The Great American House: Tradition for the Way We Live Now

Acclaimed architect Gil Schafer illustrates how he blends classical architecture, interior decoration, and landscape to create homes with a feeling of history. As a traditional architect, Gil Schafer specializes in building new "old" houses as well as renovating historic homes. His work takes the best of American historic and classical architecture—its detailed moldings and harmonious proportions—and updates it, retaining its character and detail while simultaneously reworking it to be more in tune with the way we live now—comfortable, practical, family-oriented. In his first book, Schafer covers the three essential cornerstones of creating a great traditional house: architecture, landscape, and decoration. He discusses the important interplay between the interior architecture and the fabrics, furniture, and wall treatments. In-depth profiles build on these essays, including Schafer’s own new "old" house in the Hudson Valley; the renovation of a historic home in Nashville designed by Charles Platt in 1915; and the restoration of a magnificent 1843 Greek Revival mansion in Charleston. Filled with hundreds of interior and detail shots, The Great American House is an invaluable resource for anyone who loves old houses and traditional design.

• A Place to Call Home: Tradition, Style, and Memory in the New American House
• Timeless: Classic American Architecture for Contemporary Living
• A Place to Call Home: Timeless Southern Charm
• The Nature of Home: Creating Timeless Houses
• Creating a New Old House: Yesterday's Character for Today's Home (American Institute Architects)
• Get Your House Right: Architectural Elements to Use & Avoid
• Poetry of Place: The New Architecture and Interiors of McAlpine
• Creating a New Old House: Yesterday's Character for Today's Home
• The Welcoming House: The Art of Living Graciously
• Colonial Style: Creating Classic Interiors in Your Cape, Colonial, or Saltbox Home