Schiffer Books

Celebrated landscape designer Terry Wallace guides you in the creation of the landscape of your dreams in the Mid-Atlantic United States. Discover the joy and satisfaction to be found in creating a garden that complements and enhances your lifestyle. Wallace takes you step-by-step through the process of creating a beautiful and sustainable garden. She offers a host of practical tips about basic design, planning, and maintenance specific to this climate. Most importantly, the beautiful images here will inspire you to transform your garden home into an amazing botanical retreat.

This beautifully illustrated book offers you an opportunity to explore 18 private log homes and getaway cabins. Acclaimed architectural photographer Roger Wade takes readers from the mountains of Arizona through the Midwest and on into the eastern coastline states, illustrating a diverse collection of log home styles. Homeowners, decorators, and architects alike will be inspired by the tremendous diversity of furnishings and decor, as well as enjoy the opportunity to study architectural details graced by different log styles, corner systems, and finishes. Floor plans will guide you as you explore these homes inside and out. This is the perfect book for anyone considering building a log home, or for those who've already built and are looking for unique decorating ideas for their very own dream home.

Wonder at amazing widths of log that stretch the lengths of walls, and soar to cathedral ceilings amidst exposed timber framing. This is an inspiring book for any would-be homebuilder or interior designer who wants to incorporate the wood look of our ancestral folk architecture in a modern home. Take a tour of more than 35 houses, inside and out, through beautiful color photographs and floor plans. Inside are great ideas for kitchens, great rooms, dens, dining areas, sunrooms, bedrooms, and porches. This is a wonderful resource for anyone trying to decide between timber-frame or log home construction, or a combination of both.

Look into America’s most notable corporate atriums, boardrooms, lobbies, seating areas, and executive offices and experience their powerful interior designs. Actual installations by professional architects and designers, these spaces reflect the powerful atmosphere in which corporate decisions are made daily. Over 235 color photographs present a cross-section of corporate designs and contemporary rooms that are on the cutting edge. The rooms use various materials, colors, light, and structural containment to provide ambiance. Some are simple designs utilizing creativity and function as their inspiration, while others use bolder elements to create memorable designs. From wood to polished marble and accent lighting, the elements add drama to the space. This book will provide awe and inspiration to executives, architects, interior designers, and committee members looking for powerful ideas.

Exquisite, exciting, enameled jewelry — powdered glass fused onto metal to create gorgeous, delicate color and detail, beautiful enough to be considered art. Here is the first book to focus exclusively on enameled jewelry, an integral, important, and innovative part of American and European jewelry design at the turn of the 20th century. Attention is given to significant developments in enameling techniques and to the symbolism found in Victorian, Art Nouveau, and Arts and Crafts jewelry design during the nineteenth century and later Edwardian and Art Deco styles. Important jewelry manufacturers such as Krementz and Meyle and Mayer are included as well as more modern designers such as David Andersen and Margo de Taxco. Attention is given to the highly collectible Newark, New Jersey, and New York enamels that are often dated c. 1900. Each chapter includes values for many of the pieces illustrated. Over 450 stunning color photographs illustrate this comprehensive volume. This is an important reference for jewelry designers, historians, and collectors.

This is the Revised Edition of the classic bible of American furniture. It presents a thorough analysis, through over 700 photographs and detailed text, of the various elements of design, decoration, craftsmanship, construction, and finish of early American furniture. Each type is shown and discussed with three examples—good, better, best—and the relative merits and consequent value differentials of each are compared. It explains why superficially similar pieces of furniture of the same approximate age and scarcity, and possibly by the same maker, may vary considerably in desirability and worth. It is a unique, indispensible guide for today's students, collectors, dealers, and curators in judging and evaluating antiques. More than 100 types are discussed and 675 examples are illustrated, including some of the most notable pieces. The ultimate reference, as important today as when first written in 1950.

A wide range of treatments for every aspect of kitchen design is explored. The 427 professional color photos display many kitchen styles designed by specialists in this dynamic field. Architectural elements, such as ceiling treatments, columns, and windows are revealed; along with elements of the work space, such as sinks, ranges, and island configurations; detail elements include cabinets, back splashes, and top trim; and supplemental elements such as attached tables, pantries, and wine storage. This book is intended to act as both an idea generator and a means of facilitating clear communication between design professionals and their consumers. It includes a resource list of contributors and their contact information. This book is a must for homeowners and professional designers alike.

Over 200 images of outdoor fireplace, fire pit, and kitchen designs by professional landscape architects, contractors, custom homebuilders, kitchen designers, and hearth product manufacturers provide inspiration in the most complete book on the subject ever published.

From the eighteenth century onward, the Shakers have been dedicated to a simple, communal lifestyle outside of society. Their furniture was beautiful in its simplicity and functionality. 300 historical and modern photos provide a visual tour of the masterpieces of Shaker furniture and an introduction to the faithful artisans who produced them. This book will be a treasure for all who enjoy, own, and create handmade furniture.

A fascinating text explains the many popular nineteenth century traditions associated with death and mourning. Over 300 color photographs display jewelry, photography, clothing, customs, and symbolism. Over 70 pages of a Victorian hair jewelry catalog are included.

Hundreds of images illustrate creative ideas for turning a simple lawn into a fresh-air room. Many topics are covered, including landscaping, common outdoor landscaping materials, ideas for decorating permanent structures, and furnishings. A large section of outdoor kitchens makes this the best book on the market.

Features edged weapons from Europe, America, the Middle East, Asia, Japan, and Africa. Items shown range from ancient times to the early 20th century. Learn to identify the characteristics, historical uses, and current values of these highly diverse antiques. Includes information on terminology, evaluating age and authenticity, and current values. Novice as well as advanced collectors will find this an indispensable reference.

The streets of Budapest, Hungary, and Vienna, Austria, are rich in masterpieces of Art Nouveau ironwork. Around nearly every corner of the residential districts and business hubs of these great cities, architectural treasures wait to be appreciated by the discerning eye. 500 vivid photos show the many, varied interpretations of Art Nouveau forms used in balustrades and balconies, lanterns and gates, doorways, elevator door façades, and more. This book will inspire many to make new travel plans and will delight everyone with a passion for beautiful decorative ironwork. Explanations of the settings discuss the details and decorative motifs associated with the various ironwork objects illustrated, and detailed photographs enhance the reader's understanding and appreciation. A bibliography is included.

Each year, interior designers descend upon show houses to display their best work. Given free reign over the concepts, the color palettes, and all the details, designers go all-out to create some of world's most striking and trend-setting interiors. This book takes you on an exceptional tour of over 150 show house rooms, from Pasadena, California to Kips Bay, New York that present a fascinating array of design styles gorgeously illustrated in over 400 stunning photographs. Readers will marvel at this extraordinary collection, featuring rooms draped in luxurious textiles, furnished in custom designed masterpieces, and accented with original works of art. This book itself is a showcase, sure to be treasured by design aficionados, professionals, and homeowners alike. Foyers, kitchens, dining rooms, bedrooms, baths, living rooms, outdoor areas, kid spaces, wine cellars, media rooms, and studies are all included. Resource guides provide information about each show house and designer featured, as well as the photographers who frame images of these marvelous rooms for us.

Here is an exceptional insight into the unique ironwork created by today’s artist-blacksmiths. Over 250 color photographs display details of contemporary iron objects, including flowers, grape clusters, leaves, small and large animals that attest to the blacksmith’s role as a sculptor. There are amazing scrolls, folds, twists, textures, and weaves not normally associated with the hard material. With heat, hammer, talent, and muscle, the modern artist-blacksmith is forging exciting forms that permeate our surroundings. The casual viewer may often overlook details of small elements used to create a magnificent whole. Dona Z. Meilach shows how focusing on the iron details of flowers, leaves, and amazing critters makes ordinary fences, gates, and chandeliers extraordinary. Functional joints become beautiful elements for furniture, fireplace accessories, candlestick holders, and other iron items we use daily. Dona’s approach will open one’s eyes to “see” and respect this burgeoning art form. This stimulating book is a must for metalworkers, designers, artists, gallery owners, art lovers, and museum directors.

We all know how to set tables, but do we know how to make them beautiful? With this book, you can realize the magic of table decor. With over 300 color illustrations and many practical and inventive solutions, this book covers the table, from soup to nuts or gardens to dining rooms, and many places in between. This book acquaints you with the charm of table décor, whether it is traditional, romantic, modern, or simple. The decorators featured are both professional and gifted, from many diverse backgrounds, and working in dozens of styles. There are ideas for every occasion and taste. By keeping the focus on texture, color, simple containers, and lots of ordinary household items, you can turn a simple meal into something fabulous by varying the items you use together. Here you will find the inspiration to create table settings with style, using your own china and silverware. See how designers and decorators mix, experiment, and create table décor with modern accouterments or pair antiques with new, ornate, or simple.

This book explores one of home design's most enduring style trends as it applies to the kitchen — country style décor. Appealing to many because of its traditional flair, handmade accents, and cozy atmosphere, country inspired interiors are rich in a sense of history and generational experience. Almost 200 gorgeous color photos of country style kitchens have been compiled to inspire homeowners, designers, architects, and builders with hundreds of ideas in colors, finishes, cabinetry, countertop materials, lighting, and flooring. The book's resource guide provides contact information of the manufacturers, designers, and architects whose work is featured in the book.

Here is an exciting foray into the world of the artist-blacksmith. Dona Z. Meilach discovers the growing numbers of men and women who revel in lighting up a forge and shaping hot, malleable iron into beautiful, useful objects. Blacksmiths today make both monumental and modest architectural accompaniments, from public art to an infinite number of items we encounter every day. With this book, you will gain an appreciation of the medium and its creators, and realize that blacksmiths do much more than shoe horses. Over 480 color photographs highlight objects for indoor and outdoor use, including fences, railings, gates, doors, sculpture, furniture, lighting fixtures, candleholders, and more. Some are truly “modern” in style while others are inspired by historical references, such as Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Craftsman, and Victorian styles. Today’s blacksmiths, designers, artists, and homeowners will find unparalleded inspiration for creating unique yet practical surroundings.

In the first book of miniature decorative bird-carving patterns ever published, William Veasey presents intricately detailed designs for the novice carver. This concise practicable guide will help the amateur carver to develop the basic skills necessary to produce his own realistic miniature birds.

The largest portfolio of bridal bouquets available on the market today. More than 400 gorgeous color photos illustrate a wealth of fresh ideas to inspire brides, floral designers, and wedding planners with stunning bouquet designs, from minimalist chic, to luxurious, to traditional. Divided into chapters by color, this enchanting guide also offers helpful advice on identifying individual flowers for your bouquet, choosing colors, bouquet styles, and even wedding flower etiquette.

This attractive book is a useful tool for anyone looking to bring the enchanting beauty of stained glass into their home. Hundreds of gorgeous windows of many shapes, sizes, colors, and complexities are featured here, including etched, beveled, painted, and mosaic windows. Learn about the influences of some of the more prominent names in decorative windows, including Louis Comfort Tiffany, John LaFarge, and Frank Lloyd Wright. Original catalog material, a discussion of glass and leading types, values for each window, and other information will help you assess decorative windows in the marketplace. For designers and artisans, this book is a treasury of classic designs.

From the outside in, explore exquisite timber frame homes at your leisure. Floor plans serve as your tour guide, while leading architectural photographers illuminate the astonishing spaces and intimate detailing of authentic homes. Each evokes the grandeur of the inherited barn-style form, while expressing the individuality of the owners who took part in designing their one-of-a-kind homes. In all, 30 homes are presented for your inspection, with imagery of exteriors, great rooms, kitchens, dining areas, intimate studies, dens, and formal living rooms, as well as spacious master suites and beautifully appointed bedrooms and baths. This book will inspire all who hope to build or furnish a unique post and beam home of their own.

For those who dream of living in a log home, this treasure trove of images will be a welcome delight. Now in its second edition, the book has been expanded to include images of 18 new homes. The first edition inspired thousands of would-be log home builders. Nearly 50 homes are pictured in all, complete with floor plans as well as gorgeous imagery of both interiors and exteriors. This is a gold mine of visual ideas for designing, building, and decorating log homes. Study these dazzling ispaces and compare house profiles, room layouts, and decorating and furnishing ideas for great rooms, bedrooms, home offices, kitchens, and baths. This enchanting resource showcases log home living and the distinctive decorating styles that so greatly complement it.

An inspiring collection of design ideas for patio construction, this book will help you discover ways to transform ordinary outdoor spaces into perfect outdoor environments. Over 200 beautiful color photographs show patios of all shapes and sizes, from quaint and picturesque, to grand and elegant, for any kind of budget. Your dreams will turn into exciting design realities as you visually explore dozens of patios, studying their shapes, colors, textures, and patterns. You'll be sure to find the perfect patio to suit your home's architecture and your family's lifestyle.