping around it. Pool Scaping is a lovely guide which covers the specifics of plants in a water surrounding.
Professional and to the point.......2003-10-15
The writer starts out with "Swimming pools have come a long way from the turquoise water holes surrounded by stark paving. Increasingly pools are being integrated into the design of the house and garden..."
I'm happy to see a book on this topic, especially one written by an accomplished writer and photographer. Many garden swimming pools stand out like a sore thumb - a harsh rectangle of Hollywood blue water with cold tile edges. They're lovely and cool in hot weather, but UGLY. Anything that helps to change or disguise this is all good.
The writer has many suggestions for doing just this. She addresses in depth topics such as decking, enclosures, structures, furniture and plantings. She has researched and offers suggestions for problems such as awkward rocky sites and the need to have an enclosure around the pool that doesn't block the view or make the place look like a prison.
It was good to see a generous number of pages given to plants and plantings - everything from container planting to landscaping the entire site. The writer also focuses on planning ahead when installing a pool or landscaping around it, and on matters relating to the budget. Both are very important and often overlooked..
The writer obviously has an encyclopedic knowledge of her topic and her writing is crisp and to-the-point. She understands the issues facing people who want to integrate their pool into their garden and addresses them directly. Her photographs illustrate her points with relevance and clarity. I'd recommend this book to anyone trying to add some style and class to a garden with a swimming pool.
Amazon.com
There are countless books about lifestyles that are inaccessible, either because they are engulfed by abstract ideas or are set in palaces, real or imagined. The Outdoor Living Room: Stylish Ideas for Porches, Patios, and Pools is a rare exception: gorgeous photographs of beautiful outdoor spaces that are accessible, or at least seem to be. Split up into sections that can appeal to anyone-"Modern," "Classic," "In Town," "Romantic," or "Whimsical"--this book can move even the most hardened city dweller, or bring dreamers out of their country homes. The book has a distinct magazine-like flavor, but the rigor of the photographic summation of elements in each section offsets this. The text is uninspiring, usually describing the photographs or making vague generalizations, but no matter, because the photographs are what this book is all about. They are beautiful and plentiful, whetting the appetite for sunny days in our own "outdoor living rooms." --Juliette Cezzar
Book Description
In the summer months and year-round in warmer climates, Americans love spending time outdoors. More and more, people are treating the outdoor spaces on their properties as true extensions of their homes, turning porches, pools, patios, decks, and gardens into outdoor living spaces that serve the same functions as indoor rooms.
In The Outdoor Living Room:
Stylish Ideas for Porches, Patios, and Pools, acclaimed author Martha Baker offers more than forty-five striking examples of this enlightened approach to outdoor decorating.
The Outdoor Living Room is divided into six chapters, each representing a specific type of outdoor style: Classic, Rustic, Romantic, Modern, Whimsical, and In Town. Six or seven different locations are featured in every chapter, each contributing a different idea or novel aspect of the same style. A multipaged “Components” section appears at the end of each chapter focusing on important elements of outdoor decorating, such as paving and lighting, followed by a heavily illustrated “Ideas” spread with tips on achieving a particular look. None of the magnificent spaces in this book has ever been published before; they range from a Southeast Asian–inspired tropical garden in Florida to a Japanese tea garden atop a New York City roof, from a grand wraparound porch on a classic home facing Lake Michigan to a thoroughly modern all-white patio near Miami.
The Outdoor Living Room also includes an extensive resource section, illustrating and describing garden furniture, architectural and landscape elements, and decorative items. Packed with more than 350 full-color photographs,
The Outdoor Living Room is at once a practical sourcebook and an inspirational delight.
Customer Reviews:
A carpenter's point of view.......2006-07-10
I bought this book as a gift for my husband, who is a carpenter. He makes furniture as a hobby and has improved our back patio with the addition of a handmade trellis, flower shelves and boxes, and--of course--plants, plants, and more plants.
He says, "This is a book for rich people," but as he gazes at the photos I see him drawing blueprints in his mind. Buy the book for ideas if you are rich and can pay someone else to execute them, or if you are handy and can build them yourself, like my husband. Or buy it because you just like to admire the elegant spaces where the other half plays.
I'm dreaming of an adirondack chaise lounge handmade by my husband, which I'm sure will appear on my patio one day soon.
Beautiful book.......2001-09-28
Loved this book. Beautiful photos-my only criticism is that I found many photos were repeated through the book in different chapters. I liked the index at the back of the book which listed sources for finding objects featured in photos. I also have Martha Baker's book, Garden Ornaments, and recommend both. These books have a permanent place on my bookshelf and bedside table.
Book Description
By bringing what H. Marc Cathey, president of the American Horticultural Society, has called "a new wave of naturalism" to America, James van Sweden and his partner, Wolfgang Oehme, have revolutionized American landscape design. Van Sweden and Oehme are internationally renowned for their public projects and private commissions: responsible for the Hudson River Park in New York City and several gardens of the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, D.C., they have landscaped the properties of celebrity clients such as Oprah Winfrey and David Brinkley, as well as many more modest gardens for private homeowners.
According to van Sweden, no garden is too small to benefit from the soothing, sensuous qualities of water. Gardening with Water, the first in a new series of books to be written by van Sweden, covers everything from birdbaths and small fountains to waterfalls, swimming pools, lily pools, and water edges. Writing for professional and nonprofessional gardeners alike, van Sweden begins with an overview of influences -- from Frank Lloyd Wright's "Falling Water" to palace gardens in Kyoto, Japan -- before surveying close to a hundred of his own projects to illustrate how he and Wolfgang Oehme introduce water into their garden designs. Several chapters are devoted to practical questions: what to plant, where to plant, whom to contact, and how to build. Clear instructions are supplemented with numerous illustrations, extensive diagrams, and a detailed glossary of trees, plants, and flowers (including Oehme and van Sweden's trademark grasses).
Books:
- Natural Swimming Pools: Inspiration For Harmony With Nature (Schiffer Design Book)
- New Complete Guide to Landscaping: Design, Plant, Build (Better Homes and Gardens(R))
- New Cook Book: 1953 Classic Edition (Better Homes & Gardens)
- Official Nintendo Animal Crossing: Wild World Player's Guide
- Outside the Not So Big House: Creating the Landscape of Home
- Painting and Decorating Clay Pots: 117 Step-by-Step Projects for Making People, Animals, and Fantasy Characters on Terra-Cotta Pots
- Physical Chemistry
- Planning and Installing Photovoltaic Systems: A Guide for Installers, Architects and Engineers
- Planting Green Roofs and Living Walls
- Pokemon Colosseum (Prima's Official Strategy Guide)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Get Out of That Pit: Straight Talk about God's Deliverance
- Allegiance
- The Biostatistics Cookbook: The Most User-Friendly Guide for the Bio/Medical Scientist
- The Finite Element Method in the 1990's: A Book Dedicated to O.C. Zienkiewicz
- Watercolor Painting Outside the Lines: A Positive Approach to Negative Painting
- Another Cosmopolitanism
- A Horse Around the House: The Horse Lover's Guide to Selecting, Housing, Caring For, Educating, Enjo
- De Stijl
- The Chicago School of Architecture: A History of Commercial and Public Building in the Chicago Area,
- Devon Wildlife Through the Seasons
Earth Ponds Sourcebook: The Pond Owner's Manual and Resource Guide, Second Edition
Landscaping Earth Ponds: The Complete Guide
The Ponder's Bible
Earth Ponds: The Country Pond Maker's Guide to Building, Maintenance and Restoration
Poolscaping: Gardening and Landscaping Around Your Swimming Pool and Spa
