Product Description

San Miguel de Allende, one of the prettiest destinations in Mexico, has become a fabulous source for stylish decorating ideas as many international designers are flocking to this artistic mecca. Acclaimed architectural photographer Tim Street-Porter and style writer Annie Kelly take us on an insider’s tour, from stately rural haciendas and villas to renovated colonial townhouses. Featured are more than 250 glorious photographs of residences that show a blending of local crafts and handiwork with antiques and contemporary furnishings. Beautiful outdoor entertaining and garden areas enliven many of the houses. With a foreword by Jorge Almada of Casamidy, a design company based in San Miguel, Casa San Miguel is a unique inspirational design resource. It provides a vicarious look at daily life in this picturesque Mexican town that is attracting many international trendsetters.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #152782 in Books
• Published on: 2008-04-01
• Released on: 2008-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 240 pages

Review
"...Street-Porter's photographs imply a serene neverland where time itself seems to have dozed off on a dreamy afternoon." ~Su Casa

"Though some of Street-Porter's photographs are of the Architectural Digest variety, his forays into the idiosyncratic are delightful...Images explode off the pages with the colors of Mexico." ~LA Times

"Readers get a look at statuary brightly painted walls, courtyards, gardens, roofs, rustic architectural gems and a lot more. The photos of sunlit, colorful homes against bright blue skies are stunningly beautiful." ~Newsday

About the Author
Annie Kelly is a well-known decorator and journalist who has been featured in such publications as Elle Decor, Architectural Digest, House Beautiful, Vogue Living, and The World of Interiors. She is the author of Casa Mexicana Style and Rooms to Inspire: Decorating with America’s Best Designers. Kelly and her husband, Tim Street-Porter, live and work in Los Angeles and Connecticut. Tim-Street-Porter is an award-winning architectural photographer, whose books include Los Angeles.

Customer Reviews

Author response
Mexico is famous for color. Especially the colorful town of San Miguel, with its walls of reds, yellows and pinks. But step inside and you will find their interiors are mostly white. Even the vividly painted houses of famous architects Luis Barragan and Ricardo Legoretta have few interior wall colors-a hot pink passage, around an indoor swimming pool, or perhaps as an accent wall. Instead, Mexicans bring color inside with fabrics, painted furniture, textiles,ceramics, flowers, bright tablecloths and napkins-even Mexican food!
This book has hundreds of interior design ideas, including color-but even though there are plenty of colorful exteriors, the inventive and inspirational Mexican interiors are the focus here.

A more refined side of San Miguel...
It was interesting to find a little controversy among the submitted reviews, and that alone was reason for me to immediately purchase CASA SAN MIGUEL. With my own copy in hand, I soon discovered houses, interiors and gardens not previously photographed---yet another reason to buy this book. It is a quieter palette found here, drawing from historic churches, weathered haciendas, and authentic materials. For me, CASA SAN MIGUEL is more of a lovely whisper rather than a Viva Mexico shout, and a welcome addition to my design library. Submitted by Debra Hall.

color and casamidy
I think there maybe an important point to make in regard to color. In an effort to preserve the original architecture of San Miguel owners are obligated to paint the exterior of the homes in mineral based paints. These are usually restrained to reds and yellows which have a matte, powdery texture. There is also much stonework so color is used in conjunction with these elements. As full-time residents of San Miguel I would venture to explain that because the town is indeed colorful, in one's own personal space, less bold colors
are common as these offer a respite not only the vibrant town but its contrasting blue skies and bright sunlight. Ironically if one were to view images of San Miguel taken before the 50's the town was painted entirely in white "cal" paint.

As far as the book being too Casamidy as some reviewers have noted I venture to note that
the projects of ours which are included in Casa San Miguel de Allende were all previously
published in The World of Interiors, Elle Decor, Garden Design and House and Garden. These being projects that were the first to be published internationally and relevant in as
far as the were noted for some new ideas that Anne-Marie was developing in an effort to
break away from the established, sometimes stereotypical "mexican" esthetic often
taken to unfortunate extremes by the expatriate community of San Miguel de Allende.

We met Tim Street-Porter and Annie Kelly when they were assigned to photograph
Casa Sollano for Garden Design magazine. It has been an honor to receive their
support as Tim's first book on Mexico, Casa Mexicana, was an eye opening work
especially here in Mexico back in 1986. As far as this book being a vulgar self-promotional effort done on our behalf I can only venture to explain that the projects which
are indeed included of ours are diverse in concept and do not promote a set esthetic.
As Annie Kelly is a noted interior designer herself, I believe she found Anne-Marie's efforts of special interest and their subsequent inclusion in Casa San Miguel simply demonstrates this enthusiasm luckily shared by many top editors.