A good friend of mine, Monica Zeuli, and I were talking faux books. (She’s also the artist who took the photo that inspired the previous post.) She and I get very excitable together about art — we show each other magazine articles, talk about finish recipes, go to art fairs…really, the only thing I dislike about her is that she roots for the Red Sox and the Patriots. (We can’t all be perfect. Go Giants!) Anyhoo. She mentioned that she had just bought this fantastic book from the North Light Book Club and I should look into it…so I did…and I greatly enjoyed it. So much so that (drum roll, please) the January 2008 book of the month is Your Home - A Living Canvas by Curtis L. Heuser.

Mr. Heuser has an interesting backstory. This book is actually a snapshot of the reconstruction/remodeling of a run-down home he bought in Newport, Kentucky. The house was sold to him with all the contents intact and when he had a yard sale, one of his neighbors, Clare Finney, came by to take a look. She noticed his business van and being the art director for North Light Books, she was intrigued and spoke to him about his business and plans for the house. This book is a result of that serendipitous meeting. I love stories like that…and I’m glad such a wonderful artist had the opportunity to showcase the truly amazing transformation of his own home.

The book is organized by each area of the home: Foyer, Kitchen, Master Suite, etc. For each area, he not only talks about the decorative painting but also about such key elements like flooring, lighting and accessories. The directions he gives are concise and the pictures help as well — I think anyone could tackle these projects and enjoy success. He has extensive before and after pictures and while I’ve included some here, I left some choice ones for you to discover in his book. Here we go:

Seriously. How delicious is this room? And it’s the Guest Room!! Could you imagine being someone’s guest and walking into this space? I would hug the person and say “THANK YOU!!”. Sigh. Well, obviously many other people agree with me since it is the cover shot. I really would just want to curl up with a nice cup of tea, catch up on some reading or a fantastic crossword puzzle and just idle the Saturday afternoon away nested within this Chinese garden landscape.

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I stared at this picture for a while since I knew the beams were real but where did they end? The painted trompe l’oeil fabric looks like it’s draping over it seamlessly. You’ll just have to get the book to discover the magic!

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I love this since the designs (both on the celing and the walls) started with plaster as the base. It gives a more three-dimensional feel than just a painted design. Supercool idea. He rebuilt that fireplace and found the tin cherub panel (one of two) in a consignment shop, both marred and rusted. He saw its potential and did a beautiful aged terracotta finish over it. BTW, you’re not going to believe the before shots!

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I hope you do get a chance to peruse this book since it is filled with beautiful photographs and great how-tos. Mr. Heuser (and North Light Books) have, in my opinion, produced a winner of a book. Kudos!