Villa: Italian Country Style

This is a charming little book on interior typically Tuscan decorating. There is a short introduction on general points behind the decorating of villas, old renovated farmhouses, and the like, for the most part in central Italy, and then there is a breakout by chapter of each area of a typical villa, i.e. bedrooms, kitchens, living spaces, as well as more detailed coverage of windows, doors, fireplaces, furniture, and decorative touches. The text is short and direct, nothing wrong with it but hardly encyclopedic. The strength of the book is in the beautiful photos accompanying the text, all in full color and printed on good stock. While there is some repetition - one chapter, say, will feature a fireplace or window decoration, and another chapter will show a detail from the same fireplace or window - on the whole one gets the idea. This is strictly a book on interiors; not only is there only one outdoor shot (of a patio), but there are no floorplans or elevations shot at all. Most of the photos were taken from just a few homes. It's a nice little book, at list price perhaps on the expensive side for what is only a half hour browse.

This book had some good information to allow the reader a beginning understanding of Tuscan interior decorating. The pictures were very helpful, but as a small book it couldn't go into too much detail.