Private Gardens of Santa Barbara: The Art of Outdoor Living

I bought the hardcover edition of this book. It is a beautiful coffee table book. It doesn't have a separate dust jacket but rather the hard cover has the photography on it. I like that because I don't have to remove a jacket when I want to look at the book. This book has the most gorgeous photos of Santa Barbara gardens. Also it has minimal text which is exactly what I wanted. The chapters are divided by the different locations of the gardens which are private residences. Even though I live in Texas I have gotten ideas for my own garden. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in seeing beautiful garden photos with minimal text.

I come back to this book over and over, and have poured over each picture trying to understand how every element comes together so perfectly. So elegant and deceptively simple at times. Margie Grace's work is effortless and natural yet still so fresh and modern. The book is beautiful and the picture quality is lovely. I initially read this book digitally, but I’m so glad I got the hardback because the photos are stunning in real life.

Disclaimer! :-) I know Margie Grace and have enjoyed walking through a few of her outstanding award-winning landscaping projects. This book truly captures her elevated design sensibility , her sense of communication and humor. The photographs visually capture her graceful imprint on the beauty of Santa Barbara and outdoor living.. As a fellow designer of landscapes, I 'SEE' her magic and I devoured the book cover to cover. Now, I want to move to Santa Barbara!

A group of my friends threw me a 60th birthday week end in Santa Barbara which included wonderful lunches, dinners, and a harbor cruise. But the favorite event among all of us was a private tour of 5 gardens designed by Margie Grace! I don't know anything about gardens...but I do know that Margie's are absolutely gorgeous! This book features a few of the gardens that we toured. I love it!

Nice photo examples of homes in Santa Barbara

Margie's work is off the charts, and the book is gorgeous. I have bought it for tons of friends, and recommend it to pretty much all my clients. Can't ask for much more in a book of residential landscapes.

Perfect gift for my daughter-in-law who is a relative newbie to Santa Barbara.

Well I am a decorator, and have been for 50 years. My garden was designed by Margie Grace 20 years ago, destroyed two years ago, and restored one year ago by Margie Grace. It is in this book. The brilliance of this book is the versatility and talent that Margie Grace has. None of these gardens look alike! I cannot recommend this book anymore highly!

Ein tolles Buch mit schönen Design-Ideen, die ich mir in meinen Planungsbereich der Naturgärten „übersetzen“ werde.