Santa Fe Style

by Christine Mather, Sharon Woods

Since the opening of the Santa Fe Trail in 1821, the town of Santa Fe, New Mexico, has been a rich source of original American design. Santa Fe Style explores the beginnings and current form of this exciting design tradition, from the ancient inspiration of the Canyon de chelly to the innovations of Frank Lloyd Wright and contemporary passive-solar architects. The elements of style for which the area is known--warm adobe brick, simple hand-carved furnishings, rough-hewn beams, Indian potter, Navajo rugs, and colorful folk sculpture--are all beautifully photographed in over 450 illustrations.

A community of fewer than 50,000 inhabitants, Santa Fe has had an impact on American culture far greater than its size. The Spanish colonists who founded the town in 1608 adapted their European tradition to the Pueblo Indian building materials and methods, creating an architecture that is unique in the world. The trade routes and the opening of the railroad brought ranchers and farmers from the East; and spectacular surroundings of mountains and high desert drew twentieth-century writers and artists from D.H.Lawrence to Georgia O'Keeffe. Each new wave of settlers added to the Santa Fe legend and the Santa Fe style.

Here is not only the romance of Santa Fe, but the irresistible appeal of its lifestyle--a casual elegance enlivened by a dynamic, ever-changing mixture of the old and the new, the West and the East, the plain and the sophisitcated. In addition to the wide range of design ideas offered by the illustrations is a list of sources directing readers to Santa Fe merchants and services.

Genres: Nonfiction

264 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 1993

Reviews

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has aged extremely well. It spends a lot of time with the spare, traditional roots of Southwestern style, and those never age. A few of the featured homes had more contemporary elements (1986), and they just looked like comfortable time capsules. This is a good one.

Fun facts: solar panels were juuuuuuust getting started at this time and the term “xeriscaping” does not appear in this book.

[Yvonne]

I read the first copy from 1986. As much as I like it, it feels outdated somehow and I do hope the newer editions are revised, especially with less BW pictures. Santa Fe style is about adobe, wood AND color. Lots of color.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

beauty-filled book!

Solid, handsome, chunky and hard-bound, in pictures and in words Santa Fe Style details New Mexico's capital city's history, legacy, and currents. Including both full-colour and B&W photographs makes a nice visual mix--as well as keeping production costs down to make a more affordable book. Sources at the end include Lifestyle, Wearable Art, Resources, native Materials, "Santa Fe Elsewhere," ("elsewhere" meaning in different states of the USA), and an index. It's ©1993, and very recently I got my close to perfect copy for a fairly good price at the library book sale, so look around if this interests you!

[Carmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a good overview of all the elements that make Santa Fe homes and vicinity unique. It included art, housing, food, landscape, gardening, and displayed it with many photos. I enjoyed seeing the art in situ, in the homes of the people who enjoyed it. Many old photos were also in the book, which brought history to life. Back from a recent visit to Santa Fe and Taos, I wanted to read more about this unique area. This book gave an excellent overview. Can't wait to read some more specialized books.

[Sundry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of good photographs. Some interesting light historical context. A nice prelude to a visit to Santa Fe, since it has given me a little context for the architecture and art I'll be encountering.

Especially worth it since I bought it at a thrift shop!

[Willa Guadalupe Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love adobes & the Southwest then you will love this book- I doubt I will ever be rich enough to copy most of the ideas in it but it is fun to dream on.

[Avis Black · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay as an introduction, but not a very exciting book.

[Michael Heath-Caldwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book on the fairly rustic, rural and adobe style in the southern states of America.

[Dorothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice detail on the unique architecture of New Mexico. Photos and details on individual homes, including a Frank Lloyd Wright home.

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book captures the romantic aura of the unique Sant Fe architecture. The book is bold,pure and simple like the pueblo style.