Published in the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

Homestyle, Wednesday, June 1, 2005

Book In Brief
Minnesota architect Jean Rehkamp Larson's book The Farmhouse (Taunton Press, $32) profiles 21 contemporary American farmhouses. Each home featured was built (or extensively remodeled) quite recently and yet each seems as if it's been nestled in its rural setting for a hundered years. Still, these aren't reproductions of old farmsteads. These homes all contain up-to-date amenities and several, such as the spare, modern Wisconsin barn house, are downright contemporary. And that's what's so appealing about these homes: they acknowledge the past without becoming sentimental; they advance contemorary design without forgetting about history.

Larson's Midwestern roots means she's able to treat farmhouses with a respect born of intimacy. ("The farmhouses of my memory stand tall on the Minnesota prairie," she says in the opening chapter) Larson also is a passionate evangelist for her vocation. She sprinkles her commentary with observations and sidebars that serve as introductory architecture lessons. Her enthusiasm, her architectural pedigree (one of the featured homes is her design) and her confident intelligence make her a trustworthy guide to a house style that has become an American icon.
Jason Scherschligt, Specialist to the Star Tribune