Architectural Inspiration: Styles, Details, and Sources.

Frits Pannekoek is an associate professor of heritage studies, director
of information resources at the University of Calgary, and the author of
A Snug Little Flock: The Social Origins of the Riel Resistance of
1869–70.

For those who want an easy compendium of options and products for the creation or redesign of their homes, this is a must have. The book is organized by styles (exteriors and interiors), details (the bulk of the book), and sources (lists of sources for various products). The “details” section is divided into exterior details; doors and windows; floor; walls and ceilings; architectural details; light and heat; kitchen fittings; bathroom fixtures; and hardware. Each section then looks at available products that might reinforce certain design decisions. The real question, of course, is “what look” are you trying to achieve. And that is where many may want to do some additional reading despite the excellent introduction to home interiors and exteriors and their evolution. How design elements work together to create a unity is not necessarily well explained, although the various illustrations of completed projects do provide illustrations of outstanding design solutions. There is an assumption that the reader is architecturally literate.

The authors do not advocate any one product over another. Rather, by offering many options, they indicate the literally hundreds of design decisions that go into making the perfect home. They engage in careful discussions of material types and the pros and cons of each. Most of important, they prod the imagination, but leave the individual to make up their own mind.

The only caution I would have to the enthusiastic who first encounter the book is to treat it as an introduction to the world of design. While there are countless options outlined in the book, there are literally thousands more. However, the book offers a solid beginning on the decisions that have to be made.

The volume will be the ultimate dream book to those who are HGTV aficionados. It will be in every library of those who are building, designing, or rehabilitating their dreams. No items are costed, but “having been there,” the decisions will not be for the faint of heart or thin of pocket book.