Country style is relaxed and embraces the idea of a quality of life that’s an antidote to the fast, noisy pace of the city. It’s a style often adopted by city dwellers who want to evoke a little bit of country no matter where they are living.
The country-style books in our collection are generated from all corners of the globe. A newer one, Tuscany: Artists at Home, combines the beauty of an area that is a magnet to travelers with the stories of lives devoted to art. And a delicious pairing it is.
Studios overlook countryside of heart-wrenching beauty with the hazy hills of 16th Century landscape art. Vine-covered pergolas provide peaceful refuge for a glass of wine. There are terraces massed with lavender and punctuated by fountain or pool. Beyond the terrace, lie kitchen gardens and vineyards.
You learn of a life where time is divided between painting and gardening or perhaps sculpture and carpentry. You see tapestries on mellow stone, cool tile floors and sculptural stucco walls. Most of the homes have lovingly evolved over long, artistic lifetimes.
The artists have also applied their skills to walls and furniture, creating exciting murals and whimsical decoration. Sculpture dots the woods and gardens.
If you are looking for armchair travel and summer fantasy, let this book transport you to Tuscany.
-Jane