Book by Mahoney, Jean, Rao, Peggy Landers

At Home With Japanese Design: Accents, Structure and Spirit

Crafts, Hobbies & Home

Rao, Peggy Landers

Mahoney, Jean

Crafts & Hobbies

Tuttle Pub

The simple, organic form of the traditional Japanese home, designed to integrate with its surroundings, has had a profound effect on modern architecture. Since the mid-1800's, architects around the world have drawn inspiration from its ancient principles. 
Nature on View presents a new chapter in that rich history with a look at 28 American homes and gardens located in various parts of the country. Together they demonstrate the current appeal and adaptability of timeless Japanese home design to Western lives and landscapes. 
Shown here are country retreats, suburban homes, city apartments, guest houses, versatile teahouses, hilltop getaways and seaside residences. Ranging from luxurious to modest, some are brand new, while others are radical renovations of older homes. Each, however, incorporates basic principles of Japanese architecture in refreshing ways. 
Jean Mahoney and Peggy Rao, authors of two earlier books that offer new ideas on living with Japanese antiques and artifacts, conduct this house and garden tour with their partner, photographer Toshiaki Sakuma. More than 180 full-color photographs focus on the fine craftsmanship, serene flexibility, decorative use of structural elements, and above all, the easy merger with the outdoors. 
The accompanying text explains the origins of these appealing structures and introduces readers to the innovators involved. Some of the creators are professional landscapers, architects or designers; others are simply private citizens whose avocation became Japanese design. All share a heightened sensitivity to the natural environment.

Nature on View: Homes and Gardens Inspired by Japan

Arts & Photography

Architecture

Weatherhill

A treasure chest of ideas on how to use Japanese antiques in Western surroundings. The authors highlight 77 different kinds of antiques and folkcraft playing new aesthetic roles in 45 lovely Western-style homes. With 144 full-color photos, this landmark book, the first of its kind, is an essential introduction to the wide ranging field of Japanese artifacts. Also included is a list of craft and antique markets in Japan and sources for Japanese articles in the U.S. and Canada.

Japanese Accents in Western Interiors

Japan Pubns

Shopping for Japanese antiques and folkcraft presents intriguing, yet mystifying choices. Kotatsu, futon covers, furoshiki, ran ma, unusual pieces of porcelain...so many things uniquely Japanese. The categories are broad and the choices, inviting. Gradually, the collector mentally sorts things out, learns the purpose and potential of various objects, and makes selections appropriate for the Western home. Peggy Rao and Jean Mahoney telescope the learning process by showing how some foreign residents in Tokyo have incorporated 77 different kinds of antiques and folkcraft into their Western homes. Each instance is inventive, since every photograph shows a Japanese object used in a different role from its original function. A hibachi becomes a display chest, narrow yukata fabric becomes an ingenious window decoration, a bamboo screen conceals a TV. Some acquisitions are inexpensive solutions to decorating problems. Some reflect the expertise of the professional designers whose own homes are included in the photographs. Some are total transformations, inspired by various Japanese art forms. Toshiaki Sakuma's artistic photographs, taken in 45 different homes, capture the beauty of this West-East merger in interior design. Many of the items photographed have disappeared from everyday life in Japan. Some are puzzles even to the Japanese under the age of 50. The accompanying text reveals the background of all the objects shown, and suggests why they might be worth acquiring from an artistic point of view. The book becomes not only a shopping guide, but also an introductory overview to the Japanese culture for visitors, residents and anyone, anywhere, interested in Japanese treasures. Turning the pages, the reader finds aesthetic ways to turn kimono into wall hangings, nine different uses for an obi besides wearing one, a good reason to look through piles of work garments at open markets, and the answer to why there are so many wooden fish on long poles in antique stores. Certain craft processes are explained, along with the symbolism of such recurring design motifs as the pine, plum and bamboo. The authors also provide an up-to-date list of shopping sources for antiques and folkcraft in Japan, the United States and Canada.

Japan Publications Trading

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Rao, Peggy Landers. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Rao, Peggy Landers

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Rao, Peggy Landers. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

At Home With Japanese Design: Accents, Structure and Spirit

Nature on View: Homes and Gardens Inspired by Japan

Japanese Accents in Western Interiors

Japanese Accents in Western Interiors