Ten by Warren Platner

Dust jacket notes: The work of one of the few able to design successfully not only building structures but also their interiors and the furniture and decoration in them, these designs show a concern for quality created form the ordinary, the making of desirable surroundings from mundane elements raised to the distinction of style. In this book, exquisite photography reveals an intimate view of beautiful places shaped by the architect's perception of man in his relation to nature, to shelter and to his useful objects. It show that works of modest dimensions can achieve distinction. Not prestigious or fashionable commissions, these are everyday buildings with which any layman might find himself involved, yet in their execution they are rare. Placing importance on a unity of design and an appreciation of the whole, now so properly the focus of everyone's attention, these works show that care can effectively shape our surroundings. Using simple concepts, integrating nature, architecture and furnishings, sometimes preserving and enhancing what is old and good but not particularly distinguished, the builders of these teen have shown an unusually warm regard for people. The photographers, with penetrating eye and with love and respect for their subjects, have recreated in a remarkable way the reality of these superbly beautiful places.