Guest Post
Country Houses of France - By H is for Home
Every so often, especially when the rain clouds have been brooding for days over our little Pennine valley, we dream of winning the lottery and the properties we'd buy with our winnings.
We start with a quaint old slate cottage in the Great Langdale Valley in the Lake District (Why? The landscape is stunning, but it rains just as much as it does here!)
Then we begin to dream wistfully about a bolthole on the continent - a little French country house would do nicely!
When you hear the phrase "French country house" your mind immediately conjures up romantic images of imposing stone fireplaces; crumbling plasterwork; warm terracotta tiled floors; rustic pine kitchen tables laden with crusty bread, smelly cheese, fruit & dusty bottles of wine; gently faded & peeling wallpaper & paintwork; shabby chic furniture - and this book delivers on that magic!
The 192 pages of Country Houses of France by René & Barbara Stoeltie are a brimming with gorgeous, glossy, full colour photos of 22 different French houses...
...from a modest artist's hideaway on the Côte d'Azur to a grand chateaux on the Île-de-France.
For each house there's a short narrative - in English, French and German - describing the age, style and history of the house and outlining what drew the owner(s) to their home and how they went about furnishing and personalising it.
The authors feature not just the houses but also the sun-drenched gardens, patios & courtyards too!
Originally published by Taschen in 1999, you can still find copies on Amazon UK, France and USA.
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