Oh my gosh! You will want to move into these adorable places! I am in love! Buy this! It is beautiful!

Love seeing all the beautiful architecture. Definitely looks like something right out of a fairytale

This book is full of the interesting background of how the cottages first started in land of Casltes. The photography is amazing. The homey cottage set in a suburb to the quirky design where faire tale is reality, and every design in between, are captured and written about. A good history lesson for anyone who's interested in the creation of cottages.

I loved reading about this style of architecture of homes. The author offers a historical background and then explains the beginning of the style in California during the 20s. Once it was popular in California it spread across the country. Once the depression began it started to fall out of favor although the author does provide some contemporary examples. While I enjoyed the historical photographs I do wish they were clearer and bigger. Enjoy this interesting tour through these unusual homes.

These Storybook style (also know as Whimsy) homes, are shown in these beautiful photographs. With the potted history of how they came about during the 1920's, when Hollywood was Hollywoodland, and the movie industry was just taking off. The area was a blank canvas for building New select homes, with the mish mash of styles taken from Europe, and by using theatrics and craftsmen to create and conjure up these beautiful homes.

This stunning book is for anyone that loves 'Home & Garden' magazine, or just like me, like's being plain nosey!

Would be perfect to grace any coffee table.

Everyone loves an interesting house and especially fairy tale influenced one's are very intriguing to me. With colour rich photographs showing these homes at their best.


The book details the history of the architect design and influences of the times they were built in. It also shows angles of the rooms and gardens allowing us to really feel the effect of the buildings as a whole.


Many older photo's are used throughout too to share tales from the past before the houses now there existed too to show how the areas have changed and been developed.


I really recommend this book for anyone with an interest in history, architecture, art or landscape design, it really is a great work!


Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

“Aarol Gellner is a practicing architect, long-time syndicated columnist, and regular blogger on architectural topics. For almost twenty years he has used his column and blog, Architext, to transport the discussion of architecture from its frequently hifalutin plane into the realm of every day existence.”

”Douglas Keister has authored or co-authored over three dozen books on historic architecture, and is considered one of America’s most noted photographers of historic architecture. Additionally, he’s authored a children’s book, Fernando’s Gift, four novels, as well as many books on the “painted ladies” of Victorian homes, and a series on bungalows.

The town I grew up in had a mixture of some homes built in the 1950s, some from the time where homes were grand with lawns for playing croquet, private tennis courts, although there were fewer of those, being significantly larger, older and on more property than most homes in that town. There were a few of these I was in throughout the years, but the most sought after homes there were the ones on the lake. Or one of the lakes, at least.

The house I lived in there was the second one my parents bought, two houses away from the first one, and more or less built for my parents, although not to any specifics they wanted. My Dad would convert the garage to the kitchen I grew up loving, and add on a 2-car garage on the opposite side of the house, following that he built a “sun room” which connected the garage to the house. In between “we” made furniture. I still have the table and chairs, which I “helped” him build. A few years later, he had the attic area extended and they built an impressive Master bedroom and bath, office, and a huge bedroom for my older brother upstairs. Nothing too fancy, but oversized for those years. And then my mother’s best friend (and her husband) down the street won the lottery. Really. And they moved to a community that I’d never heard of then, but many people know because a famous, or infamous, former President who moved there shortly after they did. So my mother, with no winning lottery ticket, set out to find our new family home.

Before then my mother would refer to it as a “Sunday drive”, and after then it was to look at houses, although they weren’t necessarily houses for sale, more like neighborhoods, and an idea of where she wanted to live, until she found where she wanted to be for at least the next twenty years. In that time I saw a lot of unusual, quirky homes, but none approach the ones in this book. These homes take things to another level. But we did look at some houses styled like this, but the only house that remotely resembled these houses was the house of the original owner of the estate, which later became the town we lived in. That house itself was grand, and lovely, but it was the chapel he had built on a small island just off the shore of the lake their house was on that won my heart. That chapel would have made a worthy addition in its day. And what a gesture!

We moved, although my mother was really the only one who wanted to, and selling the house my father had built a good portion of it with his own hands broke his heart.

“Fairy-Tale,” “Disneyesque” and “Hansel and Gretel” are terms that are commonly used in Storybook style homes, “a rambunctious evocation of medieval Europe." Introduced to the America in the 1920s, was near its highest point prior to the Depression, and new ones were out of the picture before the end of the 1930s. There’s a great deal of information on the history of the picturesque movement in design, where “fake castle building” became popular. As the Industrial Revolution began to take hold and transform building, there was the “Revival of Hand Craftsmanship” to counter-balance that. Art Nouveau, and so on. In other words, this is far more than a picture book, although it would make a lovely, and unusual coffee table book or guest room addition.
There are photos included from long ago publications, some photographs taken in the 1920s of movie sets with some Storybook style buildings, and some photographs that the men who came home from Europe following the war brought home with them.

While most of the more recent photographs are of the outside of these homes, there are a few of the interiors. Close-ups of details. Amazing stained-glass windows. Some rather incredible doors, including their hardware. Every detail is another layer of art. Murals on ceilings that make everything feel like you’d feel as though you were living inside a storybook in that home. Some of these homes were rescued at the last moment from destruction by a developer, and now have Historic Cultural Status as protection, or have other stories to tell.

If, like my daughter, you’ve ever fancied yourself rescued from a tower, or a turret, by a handsome young prince, or princess, then this book might have you revisiting your Disneyesque dreams and smiling. Or perhaps, you have your own reasons and fantasies and living in one of these amazing, whimsical homes, but can’t afford your own (and very few people could.) At least you can look, and dream!


Pub Date: 28 July 2017

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Schiffer Publishing Ltd / Schiffer

Oh my goodness one of the most scrumptious books out-there. Inspirational pictures for artists, sketch artists and writers. I am honestly impressed by the selection and description. Point by point presentation of the houses and how they are used. Looking at these images over and over again and I feel like I am transported back into my childhood dream home. Visually stimulating, did I mention beautiful? Would recommend or gift it as a book and a decoration piece, definitely worth investing in.

So I am a big kid I love books with pictures. I also love architecture. This is a wonderful book that describes and shows the wonderful world of Storybook Style homes. These home are fascinating to look at, but this book takes it so much further by telling the history of them. Even the kids enjoyed looking at the pictures. Great book if you are into architecture or not.

4 1/2 stars -
Really, really fun book! I've been a big fan of Storybook Style homes for much of my life, and this book is delightful! It traces the history of this idea, from the 1700s and into the Victorian age and their "follies" through to the modern times. While the heyday of this style was the 20s and 30s, particularly in California, Storybook homes are still being created today. The photos are fantastic! My only wish would have been for more floorplans to have been included alongside the photos of the interiors, so that I could have a better sense of how the homes flow. I would strongly recommend this to anyone who loves architecture and interesting design. It makes me want to add a turret to my own home! Great book!

Overall: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
Cover: 3.5/5 (I was attracted enough to click the request button, but with the content on the pages so amazing, it deserves a more gorgeous cover design! --- Yeah, "cover design", not the picture, I have no problem with that)
Photos: 5/5

With gorgeous pictures and detailed descriptions, this book is pretty amazing. Really, really love the details. Most architecture books provide insights about the concept and examples, but good ones are usually written very well, interesting, because for most readers that haven't studied in the field lots of them are pretty boring. This book, to my relief, did not disappoint. I can't say it's the best written one out there, but overall, it is pretty good.

Whilst I am not an architect or a student of the craft, I do love storybook style homes and this book caught my attention right away. Not only does it go a long way to explain the various styles and the ideas behind them, but the photos are amazing. Detailing the interiors and exteriors with explanations of the various nuances used by the home designers, you get a close up look at what the storybook style is all about.

Written in language that is easy for the layperson to understand, this book taught me a lot. I particularly liked the section on Hollywood storybook homes. The authors did a good job of putting together a book that brings history to life and shows the height of this style. I love all the photos of thatched roofs and turrets and wonderful gardens.

If you are interested in architecture, this would be a great book for you to take a look at, and even if you aren't this is still a really interesting read, talking a lot about times gone by and the changes in styles of homes over the years.

This was a great book that immediately transported me out of my ordinary world and into one that allowed me to dream a bit. I liked it a lot. I now want to go and buy a storybook home.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

A delightful and satisfying volume on the Storybook aesthetic, thoughtfully organized and beautifully designed. Unless one lives in Southern or Northern California, few of us encounter these remarkable structures in our daily lives. And even if one does live where these whimsical buildings are more common, they’re usually seen fleetingly and from a distance. Gellner and Keister offer readers an opportunity to appreciate the history and the details of an abundance of these charming and imaginative buildings, and to glimpse some seldom-seen interiors, as well.

Multiple sidebars are well-placed throughout the text and enhance the reader’s understanding of the history, artifacts, and architecture associated with Storybook style. The authors do a splendid job of introducing the back story and European roots and evolution of this architectural fashion that took hold in the U.S. in the 1920s. Full-color photos throughout depict European castles (including Bavaria’s Neuschwanstein—what many believe “a real castle should look like,” and the inspiration for Disney’s “Cinderella’s Castle”), roadside architecture, and structures evoking the Golden Age of Hollywood glamour. Those who enjoy detail will linger over inset photos depicting the exceptional craftsmanship of entrance doors, chimneys, and lighting fixtures.

An essential work for fans of these fanciful structures.

A look back at one of the most magical eras in American architecture, including the famous Hollywoodland Estates where homes looked like small castles or something out of a fairytale. Every neighborhood has at least one of these lovely little homes, I remember falling in love with what I called the "good witch's house" on the corner. Now we can read the backstory about these fairytale houses. And I still want one of my own!

Fantastic and fascinating book on the storybook style architecture, including its development and many examples. This book has soo much information! It reads well and keeps things interesting with a wealth of interesting facts, familiar names and places...giving meaning and history to a style of houses I grew up seeing all over LA. There is nothing quite like these incredible homes and buildings of all sorts!

I was expecting this book to be a coffee table style book filled with pictures of beautiful houses straight out of a fairy tale. It is that, but so much more. The author goes into a lot of detail about the types of houses, their history, areas where this was the ideal, and even what types of architecture work and what doesn’t work. I won’t lie, if I could, I would love to live in one of these houses. Any one, big or small.

Added Litsy
Added Goodreads

Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley.

I am coming to this as simply a reader who likes to the Storybook style, though before reading this book I would have simply called the style fairy tale houses. Hey, not my field.
This book presents a history of the style, including a brief overview of the influences, including the style used in the Renaissance and Medieval periods. While most of the houses discussed are in the United States, there is a bit of an international flavor to the book.
The book also looks at the influence of Hollywood upon the style as well as vice versa. Additional, there are sections of the book that deal with the little things that are not noticed very often, describing terms and history.
Quite a good little introduction.

An interesting look at modern whimsical architecture - definitely recommend for anyone who is interested in architecture or design.

This book is sheer delight! Featuring a rare style of architecture that became popular in the 1920's, Storybook Style helps provide context for the architectural styles that preceded and influenced Storybook or Fairytale architecture. Beginning with the vernacular style thatched roof houses popular in from 1750 to 1900 and advancing to the arts and crafts and bungalow movement of the early 1900's, Gellner illustrates how styles as diverse as the Tudor, elaborate churrigueresque embellishment, the elegant art nouveau movement in Europe, and the lush woodwork styles of the great Craftsman bungalow era culminated in the fantastical style that is Storybook architecture. Storybook style thrives on the extremes of imagination, combining three fundamental elements: an exaggerated or plastic medieval form, artificial means to suggest great age, and sheer whimsy.

The book builds on the works of Morris, Maybeck, Greene and Greene, among others to lead us some of the great jewels of this architectural niche. The famous Spadena House, the so-called "Witch's House" in Beverly Hills is featured early on, as are some of the treasures in the Los Angeles area. The rescued-from-demolition Weatherwolde Castle in Tujunga provides a gratifying instance of loving restoration that easily rivals that of the famous Greene and Greene Blacker House. Although this style is most associated with the LA area, Gellner takes us much afield, up the West Coast to the San Francisco Bay area, and even into Washington state and British Columbia. All the great architects of the Storybook style are featured, including Oliver, Sherwood, Dixon, Carr Jones, along with less frequently mentioned architects like Egasse, whose Norman-inspired Braasch House and Hilltop Castle are fine examples of the period. My personal favorite is Hutchinson's Sherwood House, a relatively mild-mannered Tudor-style home which became a Historic Monument in 2013. One thing that is driven home in this book is that many of these houses involve true artistry and study on the part of the architects and builders. These architects didn't create phony or cheap imitations of the medieval or renaissance era. There are many instances of well-informed, meticulously recreated and convincing replicas of period style stone and woodwork.

This is a wonderful book that I'm buying for my collection. Schiffer Books has requested that we link their webpage for the volume. Here it is: http://www.schifferbooks.com/storybook-style-americas-whimsical-homes-of-the-1920s-6189.html

Until this book is released, the exquisite vaulted ceiling of the master bedroom in the Sherwood House can be seen here... https://flic.kr/p/bzURS3

Having grown up in the Los Felix area of Los Angeles, I saw these house, these actual houses in this book, all the time, on my walk to school, on my way to the grocery story, on my walk down my street. I never realized, until I moved away, that these were a unique style, and a name.

This book gives the history of this style, as well as wonderful interior shots of the insides of some of the more well preserved Storybook style homes.

Great book for fans of this style. Very well researched, and photographed. Would make a wonderful coffee table book, as well as just gorgeous book to have in general.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review