Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
These days most Americans earn their living in front of a computer or on a telephone or over a service counter, not driving a tractor through a field or sheering wool off sheep. But the ideal of the American farmhouse endures, in part, according to Larson, because ?these homes satisfy a longing for a wholesome, satisfying life grounded in a sense of the land and its traditions.? Indeed, her carefully illustrated survey could make anyone want to live among the trees and fields, if only on the weekends. Larson, cofounder of the architectural firm Rehkamp Larson in Minneapolis, begins by explaining the ?hallmarks of the farmhouse style.? The houses are situated carefully to take advantage of the land?s natural resources (i.e., houses in the dry Southwest may be placed near wells or streams). They use regional building materials, employ simple design forms and monochromatic paint schemes. They grow over time with the addition of wings and porches, and they are frequently ?nestled? among a community of outbuildings, such as barns or corncribs. Larson then presents 21 examples of restored, fresh-built and renovated farmhouses, showing how each interprets and displays these hallmarks. The examples range from a pre-Revolutionary Martha?s Vineyard farm that is still used to raise chicken and sheep to a spare, modernist home that looks like a red block with the top cut into a triangle. Larson?s clear text, with its copious use of floor plans, site plans and sidebars, is friendly and instructive, making this book a good choice for architects and homeowners alike. (Sept.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
