Last week for our Style Source Faves segment, we offered a remarkable book:  Houses of Los Angeles: Volume II.  And of course, many of the beautiful, old homes in LA are in the mode of Spanish/Mediterranean architecture.

So for today's style source, we're suggesting another lovely book: Spanish Houses:  Rustic Mediterranean Style, by Patricia Espinosa de los Monteros and Joaquin Fernandez de Santaella.

Spanish Houses takes the reader on a journey through a number of Spain's historic private homes in various locales (none of which are opened to the public.)

Besides detailing the characteristics: wood, tile, stucco, iron work, the author's note the original models for Spanish homes.  In their words, "Spanish houses developed through two basic models: the mediterranean casa romano and the Celtic casa celta."  The first - a white-washed, flat roof Southern mansion with patio and courtyard.  The second - a thick walled, pitched roof, stone retreat.

Loaded with beautiful photographs by Francesco Venturi, this book makes a lovely coffee table book to peruse at leisure, or acts as a guide for creating your own Spanish hacienda.