Cottages - Tapa dura

The romance, simplicity, and endless appeal of the cottage style of design is celebrated in a coast-to-coast tour of delightful examples of cottages, from the Catskill Mountains of New York, to Georgia's Tybee Island, to Southern California and beyond.

Cottages-small, romantic dwellings-are becoming increasingly popular and for good reason. A smaller house, something with less upkeep and expense but still with plenty of charm, fits the bill for many of today's homeowners. People are rediscovering the joys of cottage living, whether through details such as a built-in window seat, a swing on the front porch or a bathroom fitted with an outdoor shower for washing sandy feet after a stroll on the beach. A cottage need not be grand; as long as it's homey and welcoming, it can still be a wonderful place to call home. From the Catskill Mountains in upstate New York to Tybee Island off the coast of southern Georgia, Cottages reveals some of the most appealing examples around. A rustic mountain retreat, a sunny southern California casita, and a seaside fishing shack are just some of the classy cottages portrayed here. This book celebrates the joy of having a cottage of our own for kicking off our shoes and taking time to enjoy life.
Brian Coleman, MD, is a practicing psychiatrist who divides his time between Seattle and New York. He is an editor with Old House Interiors magazine, as well as the author of thirteen books on the decorative arts, including the popular Scalamandre.
Photographer Douglas Keister is America's most noted photographer of historic architecture. His most recent books are Stories in Stone, Courtyards, Silver Palaces and Mobile Mansions. Cottages marks his thirtieth book. This is Coleman and Keister's second collaboration; their first was the book Classic Cottages.
Jacket photos 2007 Douglas Keister
Jacket design by Gabriella Hunter