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Summer to Summer: Houses by the Sea
Whether ultramodern or hundreds of years old, every one of the summer houses in Jennifer Ash Rudick and Tria Giovan’s lavish coffee table book Summer to Houses By the Sea is brimming with idiosyncratic style
“We can almost feel the beachside breezes and sand under our feet while gathering decorating ideas to try.” ― Flower
From the rocky coast of Maine to the sandy beaches of the Hamptons, from Nantucket to Newport, from Fire Island to Fishers Island, from Martha’s Vineyard to Provincetown, summer houses are as varied in style as the people who hightail it to the beach as soon as the temperature climbs. In this lushly illustrated book, author Jennifer Ash Rudick has sought out twenty-five of the best. She invites us into a minimally decorated, Isamu Noguchi–designed home in Northeast Harbor and Sister Parrish’s cozy multigenerational house in Dark Harbor. We imagine relaxing in a comfortably cushioned rattan chair on the sun porch of a Nantucket house designed by Tom Scheerer, taking in the view of Long Island Sound through the glass curtain wall of a sleek house on Fishers Island, and feeling snugly cosseted in a tiny Provincetown cottage.
With over 300 full-color photographs, all we need to do is settle back, kick off our shoes, and let the sun-kissed pages of Summer to Summer wash over us.
“From sleek and modern to eclectic and historic, a new book celebrates the magic of East Coast summer retreats.” ― Introspective Magazine
“We can almost feel the beachside breezes and sand under our feet while gathering decorating ideas to try.” ― Flower
From the rocky coast of Maine to the sandy beaches of the Hamptons, from Nantucket to Newport, from Fire Island to Fishers Island, from Martha’s Vineyard to Provincetown, summer houses are as varied in style as the people who hightail it to the beach as soon as the temperature climbs. In this lushly illustrated book, author Jennifer Ash Rudick has sought out twenty-five of the best. She invites us into a minimally decorated, Isamu Noguchi–designed home in Northeast Harbor and Sister Parrish’s cozy multigenerational house in Dark Harbor. We imagine relaxing in a comfortably cushioned rattan chair on the sun porch of a Nantucket house designed by Tom Scheerer, taking in the view of Long Island Sound through the glass curtain wall of a sleek house on Fishers Island, and feeling snugly cosseted in a tiny Provincetown cottage.
With over 300 full-color photographs, all we need to do is settle back, kick off our shoes, and let the sun-kissed pages of Summer to Summer wash over us.
“From sleek and modern to eclectic and historic, a new book celebrates the magic of East Coast summer retreats.” ― Introspective Magazine
- GenresNonfiction
360 pages, Hardcover
Published June 11, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 31, 2020
As long as I can remember, I've been enamoured with the idea of the 'summer house' - especially the versions of these to be found off the coast of New England in places like Maine and Massachusetts. In that sense, this book was absolutely ideal. I read it with the greed of a glutton anticipating a feast- and certainly it cannot be faulted in weight (it's a whopper) or sumptuousness. If you've ever wondered about the huge houses perched on promontories, just barely glimpsed from sailboats, then this is the book for you.
My only criticism, and it is one that most readers won't even mind, is that this is a book of summer houses with exactly the same linguistic understatement as when the Gilded Age mansions of Newport were described as 'cottages'. Yes, these are houses (by the sea) used predominately during the summer season. And perhaps there are a few wet towels hung from railings - one of the definitions of 'relaxed' summer living, as provided by the author. And admittedly some of the houses have a 'playful' decor, and many of them pay homage to the past - with its accretions of summer upon summer - but the overall mood is a serious one. These are serious houses: serious in the sense of having famous owners, designers and provenance. Highest of high-end. You definitely won't see any faded, ratty beach towels - although you will see some beautiful swimming pools and some amazing ocean views.
There are some good ideas for decoration that can be adapted for a summer home on a much smaller scale and budget, but read this one mostly for a peep into 'lifestyles of the rich and famous'. It's maximalist in every sense.
My only criticism, and it is one that most readers won't even mind, is that this is a book of summer houses with exactly the same linguistic understatement as when the Gilded Age mansions of Newport were described as 'cottages'. Yes, these are houses (by the sea) used predominately during the summer season. And perhaps there are a few wet towels hung from railings - one of the definitions of 'relaxed' summer living, as provided by the author. And admittedly some of the houses have a 'playful' decor, and many of them pay homage to the past - with its accretions of summer upon summer - but the overall mood is a serious one. These are serious houses: serious in the sense of having famous owners, designers and provenance. Highest of high-end. You definitely won't see any faded, ratty beach towels - although you will see some beautiful swimming pools and some amazing ocean views.
There are some good ideas for decoration that can be adapted for a summer home on a much smaller scale and budget, but read this one mostly for a peep into 'lifestyles of the rich and famous'. It's maximalist in every sense.
September 1, 2020
A beautiful coffee table book, full of inspirational decor and a pleasant read by the sea.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews