With big names such as Nate Berkus and Alessandra Branca putting Chicago on the national design map; and with lesser-known (but no less talented) pros working their magic from the Gold Coast to the North Shore; Chicago teems with beautiful homes. This gorgeous coffee table book not only shows these dwellings in all their splendor but also tells the stories of how they came to be. Compiled by the editors of Chicago Home + Garden magazine; Chicago Spaces is divided into two parts. The first features homes in their entirety; while the second focuses on specific rooms: dining rooms; living rooms; bedrooms; kitchens; baths; dens; foyers; and childrenrsquo;s rooms. Readers learn how these spaces came together and find tips for making changes in their own homes; as well as a directory of the arearsquo;s best furniture and accessories shops. Chicago Spaces shows readers smart ways to turn their homes into comfortable; stylish oases.
#1985298 in eBooks 2011-10-11 2011-10-11File Name: B00A0WEHIO
Review
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful. BoringBy gabyI should have listened to that one reviewer. I just cant seem to get through this book. I thought it would be more fashion oriented and maybe it is but I just cant get through it.19 of 23 people found the following review helpful. Disappointing.By Miss YokaI was fooled by the attractive cover of this book to believe that it would focus on glamour and its influential presence in society but instead its author details the fad of celebrity and self-promotion. Whereas the celebrity wishes to be observed; glamour is what causes us to observe -- a radically different thing.Strongly rooted in a British perspective; Grundle touches on personalities in his book such as Napoleon; Hugh Hefner; Warhol; Versace; Joan Collins (yes!); and Lady Di; in a scampering manner that seems more eager to cover the eras involved than to offer any real insight. The book is filled with comments that range from the boringly obvious ("the display of fashion became a key element of many movies") to the questionable (that Joan Collinss character on "Dynasty" taught Lady Diana "how to be strong and radiant in the face of personal adversity"). The book also has statements that needed verifying: for example; the myth of John Gilberts voice being the demise of his career (Grundles compatriot Kevin Brownlow long ago disproved this "fact") or the statement that Carole Lombard had a "curvaceous figure" (she was well-know for being flat-chested). Minor irritants to be sure.Glamour is less about the "who" of celebrity and more about the artistic creation of impact and its ensuing influence. It is much more the sparkle than the star. Grundle misses this fine yet definitive point; and as a result; his book spins in many directions; not knowing when to pause long enough to shed any insight nor on whom. A much more enlightening book on glamour that I wholeheartedly recommend is the book "The Power of Style" by Annette Tapert and Diana Edkins. In it; they detail how key glamorous women influenced fashion; film; and interior design in the last century.7 of 9 people found the following review helpful. the history of celebrity and its dimensionsBy Henry BerrySocial history at its most engaging and topical; Grundle gets to the essence of glamour and its fascination for modern-day publics; especially democratic ones. Although published by a leading academic publisher and in stretches written in a somewhat academic style (Grundle is a professor of film and television studies); with its frequent references to and often vignettes about top celebrities and to a lesser extent; familiar historical figures; the work reaches into the popular vein. Behind the readily comprehensible analyses and particularly cogent summarizations usually tying together mixed or opposing elements is extensive scholarship and long reflection guided by an interest in popular culture.The book "maps the origins of glamour and investigates the forms that it took in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries...The book captures the excitement and sex appeal of glamour while exposing its mechanisms and exploring its sleazy and sometimes tragic underside... (from the Introduction). Elsewhere; "From its origins; glamour has been associated with dreaming. The yearning for a better; richer; more exciting; and materially lavish life accompanying the development of modern consumerism and fueled innumerable fantasies and fictions." And near the end; "Glamour links the rare; the remote; and the desirable with the accessible."The text is filled with such embracing; insightful views. Leading up to these is abundant colorful material of portraits and vignettes of Marlene Dietrich; Douglas Fairbanks; Marilyn Monroe; Princess Diana; Hugh Hefner; Paris Hilton; and many other actors; rock stars; etc. But Grundle begins with early 1800s figures such as Napoleon whose campaigns toppled the old sociopolitical order; Lord Byron and other Romantics who represented the new individualism and it mutability along the lines of desire and aspiration; and Walter Scott who romanticized individuality and in some ways showiness. The origination of the word "glamour" is attributed to Scott. The word is an Anglicized versions of the Low Scottish word "glamer" meaning "the supposed influence of a charm on the eye; causing it to see objects differently from what they really are."With its myriad examples of celebrity and pregnant summations; Gundles Glamour brings much of contemporary society into perspective. Neither celebrating nor lamenting the culture of celebrity; the author paints a full picture of this centralized characteristic which is simultaneously seductive and formulative.