Williamsburg: Decorating with Style

After reading the editorials, I took the advice of one and contacted the Williamsburg foundation bookstore (757) 229-1000 x2753. This book is still available. You can purchase it for $[...] shipping and handling.

This is a great book above any other. Shop around before you get charged 10X the amount of actual retail price. The Williamsburg Foundation is easily accessible thanks to the World Wide Web.

The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation has made it possible for anyone searching for colonial american style, a complete reference on colonial decoration. This beautifully written and photographed book covers from china and fabrics to mantels and gardens and everything in between. The book also covers contemporary interpretations, conservation tips and care of antiques and a Williamburg product and resource guide. Books covering colonial influenced decorating seemed to be hard to come by, but this book will be a very welcomed addition to your decorating library.

Make no mistake, Colonial Williamsburg has created its own form of style. It's not "Colonial", Georgian, Rococo, Baroque or Colonial Revival...it's a hybrid of all of these. For the most part, Colonial Williamsburg is the mecca of interpreting the 18th century, what plagues it is its faults in the past and catering to visitor's expectations based on those past mistakes. Colonial Williamsburg has been pushing the edge of research and preservation since 1929, but some of the misinpretations made in the 1930s have become so engrained in what Colonial Williamsburg means to many of its visitors, that Colonial Williamsburg feels the need to cater to it from time to time. Take the Christmas decorations they put throughout the town; they freely admit it is more than our colonial forefathers would have done, but so many people look forward to it every year that it is now its own tradition, somewhere between colonial and modern in practice.Not everything you will find in this book is strictly "period", but based on period practices and adaptations for modern usage. If you are a purist, maybe you will find flauts in this book, but if you are a pragmatist, you will enjoy it.

I acquired this book last year, and I still pick it up to look at it every few days. It's as good a vacation as reading a historical romance -- even better in some ways, since there are beautiful pictures of things you can have yourself.Yes, you can buy a lot of the items shown in it, and I loved seeing how they used the reproduction pieces. I lived in Virginia for twelve years, and though, not a native, was completely charmed by the simple elegance and absolute quality of Williamsburg style.Many Virginians do indeed live every day with these sorts of time-honored pieces of furniture, textiles and tableware. The styles were originally chosen with livability in a rustic land in mind and fit in nicely whether you live in an apartment, an older home or a newer home.You don't need a plank floor -- this gracious style fits in with wall-to-wall carpeting or vinyl floors, believe me. I've seen it over and over. Virginians love it and do it well. A professional decorator I once knew in Richmond (we took a German course together -- I don't know decorators normally) actually complained that she wished she would be asked to do something besides a Williamsburg style. But you don't need a decorator to enjoy it. Ordinary people find the style very accessible and attractive.And the garden portion of the book is lovely as well. Exteriors of the historic area are shown, along with gazebos to demonstrate paint and outdoor textile choices. Even if you don't want to use Williamsburg reproductions, there is plenty of inspiration here to make your own choices from other brands.I highly recommend this book and a trip to Virginia for a first-hand look. Both have been pure pleasure and inspiration to me.