Product Description

In the northeast region of New York State lies the Adirondack Park: six million breathtaking acres of natural beauty. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, America's most prominent families came to the area to build the expansive summer retreats known as the Great Camps. Built and decorated with the region's natural resources, the camps reflected the serenity and indelible power of their surroundings--and the rustic Adirondack style was born.
        
People are once again flocking to the area -- building new vacation retreats or restoring existing camps -- and creating fresh new perspectives on this classic American style. Author Ann Stillman O'Leary takes you through the rich and interesting history of the Adirondacks with an in-depth look at how its trademark building and decorating style is being interpreted today.
        
The book's introduction, written by Elizabeth Folwell, the editor of Adirondack Life magazine, provides an overview of this distinctive area and the original owners and builders of the Great Camps. The remaining chapters explore the region's finest camps, both inside and out. More than 200 full-color and historical black-and-white photographs highlight all the elements unique to this style, from exterior stonework and twig filligree to interior fabrics and wall decor. A featured section shows how Adirondack furniture uses every bit of the tree, from root and burl to bark and branch, with amazing results. A thorough source guide identifies architects, builders, interior designers, manufacturers, craftspeople, and retail stores  featuring camp merchandise, and a list of area lodging lets you experience the Adirondacks firsthand.
        
Adirondack Style, the first book to take a comprehensive look at rustic design today,celebrates -- in words and images -- a style that is being referenced in homes from Maine to California.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1084206 in Books
• Published on: 1998-10-06
• Released on: 1998-10-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 180 pages

From Amazon.com
The Adirondack "Great Camp" style bears witness to the long and interesting history of New York State's northeastern corner, from the splint basketry and bark sheathing used by the native people, the furs and skins so prized by the earliest white traders, the thick walls built by the French soldiers eager to protect their North American strongholds, and the unpeeled log structures of early lumberjacks. As well-heeled sportsmen of the late 19th century flocked to the area's lakes and mountains, they brought the touches--electric lights, Persian carpets, Craftsman-style fixtures--that made luxurious resorts of these large cabins. The word camp certainly doesn't imply makeshift; as Alfred Donaldson wrote in 1921, "It can only be said that 'camp' in Adirondack parlance has become a loose term applied indiscriminately to anything from a tent to a palace created in the woods, in more or less isolation, primarily for pleasure and summer recreation."

Ann Stillman O'Leary has developed what amounts to a primer on camp style, concentrating mainly on contemporary interpretations. As this style has come back into favor, it has incorporated more Scandinavian and Japanese elements that complement its rugged simplicity, and the interiors reflect the 20th-century insistence on better light and warmth. In short, the modern Adirondack camp style is at once cozy and elegant, and the faithful and appealing examples shown here will lead many readers in search of ways to create their own little "camps" at home.

About the Author
ANN STILLMAN O'LEARY is an interior designer who has been a product manager for home furnishings in New York City and has designed accessories and greeting cards for Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale's, Macy's, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Brentano's. She lives in Lake Placid, New York.

GARY R. HALL has taken photographs for national publications such as Town & Country and Country Inns, and has exhibited widely.

Customer Reviews

Handsome but limited
In looking for ideas for the second home getaway we are planning, I came across this book and added it to my collection. It is handsome but, as the title would suggest, limited to one style. If that is your thing, fine. In this genre, the book that keeps rising to the top of the little stack on my coffee table is called SECOND HOME/Finding Your place in the Sun (or Fun or something like that). Second Home shows rustic styles and romantic cottage ones, too, taking me on a little tour of the United States as I turn the pages. The author obviously did his homework, too, because Second Home is filled with information on how to shop for real estate, evalute an area, decide what you want (and where you want it), etc.

A nice look at one style
As I just wrote in a review of Cabin Fever, this book, too, is a delight to look at. But it is limited (as its title says, of course) to one style that is a bit more rustic than what we have in mind. Still, this is a lovely book to peruse. As we gather information on vacation homes, our favorite book is a new one called Second Home, which includes visits to everything from oceanside homes and lake cottages to mountain cabins. Second Home also includes information on how to shop for a second home, how to decide what location is right, and tips on building, decorating and so on. I've never met a vacation house book I didn't like, and I like them all. But Second Home is our favorite because it has such variety of home styles and helpful tips in it.

A dream book
In planning the vacation home we hope to have soon, we bought this book and a new one called SECOND HOME. Adirondack Style is more of a dream book and includes historical information about the style. It's also limited to one style, of course. The book called Second Home works on a couple levels as a dream book but it also includes information on shopping, building, decorating, and so on, and it shows a wide range of second home styles around the country. We like both, but if we had to pick only one, it would be Second Home. (A book called Cabin Fever is fun, too, but limited to very rustic styles.)