Bookshelf: Nantucket Cottages and Florida Style

This latest crop of books on home decor and house design takes us on a quick jaunt around the country! From Minnesota to Nantucket to Florida, these books give a glimpse into the architecture and home decor styles of each area, showing what makes them so great.

Minnesota's Own: Preserving Our Grand Homes

This coffee table book takes the reader on a tour of 22 grand old homes around the state of Minnesota. It tells you the history of the houses and the interesting characters who built them.  It also shows how the houses have been preserved and restored. The authentic decor in the 200 color photos is very inspiring. For example, the book describes a restored Frank Lloyd Wright property, including recently-made furniture and rugs that Wright originally designed for the house but that were never made before.

Classic Florida Style: The Houses of Taylor & Taylor

I'm from Florida so I'm looking forward to seeing this book! It's not actually published for a couple of weeks but I've taken a 'look inside the book' online and it seems great! Taylor & Taylor is a Miami Beach architecture and interior design firm. (The fact that the firm is run by a husband-and-wife team just like ours makes the book even more appealing to me.) The couple looks inside 10 Florida houses and of course there is a strong nautical feel with homes on the coast and on the gorgeous island of Key West. Some houses also draw on Spanish decor traditions while others take their cue from the Art Deco architecture of South Beach. What a summery treat!

Nantucket Cottages and Gardens: Living Large in Small, Charming Spaces

Nantucket cottage style is so beautiful and fresh. Apparently there are around 1200 'typical' cottages on the island of Nantucket. Although this book can't visit all of them, it does show how we can all enjoy the classic design features of the traditional Nantucket cottage home and garden. The compact space doesn't mean limited style. Details such as weathered wood furniture and hand-crafted pieces and textiles all give character to a cottage home.

The author Leslie Linsley lives in Nantucket and she has appeared on TV shows including "Oprah" and "Good Morning America," talking about her 60+ books on crafts, home style and decorating. So she should know what she's talking about! Happy reading!