Past Present: Living with Heirlooms and Antiques

Collectors eager to display cherished heirlooms and antiques alongside more contemporary objects will appreciate Sully's discriminating eye and articulate narrative in this guide to blending the past with the present. Sully (Coming Home: The Southern Vernacular House) explains that this book was inspired by her relocation to a mixed-style cottage after Hurricane Katrina, when she sought guidance about how to incorporate her heirlooms in a limited space. The narrative is highly educational and expressive, though the photos are underwhelming. Homes with differing styles, settings, and levels of formality are profiled to illustrate the particulars of this combined antique/modern esthetic. Minimalist prints mix with gothic architectural detailing in an old Victorian; well-traveled homeowners display their accumulated souvenirs in their English country-themed house amid the glamour of gilt wall trim and decorative objects; the restored summer house of Beaux Arts%E2%80%93era architect Stanford White showcases its original Gilded Age contents as well as a limited number of recent acquisitions; and in an 18th-century Connecticut farmhouse, contemporary floor and window coverings coexist with the home's primitive, rustic features. Full of reverence for heirlooms and antiques that Sully calls "silent storytellers," this book complements the interconnectedness of antique and modern: "Much of what has been considered modern... has roots in the past." Color photos. (Apr.)