Product Description

Offering stylish yet affordable housing for the average person, the bungalow took the nation by storm in the early 20th century, and was rediscovered in earnest in 1996 with the publication of the authors' American Bungalow Style. That book, the first lavishly illustrated showcase of bungalows, reminded us all of the seductive appeal that had made these charming little homes so popular. This much-anticipated follow-up book takes readers into the living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens, and baths of the best and most characteristic bungalows from five American neighborhoods where this housing type has flourished: Washington, DC, Chicago, Seattle, Minneapolis-St. Paul, and Pasadena.

Bungalows, while modestly sized, are known for their integrity of design and craftsmanship, and their shape lends itself to a variety of stylistic treatments, from Colonial Revival to Craftsman to Tudor, all displayed in Bungalow Nation. With 350 of Alexander Vertikoff's evocative new photographs from his recent travels and Diane Maddex's reliable, fact-filled text, Bungalow Nation is sure to be an important resource for bungalow lovers and an enticing entrée for those who are just discovering these gems of American domesticity.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #245006 in Books
• Published on: 2003-12-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 240 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Built mostly during the first quarter of the 20th century, bungalows have been experiencing a kind of renaissance amongst today's homeowners-especially the first-timers. In this celebration of the architectural form, Maddex (American Bungalow Style) visits 75 bungalows throughout the country, including L.A., Seattle, Chicago and D.C. Hers is a warmly told history, which guides the reader from neighborhood to neighborhood and introduces them to the bungalow's many architectural styles-from Federal to Arts & Craft to Spanish. She explains that bungalows were originally "designed for California's outdoor lifestyle," but eventually, "Sears, Montgomery Ward, Aladdin, Gordon Van-Tine, Lewis Homes and others all made bungalows a mainstay among their ready-to-assemble houses." In subsequent chapters, she explores the better-known bungalow architects, such as California's Ellsworth Storey and Seattle's Willatsen and Byrne. Beautiful photos by Vertikoff enable the reader to fully experience the quaint charm of the bungalow exterior, and the warmth of the its wood-detailed interiors and light-filled kitchen nooks.
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About the Author
Diane Maddex, formerly the director of the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Preservation Press, is the president of Arche-type Press and the author of many award-winning books on the American home. Alexander Vertikoff's award-winning photographs have been the basis of many books, including Greene and Greene: Masterworks and American Bungalow Style. He is a regular contributor to American Bungalow magazine. Richard Moe is president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Customer Reviews

Love affair with the bungalow
I live in a California Craftsman bungalow and therefore gravitated immediately to this book when I saw it in Builders Booksource in Berkeley, CA. It's absolutely lovely: the story of 75 bungalows in LA, Seattle, Chicago, DC, and Minneapolis. I was surprised that Berkeley wasn't included, but the homes shows epitomize America's love affair with these cozy, well-built structures. Included are features on porches, fireplaces, numerous built-ins, furnishings, landscaping, and interior/exterior decoration. You'll love this book, as I do.

truly lovely homage to the American bungalow
Bungalow Nation is a truly sumptuous and detailed look at American bungalows.With color pictures on every page, this book is a wonderful balance of text and graphics. The author's text and the photographs by Alexander Vertikoff together present a well-rounded introduction to bungalow style through brief looks at over 75 specific examples of bungalow architecture.

In a chapter called "In The Land Of The Bungalow" the book starts with a brief history of the origins and growth of the architectural style and its place in American history. This chapter is followed by brief treatments of specific aspects of bungalow style: the outside, porches, the inside, fireplaces, built-ins, and furnishings.

Then the author and photographer take us to five different cities to look at examples of bungalows in each. Sample bungalows in Los Angeles, Seattle, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Chicago and Washington DC are highlighted in two to four page spreads. Each house has a description and history of the house and some information on the current owners. This is followed by some photographs of specific features with captions describing each.

The book ends with a bibliography and lists of organizations and architects in each of the five areas highlighted.

This is a lovely book. The bugalows are beautifully photographed. The endpapers are sheet music for the song "In The Land Of the Bungalow" by George F. Devereaux. The cover has a color print of a crewel embroidery of dragonflies. It is a labor of love that is a delight to read and a treat to the eyes. If you love bungalows, this is the book for you.

I got this book because I am planning to remodel the kitchen and bath of my 1930 bungalow and was looking for ways to do so while retaining the original integrity of the house. This book has given me the ideas I need to move forward with confidence.

Their bungalow heaven
The bungalow is uniquely suited to the homeowner of today: solidly built of good natural materials, unpretentious, yet capable of modification and expansion; usually set in a pleasant and roomy yard, and big enough for the "typical family of four" to inhabit without getting in one another's faces. For these reasons, many cities have seen a "bungalow boom" that has driven up the price of these cozy houses. If you're thinking about a bungalow but aren't sure you want to invest all that money, this book may help you decide. Chock full of all-color photographs, it shows the variations in style and modification possible to the type, the lovingly created details typically found in it, and the ways in which many bungalow owners have contrived to furnish their homes authentically. With a book or two about Craftsman or Stickley furniture, it should provide you with ideas galore about what's possible to a bungalow. And if you simply enjoy looking at pictures of small, simple, yet well-made American houses, it's a volume you're sure to enjoy. For restorationists, decorators, historians, and architecture buffs, it's a beautiful and indispensable volume.