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The Home Within Us: Romantic Houses, Evocative Rooms

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The Home Within Us: Romantic Houses, Evocative Rooms

Architect and designer Bobby McAlpine creates idyllic houses that wed historical precedent with gracious modern living. His distinguished firms, McAlpine Tankersley Architecture and McAlpine Booth & Ferrier Interiors, are renowned nationwide for their talent in designing residences that resonate with nostalgia, fantasy, and a sense of place. Their dwellings—from country and seaside retreats to homes in historic American neighborhoods—offer favorite period styles with a timeless quality. Pres

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3 responses to “The Home Within Us: Romantic Houses, Evocative Rooms”

  1. Peter H. Millen Avatar
    Peter H. Millen
    55 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
    5.0 out of 5 stars
    Such a talented architect, April 15, 2010
    By 
    Peter H. Millen (Chicago, IL) –
    (REAL NAME)
      

    Amazon Verified Purchase(What’s this?)
    This review is from: The Home Within Us: Romantic Houses, Evocative Rooms (Hardcover)

    This book gives a lovely glimpse of the select output from architect Bobby McAlpine and his firms. His body of work is more akin to a talent and style not seen since the early last century with architects like Harrie Thomas Lindeberg or Mellor, Meigs & Howe. These are gracious, intricate, lovely and very inviting structures inside and out.

    He’s been served well by clients who must have the resources to build such structures and more importantly appreciate the stately old world feel. Not a hint of McMansion or chest-thumping loud architecture that so many homes of today sadly exude. McAlpine could design and build a dog house and I suspect it would be more visually inviting then most homes, even those of the ‘well heeled’, built in the last 50-years.

    A comparable contemporary firm would be Fairfax & Sammons, who also have had a book issued in the last decade on their output. If you have that publication you’ll certainly appreciate this one.

    Some publications such as Southern Accents and Veranda have showcased his work (he’s been based in Alabama) but otherwise he’s not receiving the widespread accolades he deserves. Perhaps this book will change that. ‘The Home Within Us’ is not without some quirks – no detail accompanies the homes shown so no idea when they were built or even where they stand. Some of the pictures appear to have been sourced from prior photo shoots so sometimes the pictures themselves look dated. And perhaps a good thing as it reflects well on what he’s accomplished I was hungry to see even more exterior and facade detail shots.

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  2. Deborah S. Hall Avatar
    Deborah S. Hall
    34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
    5.0 out of 5 stars
    If you like wood, dark, Saladino, you’ll love this, May 6, 2010
    By 
    Deborah S. Hall (Rochester, New York United States) –
    (VINE VOICE)
      

    Amazon Verified Purchase(What’s this?)
    This review is from: The Home Within Us: Romantic Houses, Evocative Rooms (Hardcover)

    Have long been an admirer of Bobby McAlpine and have wished he would publish a book. This is marvelous and has already become one of my favorites. Several but not all of the houses shown were previously published in Southern Accents and elsewhere — and it is wonderful to have them together here with the author’s narrative. One of the things that makes this book especially interesting is the feature on the architect’s own house which is shown in three quite different iterations. It is fascinating to see how the same space looks dressed in three quite different schemes.

    McAlpine’s narrative relates some of his design choices, for example, the preference for a smaller entrance at the side of the house rather than the grand center entrance, the interest in natural stone and limed antiqued wood, and patina of all sorts. McAlpine gave me a real appreciation for the use of dark. Seeing these rooms, I understood that one does not require pastel walls to have an experience of light in a room — on the contrary, sun flowing into a room with dark walls can render a much richer experience of light. Seeing his rooms in the eighties gave me the courage to paint the light walls of my sunroom dark, dark green, and I have loved it. Of course McAlpine is not unique in using dark, but he has done it so skillfully and compellingly.

    If you like patina’ed surfaces, stone and brick, dark, dare I say, somewhat masculine and oversize furnishings, nuanced colors, antiques — if you like Saladino and Tarlow and VerVoordt — you will most likely enjoy this book.

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  3. Connie J. Adams Avatar
    Connie J. Adams
    13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
    5.0 out of 5 stars
    The Home Within Us: Romantic Houses, Evocative Rooms, May 9, 2010
    By 
    Connie J. Adams (Michigan) –
    (REAL NAME)
      

    Amazon Verified Purchase(What’s this?)
    This review is from: The Home Within Us: Romantic Houses, Evocative Rooms (Hardcover)

    If you loved John Saladino’s book, Villa, you will love, The Home Within Us, by Bobby McAlpine. This most wonderful book is filled with homes that are timeless, worldly, romantic, soothing, and have a sense of history. I love the juxtaposition of rustic wood and stone with velvet and crystal shown throughout the book. The rooms are peaceful. They are not over-decorated, but warm and interesting. Each item, whether chair, urn or sconce, is art. Beautifully done. Recommended

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