Debra Prinzing is a Southern California-based writer and lecturer who specializes in interiors, architecture and landscape design themes. Author of four gardening books, including "The Abundant Garden" (2005), Debra's articles have appeared in Fine Gardening, Sunset, Better Homes & Gardens, Seattle Homes & Lifestyles, Cottage Living and Romantic Homes magazines, among others.
Announcing:
STYLISH SHEDS AND ELEGANT HIDEAWAYS
Big Ideas for Small Backyard Destinations
By Debra Prinzing | Photography by William Wright
The “sublime shed” has moved far beyond its quaint utilitarian origins to represent something much more dynamic in the 21st century landscape. These freestanding garden structures inspire us to express our creativity in a three-dimensional medium. Highly individual, today’s shed is a vehicle for showcasing one’s personal style: Escape, retreat, sanctuary, art gallery, dining room, or even a whimsical playhouse for all ages.
Clarkson Potter | Hardcover | April, 2008 | $30.00 | ISBN 978-0-307-35291-0
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William Wright
Kathy Fries converted an ugly 20-by-20 foot aluminum shed into a fanciful Doge's Palace-inspired garden house and embellished the facade with verdigris copper sheeting, vintage medallions, hardware, and figures.
Reviews, raves and recognition
for Stylish Sheds and Elegant Hideaways
recent words of enthusiasm, from the reviewers:
May 1, 2008
The Herald (Everett, Washington)
“Don't be fooled by the word shed: There are some rustic reclaimed huts filled with antiques, sentimental possessions and comfy old chairs. But there are some spectacular examples of modern design, roofless outdoor rooms and glass extravaganzas built over special pools.
“Tackling the hideaways one at a time, Prinzing describes them in mouth-watering detail and sketches out the missions, must-haves, inspiration, challenges and solutions for each. The inspiration comes from the scope and the variety, the reassurance from the controlled size of most. You can picture yourself taking on and completing such a project.”
May 3, 2008
San Francisco Chronicle (Alice Joyce)
“Maybe you've conjured up a funky backyard folly purposefully set aside for daydreaming. Or considered adding a sophisticated retreat in which to enjoy cocktail hour, an intimate space separate from the home yet connected in spirit. If so, you might be inspired to take action after perusing Prinzing's handsomely produced sourcebook, with nearly 30 projects pictured, five in the Bay Area. . . .
“Whether restored, refitted or built from the ground up, the ‘cool backyard structures’ presented are brought to life by Prinzing’s engaging writing and Wright’s alluring photographs, revealing personalities and design sensibilities.”
May 8, 2008
The Austin Chronicle (Cindy Widner)
“Debra Prinzing's Stylish Sheds and Elegant Hideaways (is) an addictive tome that features William Wright's pretty much perfect photographs of fetching outbuildings.”
May 15, 2008
Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Marty Wingate)
“Once the denizen of dusty corners in the backyard, the garden shed has emerged to become an outdoor living space. No longer does it store lawn mowers, bags of grass seed and rakes -- or, if it does, you'd never know by its exterior.
“Today's shed is what the gardener makes of it, as Debra Prinzing shows in Stylish Sheds and Elegant Hideaways (Clarkson Potter, 224 pages, $30). Filled with inspiration as well as practical pointers, the book tells the stories of gardeners and their structures, from storage closets to dining spaces.”
May 29, 2008
Smart Money (Diana Ransom)
“The key to a perfectly productive work space, says Debra Prinzing, a Los Angeles author who has interviewed a number of home-based business owners for her new book, Stylish Sheds and Elegant Hideaways, is detachment.
“You have to be able to walk into this space and have it be fully dedicated,” she says. A truly separate space boosts productivity - and “quality of life is so much more enhanced,” she adds.
June 2, 2008
Garden Design Online (Jane Berger)
“Once you've taken a quick look at this book, you'll never again recommend a lean-to potting or tool shed or one of those abominations that they sell in the big-time lumber and hardware stores.
“In Stylish Sheds and Elegant Hideaways: Big Ideas for Small Backyard Destinations (Clarkson Potter 2008), author Debra Prinzing demonstrates that yesterday's garden shed has been converted into ... well, take your pick: a yoga or writing studio, a guest-house, a playroom, a glass conservatory, a tea room, a solitary retreat, an entertaining nook -- you name it.”
June 2, 2008
The Orange Co. Register (Cindy McNatt)
"Southern California garden writer Debra Prinzing documents 28 elegant sheds in which you will not want to store your equipment. These are not sheds so much as satellites, teeny-tiny one room houses that serve as writer's retreats, art studios and play houses. Not a spider among the 224 pages of William Wright photos, but lots of ideas if you've ever thought of building yourself a place to escape on your own property."
June 2008
Northwest Garden News (Lorene Edwards Forkner)
“More JOY! More play, more space - who among us couldn’t use more of these precious commodities, often the very first casualties of a hectic twenty-first-century lifestyle? Enter the shed. Not the calamitous repository for rusty tools, last year’s seeds, musty boxes and sticky spider webs presently hidden in so many of our backyards but “…an escape, a retreat, a sanctuary, an art studio, a dining room, or even a whimsical playhouse…where we showcase our personalities and preferences.
“Stylish Sheds and Elegant Hideaways by Debra Prinzing, with stunning photography by William Wright, two of our own Northwest-grown garden publishing luminaries, is an inspirational kick in the pants and a stylishly produced design sourcebook to start us contemplating the many possibilities present right in our own backyards.”
June 15, 2008
Orlando Sentinel (Martha Phifer)
You need some quiet time alone, but where can you go when your family is spread out all over the house? Even the dog has found a comfortable spot -- your bed.
Stylish Sheds and Elegant Hideaways: Big Ideas for Small Backyard Destinations by Debra Prinzing (Clarkson Potter; $30; hardcover) has lots of ideas for your shed. Rather than using it to store tools, you can create your own yoga studio, guesthouse, playroom or whatever kind of hideaway you need.
The book shows you how to work with what you have if you want to avoid a big renovation, or how to create an elaborate, luxurious space.
Showcasing 28 hideaways from New York City to East Hampton, from Seattle to San Diego and from Atlanta to Austin to Santa Cruz, the guide helps you imagine and create your ideal retreat. It discusses key considerations before getting started, such as placement, size and scale, preparation, design, decor and experience.
June 30, 2008
Seven Continents Communication, a blog by Dr. Judy Nelson
This is just an elegant book, to use Prinzing’s word.
These are the first words in the book: “Virginia Woolf had it right. Women (and men, it turns out) yearn for a room of their own. But instead of a little nook beneath the eaves, that room is now a shed. And it is located outdoors, in the backyard, where it serves as an alluring destination for endeavors both practical and passionate.”
I would LOVE to build a little shed in my backyard and have some passionate endeavors!! Whether I do or not, this lovely book is an escape for the eyes and mind as it takes me to places others have built.