At Home in The American Barn

Every book that Rizzoli publishes is beautiful, and At Home in the American Barn is no exception. The jacket is slick and heavy, the pages glossy, and the hardcover itself whimsically and charmingly designed. Both Brandt Bolding and Geoffrey Gross are supremely talented and their photographs are reproduced in rich, sumptuous color.Less impressive is the text by James B. Garrison. As with most "house" books, At Home in the American Barn begins with a general introduction that could have been gleaned by anyone with access to Google -- no big deal, book introductions rarely make for a thrilling read. What is more disappointing are the individual introductions to the twenty-three barns. Architectural photo books so often feature historic homes whose owners are long gone. Here, Garrison presumably had access to at least twenty-three living, breathing inhabitants. It beggars belief that not one person he encountered had anything fun or interesting to say, but you won't find a single quote from any homeowner. Instead, the author stretches the text with observations such as "wood is a very important material here." Wood in a barn? You don't say. The writing in general feels like a padded term paper written by a student who couldn't be bothered to include any original sources.The real fail here though belongs to editor Douglas Curran, who lets down both the author and the photographers.As case in point, I'll take "Barnesyard" as it's the home featured on the cover. In the introduction, Garrison tells us that the homeowners lived in the "partially renovated" structure for nearly a decade before beginning their own work. I wonder why. Because they weren't sure that they liked living in a barn? Because they couldn't decide how to use the space? Because they wanted to to tackle the entire project at once and needed to save up? We'll never know because apparently Curran never asked. Barnesyard distinguishes itself in that farm animals live on the ground floor, which can still be accessed through original hay doors. Well, that sounds interesting. Do we see either the ground floor or these doors? Nope. The homeowners designed their master suite to open onto a large deck that becomes "part of the pasture." That sounds nice. Do we see either suite or deck? Nope. This is a PHOTO BOOK. Don't tell us, SHOW US. So what do we see instead? Of the seven pictures of Barnesyard there is one of the front door area and one of a small guest bedroom, with the remaining five all of the same "main room." Two whole pages are inexplicably dedicated to a wide shot of a table against a wall in this same space.Which brings us to the biggest letdown -- photo selection. Of the approximately 160 photos, there are only about a half dozen each showing anything of kitchens or bedrooms; there's one bathroom; and some scenic exteriors. The remaining 140 odd photos are dedicated to different angles of the same "main rooms" of the barns. The photos become so repetitive that many are hardly more than the same picture reproduced in a slightly different size. Even with the very few bedrooms shown, shots are repeated. One through-the-bedroom-door angle (pages 232/233) is shown full-page with a near identical photo reproduced full-page opposite. Huh? What a waste of space. That's just lazy editing.As an aside, I will mention that the owners of a few of these barns have their own websites that offer an assortment of views that give you a better feel for the properties. One site even provides a floor plan which gives you an idea how the homeowner decided to convert and utilize the space. That's another good idea that could have been employed successfully here, but was not.So would I recommend At Home in the American Barn? Yes, I would. It's reasonably priced. There is a variety of architectural styles featured, and with a few exceptions, the interiors haven't been ASIDed to death. On the whole it feels like a pleasant visit to your neighbors. There's no resource guide, but if you are furnishing a barn or country home, you may find some realistic, livable inspiration here.As of this writing, it appears that a few of the five star reviews here come from people connected to the project. I'm tempted to give it 2 stars just to redress the balance, but in fairness I won't.

like it

Wonderful high quality book. Great for a coffee table. Highly recommend!

This book was a gift and they loved it.

Very good quality

Nice read

Really good book. I don't want a decorating book with houses full of store furniture...These houses were more interestingly furnished.

The way we should all live, beautiful spaces and bring restoration to a great level.

Not quite what I thought it would be.

Beautiful book.