500 Bungalows

Need a great Coffee Table Book? Do you like bungalow style homes? Then this is your book.

I was recently in the hospital for 3 days (viral spinal meningitis, terrible). During my stay my husband surprised me with this lovely book. My husband had actually seen the book in one of my Cottage Living magazines that he perused one day (which he normally doesn't do) and had remembered seeing this book and "filed away" the idea for a later gift. He went to the book store and picked up this book for me on his way to the hospital one of the days I was in. I didn't have to share all that to tell you about a great book, but it makes the book even more special to me because I was really, really sick and he was so worried about me. At the time my dr.'s weren't sure if I had the viral or bacterial meningitis. They did a spinal tap and started me on antibiotics and we had to wait several days for the results. Everyone that came in to see me had to wear masks. My kids could not even come up to see me for fear it was the bacterial kind and dangerously contagious. Thankfully, it was the viral kind. But, anyway, he went all the way to the book store, remembering how much I would like this book and got it for me. Of course, even feeling so badly, I was so happy to receive it. I still love to look through it.

I really love the craftsman bungalow style home. They just say "Home Sweet Home" from the front porch and all the way through.

The craftsman bungalow reminds me of the homes I grew up in and around as a child in Indiana and Illinois. There were tons of bungalows in town and farmhouses in the country, but they had the bungalow style.

This book, 500 Bungalows takes you t0 California, Washington, Tennessee, Minnesota, and Nebraska. Featuring the Prairie Style, Spanish Style, Craftsman, Craftsman Eclectic, and finally Bungalow Bazaar. Each page is a front front view of each bungalow and the city and state it is in.


Text and photographs by Douglas Keister, published by The Taunton Press. <--- (That link takes you right to the page for 500 Bungalows and 500 Cottages). Douglas Keister also offers 11 other books on Bungalows, as well as Cottages, Storybook-Style Homes (ooooh!), Spanish-Style Homes, and Cemeteries.

Here's the cover of 500 Cottages. Click on The Taunton Press link above to visit and purchase, if you wish.

This one's on my Christmas wish list!

They're also available at www.Amazon.com.



Be Inspired! -Karol :0)

Cottage Living

Ahhhhhh, Cottage Living Magazine. One of my favorite magazines (I say this alot). I love to just sit and browse through this one. It's a feast for my eyes. So many cozy cottages from all over. So many inspiring rooms and gardens.

If you haven't seen a Cottage Living Magazine, look for one the next time you're in the store. They're available at all the major book stores as well as grocery stores, Target, and Wal Mart.

You can visit their website and find lots of ideas and inspiration. If you really like it you can purchase a subscription right on their website.

Cottage style isn't really about small cottage size, it's about that cozy feeling you get when you walk in. It's about it being personal, not generic. Cottage style can be country, victorian, modern, western, and much more. Cottage style, in my opinion, is about home-y, cozy, and comfortable.

Tomorrow I'll share a great link from their site for one of their sister sites that is filled with decorating ideas and inspiration!

Be inspired! Karol :0)