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Fireplaces
A lush (color) picture book of fireplaces exotic and quixotic, functional and froufrou. The only consistent excellence is the photography. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.
132 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 15, 2025
Reader beware: this is not a book on fireplaces in general, and would more accurately be titled "California Fireplaces 1987-1992." It is profoundly of its time: although it includes some classical design, most of the page count is devoted to various flavors of circa-1990 postmodernism. I think the focus is actually a good thing for a slight book like this, and there's probably not a more thorough resource on the extremely niche topic of "postmodern hearths and mantels," but it's good to know what to expect going in.
The designs chosen are generally pretty good, assuming you like design from that era (and at least interesting/amusing if you don't), and the pictures are good quality. My chief complaint is that the majority of the photos are zoomed in on the fireplaces and don't show them in the context of the rest of the room. This may be inevitable given space limitations and the desire to show the fireplaces themselves in as much detail as possible, but it hampers the book's utility as a practical reference. Fireplaces aren't sui generis decorative objects, but focal points of design: the place where architecture and decoration most acutely overlap, and the element to which all other elements in a room relate. If we don't see that relation happening, then I feel like we don't really understand the fireplace as such.
The designs chosen are generally pretty good, assuming you like design from that era (and at least interesting/amusing if you don't), and the pictures are good quality. My chief complaint is that the majority of the photos are zoomed in on the fireplaces and don't show them in the context of the rest of the room. This may be inevitable given space limitations and the desire to show the fireplaces themselves in as much detail as possible, but it hampers the book's utility as a practical reference. Fireplaces aren't sui generis decorative objects, but focal points of design: the place where architecture and decoration most acutely overlap, and the element to which all other elements in a room relate. If we don't see that relation happening, then I feel like we don't really understand the fireplace as such.
December 24, 2024
I did not enjoy this at all. From 1992, it was extremely dated. But the words used in the book introduction and each chapter introduction were the worst: over the top and bombastic. I read aloud some sentences and my teen and I cracked up. This was culled from my local library in 2024 and I'm glad it was. Most of the fireplaces featured were not to my liking; cold and ridiculously showy. Was interior design in the 90s really this bad?
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews