Whenever I think about the style of home I wish I lived in... It usually comes back to either a Spanish Revival or Hacienda Spanish Style home. I am destined to live in a house with a red tile roof.

The desert Southwest lends itself to this style... even though the style is traditionally found in what would be Old California. When I think of Spanish Revival... my mind wanders to the California coast communities such as Santa Barbra. Or I wander over the the Hollywood hills and take in the view from my Hacienda courtyard.

Well... a girl can dream, can't she?

I just ran into this huge book and had to snatch it up. It was published in 2002 and I missed it. I do love pictures and this one has over 250 photos that filled my head with dreams of Spanish colonial churches and shaded Spanish Haciendas.

Did you know that the Spanish Revival Style is a product of the 1915 Panama-California Exposition in San Diego? And... all the buildings are still their?

Yes, you can go to Balboa Park in San Diego, California and sit down right in the middle of an amazing plaza surrounded by the "New" Spanish style. I have spent hours wandering the paths and through The Spanish Village. It takes more than one day to see it all.

But... I am not here to talk about San Diego. Back to the book.

Picture after picture of Spanish style architecture fills the pages.

I have a ranch style home, that we are in the process of updating the roof. We are changing from wood shingle, (YUCK) to a tile roof. The use of real clay tile isn't possible without ripping off the rafters and starting over. But, with the new composite tiles available... we can have our Spanish Tile Roof! Now I just have to choose a color.

Tile colors range from Spanish Red to Mocha to a deep burnt brown... with variations in between. Sigh... choices.

I refuse to consider a green or yellow or even blue tile roof. We all want to stay traditional, don't we?

By the way... the book is simply titled - Red-Tile Style.

Much easier to remember than Spanish Revival Architecture or Hacienda Style Exteriors.