For many people contentment and fulfillment are found through the skill of their own hands. The 29 craftspeople featured in this book have given up weekly paychecks, pensions, and security for freedom to create their own dreams. The result is beautiful furniture, each piece the unique product of the furniture maker's creativity and skill. Heavily illustrated with beautiful color photographs, this new book explores the lives and work of some of the most distinguished American furniture makers of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Beginning with Wharton Esherick, James Krenov, Sam...

Statues, fountains, sundials, and obelisks--don't most of us want to live with beauty in a garden? Garden ornaments can breathe life into a garden, no matter its size. When art is placed in a garden, we are invited to explore and enjoy the experience. Abstract silhouettes, playful images, and forms in perfect balance bring discoveries with each new view. This new book presents nearly 500 color photographs of over 350 garden ornaments: animals, maidens, children, miniature trains, urns, gates, pavilions, topiary, birdhouses, and many more. Experience an insider's tour of garden ornaments and...

This book is the perfect companion for anyone planning to redo a kitchen or bath. Images and interviews with professional designers illustrate the dramatic results of changes, big and small, in over 50 projects. Gorgeous color photos display options in countertops, cabinetry, flooring, lighting, appliances, fixtures, and so much more Floorplans are included to address common structural problems and various solutions that help you envision improvements in your own home. Whether youre planning a modest facelift or a major renovation, this is your first step in the planning process. This book...

Natural swimming pools rely on the correct balance of living plants and micro-organisms to clean and purify the water. They are easy and less costly to maintain than chemical pools. Chlorine and other common pool chemicals that are hazardous to human health are not used. Natural pools are safe places for children to play and birds to drink, and are a dramatic example of ecological design, combining the natural and man-made worlds while creating beauty. These pools offer enjoyment not only in the warm months, but during winter, when they can be used for ice skating. Often the focal point of a...

Here are the design stories of everyday material, "stuff," from cars to Dustbusters, phonographs to DVDs, that makes our lives easier, more exciting, and more comfortable through mass-production. Descriptive vignettes and over 400 illustrations of popular culture as it progressed through the 20th century. Each year is an illustrated double-page spread, showing how design evolved in a precise timeline. Learn fascinating stories behind familiar products, the men and women who invented or designed them, and how their designs came to life or, in some cases, failed. It is the story of how America...

Collectors, science fiction fans, and movie aficionados will all go ape over this thorough and entertaining guide to the Planet of the Apes. A detailed listing of collectibles from the original film, the sequels, the television series, and the animated cartoon are all presented. Over 330 color photographs accompany the text. Values are provided for every item listed in the collector's guide. The author also provides a test of every fan's memory with his trivia challenge. Black and white stills from the original movie are found throughout the quiz, adding to the enjoyment and, with a little...

Ron Ransom returns to the North Pole in his latest carving book on Santas. Here, through detailed instructions, step-by-step color photographs, and clear patterns, anyone can learn to carve the traditional holiday figure using simple hand tools. Painting techniques are also described in full, along with tips on "antiquing" your Santas, and many carving and painting hints on how to make small improvisations on the projects to make them all unique. Some of the Santas included here are a torch-bearing "Olympic" Santa, a Santa on skis, and a Santa with snowman. A color gallery at the end of the...

For the veteran carver or the newest devotee of the hobby, carving vegetables can be educational, fun, and surprising. We're not talking pumpkins here, but real carving, using woodcarving tools and techniques. Instead of wood, though, Tom uses sweet potatoes, which are firm enough to take the knife, and inexpensive enough to take a mistake or two. That makes them the perfect medium for new carvers or for experienced carvers learning new techniques. And there is more As the vegetables dry and wizen, they take on wrinkles and twists that give them truly surprising and delightful character....

A creative explosion in design made the 1950s one of the most exciting periods of the twentieth century. New materials and manufacturing methods meant that form, color, and function were all reconsidered, innovations that shook the traditional ways of thinking and awoke the imagination of the public. Here is a look at the fabulous 50s designs, from furniture and lighting to glass and pottery. The work of major designers, both international and American, are represented, including Franco Albini, Charles Eames, Paul Frankl, Alexander Girard, Arne Jacobsen, Carlo Mollino, George Nelson, Gio...

If you're contemplating a new pool project, and if you want it to outshine all others, this is the book for you. Here is a virtual, vicarious tour of nearly 300 spectacular swim-able waterscapes by the world's top pool builders, members of the elite Master Pool Guild. Samples of their work range from sweet little oases and brief lap pools to luxurious environments complete with waterfalls, fountains, spas, and tiki bars. Explore an endless range of shapes to complement your landscape and architecture. Experience different textures and color schemes in stone and concrete skirting, as well as...