The New Cottage Home: A Tour of Unique American Dwellings

by James L. Tolpin

The New Cottage Home taps into today's move toward lifestyle simplicity and the idea that living space should be rich in details, conservative of resources, and no larger than necessary. Jim Tolpin celebrates the diversity and charm of 30 sample cottages, from a Pacific Northwest cottage modeled after a French hunting lodge to a "salvage yard vernacular cottage" built with junkyard materials. Each featured home reflects individual personality, priorities, and lifestyle. Whether by the water, on a mountain, or in a forest, field, or town, these homes emphasize quality of place over quantity of space.

Genres: Architecture, Nonfiction, Design

240 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1998

Reviews

[Rose Sprague · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad read. Decently representative of the era it was published in (90s), but also some just plain neat homes. Kinda wish he’d included info about the families that lived in each house, but that’s probably just my anthropological bent.

[Hugh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful information. Less pictures than I wanted, but still some inspiration to be found.
I wish America had more common cottage style housing like there is in Britain, but I realize that the age of those countries are vastly different from one another.

Good entry level book for this kind of thing.

[YoSafBridg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am forever reading decorating bks but rarely implementing ideas (perhaps because i like so few of them...)
This book like so many others has great pictures and some ideas but is a little thin on content... (tho it is always nice to look at pictures...)

[Carley Lyon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone who thinks they want to build a big house some day should read this book first. It will make you think again.

[Sara Q]

Finally a book on cottages that covers more than just seaside fishing-themed houses. Some nice ideas.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting idea book for smaller homes.

[Jennifer Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such lovely homes.<3