Style expert Diane Dorrans Saeks opens the doors to California's most exclusive and inspirational rural residences. From Pebble Beach to the Napa Valley, California's country homes pair gorgeous natural surroundings with a simple elegance, whether for lounging by the pool, reading under the redwoods, or walking the vineyards. Socialite Denise Hale's country hacienda marries antique treasures with adobe walls. A visit to Leslie Rudd's winery estate reveals French furnishings at home with American vintages. And the famed French Laundry restaurant puts a rustic garden on the decorating menu. With 220 bold color photographs, this is a collection sure to please designers, decorators, and style watchers. Diane Dorrans Saeks' comprehensive text not only reveals elite sources for unique furnishings, but paints fascinating portraits of the homeowners and designers who are a compelling as the spaces they create. California Country Style is an ode to great taste.

Discover design inspiration as a photographer and blogger details the story of her renovation of a 1940s cottage in the California countryside. A little, abandoned vacation house that could, set in the center of rolling fields and trees becomes the cottage home of her dreams. A French country–style cottage filled with original elements and an exquisite mix of rustic and refined. The years of renovation allowed Courtney to create a lifestyle that is fueled by inspiration and beauty, a touch of whimsy, and an abundance of everyday elegance. The journey has been shared on her popular blog French Country Cottage, and now, through the publication of her first book, her readers will experience a reveal of more of her home and property and the inspirations behind her beloved style. Courtney's inspiring photography reveals every nuance of her style and home including a muted color palette, old brassy door knobs, chippy paint, antiques, her greenhouse and garden, and an abundance of entertaining and holiday decorating style. Blurring the lines between indoor and outdoor and embracing well-worn as well loved, French Country Cottage is a style that celebrates simplicity, indulges in romance, cherishes pieces with history and believes a chandelier and fresh flowers belong in every room.

Describes the concept of the cottage-style home, and presents examples built and decorated by Californians.

Sonoma Valley: the name alone evokes a wonderful sense of warmth, beauty, and magic. On hearing it, one envisions landscapes of sparkling rivers, verdant, vineyard-banked hillsides, and sunshine―in short, paradise. Having had this dream, those lured by the spell of Sonoma arrive to discover a place far more spectacular than imagined. In Sonoma Valley Style, author Kathryn Masson and award-winning photographer Steven Brooke offer us an intimate tour of this extraordinary place. By way of brilliant, full-color photography and lucid prose, we gain privileged entry into the stunning houses and easy lifestyle of this lush Eden. Sonoma Valley Style illustrates, in full color, extraordinary, restored and lived-in Mexican-period adobes, 19th-century Victorian farmhouses, early 20th-century craftsman bungalows, modern “California” ranch houses, and contemporary residences on the cutting edge of design.

"One of the most beautiful regions of the California coast, Santa Barbara also has one of America’s most affluent and stylish demographics. Possessing the most summery, mild, seductive climate in the country, Santa Barbara has been an elegant and chic style destination since the turn of the last century, when wealthy East Coast families wintered there. The first book to take readers inside the mansions and estates of Santa Barbara today, Santa Barbara Living features the houses and gardens that make Santa Barbara a rarified version of the American Dream"--From the publisher.

"California is an incubator for technological, multicultural, ecological thought, and a love for the outdoors. It should be no surprise then to see that California architecture embodies these influences in home design. The projects presented in this book demonstrate the rich cultural synthesis found in California and that the influence of the North American continent upon American architecture continues." - Robert Nebolon. Architect AIA The California Style is a complete compilation of the most relevant architects, landscape designers and interior designers in California. Containing the latest projects of 24 selected Californian professionals, this work reveals the most beautiful homes, residences, retreats, sustainable houses, haciendas, chic apartments, gardens, terraces & outdoor spaces, pool houses, cottages, urban developments, cultural centers and sports facilities completed in the last years.

Authoritative, up-to-date travel information in a handy, compact format features tips on dining and lodging to suit any budget, facts on local transportation and holidays, detailed maps, sightseeing tips, and advice on shopping, nightlife, side trips, and outdoor activities.

Includes information on hotels and resorts, restaurants, beaches, walking and driving tours, nighttime entertainment, shopping, and sights of interest

Detailed and timely information on accommodations, restaurants, and local attractions highlight these updated travel guides, which feature all-new covers, a two-color interior design, symbols to indicate budget options, must-see ratings, multi-day itineraries, Smart Travel Tips, helpful bulleted maps, tips on transportation, guidelines for shopping excursions, and other valuable features. Original.

The enduring achievement and legacy of a rock movement Florida Book Awards, Bronze Medal for Florida Nonfiction The Allman Brothers Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd helped usher in a new kind of southern music from Jacksonville, Florida. Together, they and fellow bands like Blackfoot, 38 Special, and Molly Hatchet would reset the course of seventies rock. Yet Jacksonville seemed an unlikely hotbed for a new musical movement. Michael FitzGerald blends eyewitness detail with in-depth history to tell the story of how the River City bred this generation of legendary musicians. As he profiles essential bands alongside forerunners like Gram Parsons and Cowboy, FitzGerald reveals how the powerful local AM radio station worked with newspapers and television stations to nurture talent. Media attention in turn created a public hungry for live performances by area bands. What became the southern rock elite welded relentless determination to a ferocious work ethic, honing their gifts on a testing ground that brooked no weakness and took no prisoners. FitzGerald looks at the music as the diverse soundtrack to a neo-southern lifestyle that reconciled different segments of society in Jacksonville, and across the nation, in the late sixties and early seventies. A vivid journey into a crucible of American music, Jacksonville and the Roots of Southern Rock shines a light on the artists and songs that powered a phenomenon.