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Mexican Lifestyles Books Home Design, Mexican Style: Three New Books By Schiffer Publishing
Mexican Lifestyles Books Home Design, Mexican Style: Three New Books By Schiffer Publishing | Home Design, Mexican Style: Three New Books By Schiffer Publishing |
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| Written by ALEX GESHEVA | |
| Saturday, 22 December 2007 | |
 '"Traditional Mexican Style Exteriors" by Donna McMenamin (photography by Richard Loper) "Traditional Mexican Style Interiors" by Donna McMenamin (photography by Richard Loper) "Mexican Style, Sustainable" by Tina Skinner ' These comments, mind you, aren't meant to detract from the beauty of the books. Readers should simply be aware that implementing many of the ideas will carry a hefty price tag, even with cheaper construction crews south of the border. After all, those who want to live like kings may also have to spend like them for a while. Fortunately, there are also color and décor hints that can help you design on a more modest budget. The overall feel is one of colorful, comfortable opulence designed to draw in guests and soothe the soul. Donna McMenamin does a wonderful job of keeping comments on each photo concise and helpful. She has also filled "Traditional Mexican Style Exteriors" and "Traditional Mexican Style Interiors" with a variety of styles, an impressive breadth of decorating options for all spaces, and just enough Spanish-language vocabulary to allow readers to identify the materials and techniques used. The photographs are magnificent and the author wisely lets them do most of their own talking. The slightly odd child in this group, "Mexican Style, Sustainable," is an exploration of houses in the exclusive Loreto Bay settlement in Baja California. A custom-built and designed community, Loreto Bay claims a utopian, sustainable vision, using traditional Mexican architecture instead of air-conditioning and natural-light spaces, gardens and narrow pedestrian passages for shading. At times, unfortunately, Skinner's text reads just a bit too much like an advertisement for paradise with a price tag (not that the prices of the homes are mentioned, of course, either in the book or on Loreto Bay's website). The houses are undeniably beautiful, the decorations are stunning ... and it all looks just a little too pristine and contrived. Obviously, most of the homes are waiting to be found, but in the meantime, this book depicts a magnificent, eerily empty ghost town. Of the hundreds of photos in the book, only two show human beings. The effect is just a little bit creepy. In this case, unlike in McMenamin's design books, readers will feel the absence of people, perhaps because the text insists on the importance of communal living, shared visions and spaces and environmental responsibility. It is not easy for a design book to carry these concepts across by showing furniture and gardens. "Mexican Style, Sustainable" doesn't convincingly distinguish itself from any other book on Mexican architectural and decorating styles, particularly as it argues that traditional Mexican designs are by nature ecologically sound. If you are interested in learning more about Loreto Bay, Skinner's soft-cover (at 19.95 dollars) is for you. If you are more interested in books for design ideas from Mexican style, try McMenamin (each of her hard-bound books retails for 39.95). Incidentally, Schiffer, a publisher specializing in photography books, has vastly expanded their selection of all things Mexican-themed, as well as an impressive variety of original, quirky and obscure coffee-table books. Their online catalogue is definitely worth a look (or more). To order any of their books, call (610)593-2002 or visit their website at www.schifferbooks.com. Shipping within the United States is 3.95 dollars (or free for orders over 100 dollars). |
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